THE SUM OF ALL FEARS [2002] Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman ; 12

The Sum Of All Fears, picks up where Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger left off, at least in terms of film making. This supposed prequel to the last two films starring Harrison Ford manages to re-create the feel and power it's predecessors had and as a result doing Tom Clancy's novels justice once again. Affleck this time takes on the role of Jack Ryan the soon to be CIA special analyst. The plot revolves round a third party trying to start a war between Russia and the United States. The story and characters are well depicted and even though it is obviously clear fiction, there are very apparent flashes of the happenings of September 11th, which in turn adds a very serious undertone to the movie. Morgan Freeman puts in another commendable performance but the star of the show is really the President of the United States himself, James Cromwell. He is always a joy to watch and his portrayal of America's commander and chief on the edge, is worthy of great praise. Mainly a result of Cromwell's performance, there are strong echoes of events in real life American history past, the Cuban missile crisis being one of the more obvious ones. Affleck does put in an adequate performance but a young Harrison Ford would of been better. The films special effects are brilliant, from the attack on the US Air Craft Carrier to the detonation of a Nuclear Bomb, the effects work is top notch and totally seamless. The icing on this particular cake though is the excellent musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, which just adds to the films overall power. The only thing which lets the film down is a small dip in pace half way through, but after that point in the film has passed, you will forget all about it. If your a fan of the Clancy novels or the other Jack Ryan films, then this will not disappoint.