The Lack of All Tears...

The biggest problem with this film is that it expects us to chuckle and be happy when the closing credits roll... forgetting the fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans have just been incinerated by a terrorist nuclear weapon deployed at the Superbowl. But as long as Jack Ryan and his hot girlfriend are newly engaged and having a picnic on the White House lawn, the director expects us to be full of good cheer.

I loved the quiet tension, great script and superb acting in 'The Hunt for Red October'. I really liked the excitement of the plot in 'Patriot Games'. I thought 'Clear & Present Danger' was a solid effort. However, 'The Sum of All Fears' is just a weak and ludicrous action film that borrows more from 'Armageddon' and 'Pearl Harbor' than it does from its Tom Clancy penned predecessors.

The acting is especially weak here. Morgan Freeman is the lone exception, but he is on autopilot and could do this stuff in his sleep. James Cromwell is the worst President I have ever seen on screen and all of his advisors are about as cheesy as one could imagine a Presidential cabinet could be. I hope our country usually lies in better hands than are represented here, although I fear that not to be the case with George 'Dubya' Bush in office. But, of course, the biggest weakness lies with the ever present and ever feeble Ben Affleck who reinforces his position as the worst actor in Hollywood today. Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford have shoes that most actors wouldn't dream of trying to fill, but ego-boy jumps right in to the deep end and to his chagrin finds the pool is empty yet again!

This isn't a horrible film, but it will rank as one of the biggest disappointments of the year considering the Jack Ryan Series' three previous efforts which were all recommendable. I wanted this one to be worthy of the Clancy tradition, but it failed to engage me at all.

Do you know that sound that you hear in a movie when a missile flies by? It is a high pitched note followed by a whooshing sound. Well, get used to it, because you will hear it about 79 times at an incredibly loud volume during the 2 hour running length. The director also seems to like deafening us with jet engines that roar by. You may have to use your Milk Duds as earplugs.

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - C Richard Propes - B- Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

I've never read a Tom Clancy novel, but I sure do enjoy the Jack Ryan films. While this film doesn't stand up to the previous film's standards, it remains a fairly enjoyable, well-paced action film with strong cinematography, a strong script, and a fair amount of anxiety inducing scenes. Affleck is always strongest in those roles where he's not required to display a tremendous amount of emotional vulnerability. However, he's not quite the action hero either. James Cromwell offers a decent performance as the President, but his cabinet members are largely one-note characters that fit nicely into stereotypes. I'd still consider this film reasonably entertaining, but it's clearly the weakest of the Jack Ryan films.

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a