"'Fear' Factor"
by Scott Mantz

"The Sum of All Fears"
Ben Affleck,
Morgan Freeman
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

That's a fact, Jack! Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck face a clear and present danger in "The Sum of All Fears"

If you would have told me a year ago that terrorists were going to detonate a nuclear bomb in the heart of a major American city, I would never have believed it. Then again, if you would have told me that terrorists were going to slam two commercial jet airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, I wouldn't have believed that either.

Welcome to the post-9/11 world, where previously unthinkable acts of horror--like the ones usually found in big Hollywood movies--are now more realistic than we can possibly imagine. For better or worse, that devastating sense of dread is what makes "The Sum of All Fears"--the latest big screen adaptation in the continuing adventures of Jack Ryan--such a gripping moviegoing experience.

Other than that, it's nothing more than a standard, run-of-the-mill espionage thriller based on a Tom Clancy novel. Despite solid, but unremarkable performances from Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, the sometimes riveting, but somewhat disturbing film will most likely leave moviegoers more shell-shocked than entertained. Who knows, maybe that's a good thing.

A previously lost nuclear bomb has been sold on the black market to a group of Neo-Nazi terrorists, who plan on using it to nuke the city of Baltimore during the Super Bowl and make it look like the Russians did it. With two of the world's biggest superpowers holding the same diplomatic tiger by the tail, these fascists will be able to sneak down the middle and finish off what Hitler started decades ago. Only newly recruited CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) can save the day, but getting the world's most powerful leaders to listen to him won't be easy...even with just minutes to go until Doomsday.

After Alec Baldwin originated the part for the big screen in 1990's "The Hunt for Red October" and Harrison Ford made it his own starting with 1992's "Patriot Games," Jack Ryan gets a face-lift in the form of Ben Affleck for "The Sum of All Fears." OK, so he's 30 years younger than Ford, but by flashing back to Ryan's early years (even though the film takes place in the present day--but never mind), the filmmakers hope to jump-start a stalled franchise that grossed more than $320 million in its heyday.

At its best, "The Sum of All Fears" has the kind of pulse-pounding, nail-biting tension reminiscent of 1962's "Fail Safe" (and to a lesser extent, 1983's "WarGames"), but otherwise, the movie lacks focus and is literally and figuratively all over the map. That's too bad, considering that it was directed by Phil Alden Robinson, who's best known for 1987's angelic "Field of Dreams." Adapting Clancy's enormous tome was no small feat, and even though certain elements were updated to reflect the more politically correct climate (like changing the book's Middle-Eastern terrorists to Neo-Nazi fascists), the overall effect is still somewhat convoluted and contrived.

The film is also jam-packed to the point where Ben Affleck almost feels like a guest star in his own movie. There's no doubt that he gives a solid performance, but he lacks the focused, pillar-of-strength charisma he needs to stand out from the crowd. Morgan Freeman is commanding as always, but he still seems to be going through the motions as the CIA director who takes Affleck under his wing. There are some notable supporting performances--particularly from James Cromwell as the President, Liev Schreiber as a covert CIA operative, and Alan Rickman-lookalike Ciaran Hinds as the newly appointed Russian President--but for the most part, none of the characters are given any real depth.

Though it was actually filmed before 9/11, some may argue that--like Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Collateral Damage"--the timing is way off for a movie like "The Sum of All Fears." Then again, the timing is right on if it makes people realize that just about anything can happen in this crazy world. Who knows, maybe it will make people stop and think before they do anything stupid--you know, like the kind of stupid things that are usually found in big Hollywood movies.

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