The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Featured Audience Ratings

• moon r

  
  A conspiracy to ignite total war between Russia and America is met by a new screen Jack Ryan played by Ben Affleck in an attempt to invest new life into the popular series. The effect is not bad, not bad at all. The idea underlying the whole film is the real draw though, shot before… More
  A conspiracy to ignite total war between Russia and America is met by a new screen Jack Ryan played by Ben Affleck in an attempt to invest new life into the popular series. The effect is not bad, not bad at all. The idea underlying the whole film is the real draw though, shot before 9/11, about how do we, the world, respond to the aggressive acts of a radical minority. Worth a look.

• Jeff "

  
  The Sum of All Fears is one of the worst of Tom Clancy's book to screen adaptations. I've read all his works that have been adapted to the screen, and The Sum of All Fears lacks the power of the previous three Jack Ryan films. I think that Ben Afleck is miscast as Jack Ryan,… More
  The Sum of All Fears is one of the worst of Tom Clancy's book to screen adaptations. I've read all his works that have been adapted to the screen, and The Sum of All Fears lacks the power of the previous three Jack Ryan films. I think that Ben Afleck is miscast as Jack Ryan, and that Harrison Ford should have played him a third time around, because really, he made the character his own. Afleck brings the character of Jack Ryan down a notch, and doesn't have the same intensity that Harrison Ford brought to the role. The Sum of All Fears could have been a great film, but the cast feels lazy. Ben Affleck just isn't the right person to play Jack Ryan, and I think it's one of the films biggest flaws. The film ends up being a mediocre film that won't appeal to Tom Clancy fans. I very much was looking forward in seeing this film, but I was very disappointed in the way the film turned out. Sum of All Fears could have been a good, entertaining film, but the film just ended up being quite boring. Of the entire Tom Clancy book to screen adaptations, Sum of All Fears is one of the worst. The film had so much potential, but all of that is wasted due to a poor script, and frankly poor acting. Fans of the book will most likely be disappointed, I certainly was, and The Sum of All Fears just doesn't cut it in the end. If you're looking for the worst of the Jack Ryan films, The Sum of All Fears is definitely the one. The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger are far superior films than this one.

• Conner R

  
  Just nothing special compared to the very entertaining Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. This felt more like a Michael Bay interpretation of a political thriller, there's lots of explosions and lots of yelling. It was a pitiful way to reboot the franchise.

• Anthony L

  
  The Sum of All Fears is actually pretty good, it?s probably my favourite of the Jack Ryan films.

• Thomas B

  
  ben affleck has proved once and for all that he should stick to the two things he IS good at, directing and writing. whilst morgan freeman and that guy from alias manage to help the film along, it nowhere near measures up to the hunt for red october or patriot games. the scene in… More
  ben affleck has proved once and for all that he should stick to the two things he IS good at, directing and writing. whilst morgan freeman and that guy from alias manage to help the film along, it nowhere near measures up to the hunt for red october or patriot games. the scene in which the bomb blows up, leaving the film eerily silent, however, is nothing short of brilliance

• Justin Y

  
  Phil Alden Robinson, who only has a few movies on his directing resume at this time, creates a decent adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel, <i>The Sum of All Fears</i>.<p>At just about 2 hours, the story takes a while to get good, unfortunately. The first hour is slow… More
  Phil Alden Robinson, who only has a few movies on his directing resume at this time, creates a decent adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel, <i>The Sum of All Fears</i>.<p>At just about 2 hours, the story takes a while to get good, unfortunately. The first hour is slow and uneventful as the film is setting up for the conclusion. This is part drama and part thriller and the first half is definitely more drama than thriller. One of the problems is that the motive for what is happening, lacks the proper explanation. However, the second half pretty much redeems the film as things get more interesting while the suspense factor moves up.</p><p>There isn't a lot of action, with the exception of the nuclear explosion. It is quite spectacular and seemingly realistic. Still, this is not an action adventure, as the plot may make it sound.</p><p>Ben Affleck is somewhat of a disappointment. He just doesn't seem like the guy to lead this picture. Morgan Freeman and James Cromwell, on the other hand, fit in nicely with good performances. Liev Schreiber has one of the more interesting characters and Bridget Moynahan, who is gorgeous, has a character that goes nowhere.</p><p>Fans of Tom Clancy novels and military thrillers will find this movie intriguing, but this isn't a movie to rush home for.

• Aaron N

  
  [en route to Russia] Cabot: Jack... Jack, what are you doing? Jack: Oh... I had a date tonight, so I had to call and cancel... Cabot: Well, don't be stupid! Tell her where you're going. In fact, tell her who you work for. She'll be impressed. Jack: [to Cathy, over the… More
  [en route to Russia] Cabot: Jack... Jack, what are you doing? Jack: Oh... I had a date tonight, so I had to call and cancel... Cabot: Well, don't be stupid! Tell her where you're going. In fact, tell her who you work for. She'll be impressed. Jack: [to Cathy, over the phone] OK. I work for the CIA, and the Director asked me at the last minute to come with him to Russia with him to do a nuclear arms inspection. Hello? Cathy: That is so lame. Jack: No, I swear, it's because of the START treaty, we get to inspect to make sure they're really decommissioning their nuclear arsenal... [Cathy hangs up] Jack: Hello... hello? [Cabot starts laughing] Jack: Thanks. Thanks a lot. A good enough Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan movie. It works well enough to unfold an elaborate Clancy-style plot while being entertaining enough. The third act gets pretty ridiculous, but some of the characters, namely Liev Schreiber as John Clark make this movie worthwhile. Jack Ryan: I don't go on the, you know, missions, I just write reports for the CIA. John Clark: Then write a report about it.

• Dean M

  
  This thriller film based on Tom Clancy's novel of the CIA analyst Jack Ryan played by Ben Affleck is good, fast-paced and efficient, with a good cast to lend credibility.

• Dan S

  
  The last good Ben Affleck movie there ever was.

• Dean !

  
  A pretty good action/thriller as the USA and Russian are led to believe they are at a nuclear standoff. A strong cast but a bit more action would have helped.

• danny d

  
  what was this movie about again?

• Jason S

  
  I liked this little go at a Jack Ryan flick. Ben Affleckis the man after all.

• Al S

  
  An explosive adventure thriller. Smart, brilliant, exciting and totally edge of your seat. Ben Affleck is sensational. Morgan Freeman is teriffic. A heat seeking missel of suspense.

• Sarah G

  
  This is probably one of the worst films i've ever seen.

• Luke B

  
  Just an average action film with little action. The cliches and dull moments don't help. Rather than being bad it's just nothing important.

• Deb S

  
  Sum of All Fears is a fast moving Tom Clancy cocktail with a nuclear chaser. Like most Clancy stories it's just on the other side of totally believable, allowing your imagination free reign. Ben Affleck, replacing Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan was credible as a young Ryan who is new… More
  Sum of All Fears is a fast moving Tom Clancy cocktail with a nuclear chaser. Like most Clancy stories it's just on the other side of totally believable, allowing your imagination free reign. Ben Affleck, replacing Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan was credible as a young Ryan who is new to the CIA force; he must thwart the plans of a Neo-Nazi organization trying to start a war between the USA and The Soviets by exploding a nuclear bomb in Baltimore and blaming the Russians. Morgan Freeman is wonderful as usual. He is very good as Jack's CIA mentor as he, Jack, and the agency try to make sense of sudden Russian belligerence and apparent acts of war. Liev Schreiber turns in another great supporting role as John Clark and is a real badass. I am a huge fan of Tom Clancy's books and this is the sequel to the other Clancy books/movies which include The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger. It's got excitement, tension and manages to keep a very exciting pace up until the end. Worth a look!

• Joseph E

  
  I enjoyed this film way more than I thought I would.

• David S

  
  I was expecting this to be the worst in the series of Jack Ryan films and although it isn't the best (THFRO is still the most superior) it is still very entertaining and kept me awake from midnight to 02:30! The supporting cast are excellent and I especially like Schreiber's… More
  I was expecting this to be the worst in the series of Jack Ryan films and although it isn't the best (THFRO is still the most superior) it is still very entertaining and kept me awake from midnight to 02:30! The supporting cast are excellent and I especially like Schreiber's Clark (a role played by Willem Dafoe in CAPD) but by going back to the beginning of the series it messes a bit with the continuity of the films and that is frustrating. Affleck is fine as Ryan and I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with the role in th future. It's a different interpretation to Ford and Baldwin but it still works. However it looks like we're going to have a new Ryan in the guise of Chris Pine for the future so he's going to be even younger next time!

• Henrik S

  
  At its core, The Sum of All Fears is the usual ridicilous and childish American mainstream movie you would expect. There are however two crucial aspects, one making this movie stand out a bit and one dragging it right back down. The first half of the movie is hard to bare and as… More
  At its core, The Sum of All Fears is the usual ridicilous and childish American mainstream movie you would expect. There are however two crucial aspects, one making this movie stand out a bit and one dragging it right back down. The first half of the movie is hard to bare and as complex as a doodle of a 10 year old, maybe not even that, depends on the 10 year old. But halfway, the movie delivers a hell of a twist which shocked me quite a bit. Although the twist looses heat after 15 minutes or so, it takes you through the 2nd half and the movie becomes somewhat enjoyable. However, the movie is worsened into a pile of undead lard by Ben Affleck. Maybe the worst actor alive, he turns 123 minutes into pure torture and I longed for those moments when veteran thespians Freeman, Schreiber and Cromwell relived my pain. CIaran Hinds is quite good as well (try and track his performance down in Prime Suspect 3). What else is there to say, just image the average American pile of lunatic waste of celluloid and you've got it. Forgettable.

• Lea L

  
  good movie..

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