I did not read Tom Clancy’s book THE SUM OF ALL FEARS that this Movie was based on. We rented this DVD the other night and I was quite shocked to see the opening screen was during the Yom Kipper War that took place in Israel in 1971.
As I watch this film I saw that Clancy used 3 real facts:
The War and the 2 Russian Presidents, (one who was an alcoholic and the one that followed him).
This film was made in 2002 and runs about 2 hours.
~O SOME OF THE STARS O~
Ben Affleck plays Jack Ryan who has just started to work for the C.I.A. in Washington, D.C.
Morgan Freeman plays the Director of the C.I.A.
James Cromwell plays President Fowler.
Liev Schreiber plays John Clark.
Bridget Moynahan plays Dr. Cathy Muller.
Alan Bates plays Dressler.
Ciaran Hinds plays President Nemerov (the President of the USSR who is drunk a lot of the time).
Richard Marner plays President Zorkin (the new President of the USSR).
Philip Baker Hall plays the USA’s Defense Secretary Becker.
Ron Rifkin plays the USA’s Secretary of State Owens.
Mace Neufeld is the Chairman of the Organization called the W.H.CA.
~O MY REVIEW 0~
The opening screen is during the Yom Kipper War and we see an Israeli Military Jet flying low, (so no radar can detect it). The Pilot is looking at some pictures of his Children when a missel hits his Plane and it crashes. This is when we learn that their was an A Bomb on the Plane. The bomb doesn’t explode but rolls into a Wadi, (a dry river bed).
The movie fast forwards to 29 years later. Dr. Jack Ryan just starting his career at the CIA as a research specialist. He has been assigned to the ’’Russian Desk’’ and that means he has been watching the Russian President, the messages that are sent from Moscow to their Embassies and Operatives as well as the People who might become the President when this one becomes to drunk, (sick), to Rule the U.S.S.R.
The screen moves to Moscow and President Nemerov is walking up the stairs. He is so drunk that when he almost reaches the top of the stairs he falls backwards and the last time we see him he is flat on the floor looking upward.
At the Kremlin the powers that be decide to make Zorkin their new President. Dr. Jack Ryan has been following his career and doesn’t think that he is a ’’hardliner’’ but will have to pretend to be one until he has all the Generals under his control.
The screen changes to an unknown Country in Europe where the W.H.C.A., (I’m not going to tell you what that stands for as it would give away a lot of what this film is about).
The Chairman is giving his speech, (in English), to the members of the WHCA. Many People take off their Watch when they begin to speak so they can time themself. He does this and if you watch very closely and look at what is written on the back of his Watch then you will know who this Group is and what they are trying to do.
Ryan ends up involved in a major international crisis between the Unites States and the U.S.S.R. He learns that a nuclear device that is to be detonated some where in the U.S.A.
I will end my review here in case someone hasn’t seen this movie.
~O MY THOUGHTS O~
I did find one problem while watching this movie. The languages that are used are Arabic, Hebrew, German and English. When a Person was not speaking English their were sub titles. They rolled them so fast at the bottom of the picture that my Husband had a problem reading them to me.
I thought that Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman are wonderful when they are acting together. They were the best Actors in this film.
There is a love story but I didn’t think it added anything to the mystery of this film and so I didn’t mention it.
If you enjoy mystery movies you will like this one and I highly recommend it to you.
Would I watch it again? No because I already know how the movie ends.
Comments are always welcome and ratings don’t matter.
©LL2002