It has been a long time since there was an intelligent, good and thought-provoking spy-thriller. Especially since the close of Cold War and the emergence of a James Bond not rendered from the Ian Fleming novels.

“The Sum of All Fears” stars Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who is just starting to see what the world of the CIA is really like. Jack has a cushy desk-job and an innocent and intelligent girlfriend (Bridget Moynahan). When Jack discovers that some Russian nuclear scientists are missing and that a nuclear bomb has been sold on the black market, a race against the clock begins.

In the other three Jack Ryan films, the character has always been reluctant to be a spy, a family man and highly knowledgeable of CIA intelligence. In this new entry in the series, a new direction is taken and Jack Ryan character has been altered to maintain the franchise. Ryan is now everything he was before except a family man.

The choice of Ben Affleck playing Jack Ryan is also a bold choice and an appropriate casting. Affleck showed in his previous action-film “Reindeer Games” that he could play the reluctant hero who is thrown into something way over his head. The only struggle Affleck seems to endure in playing Ryan is delivering strong CIA techno-babble that we can believe. When he recoils those lines we aren’t sure if he knows what he just said or believes what he just said. This can be both humorous and shocking. The evolution of the character does support the way Affleck plays the character but it is quite a bit different from previous Ryan’s. I liked Affleck in the lead role and look forward to seeing him grow with this character.

Affleck’s character is supported by four great character actors. Morgan Freeman plays Affleck’s mentor John Cabot, James Cromwell plays the President, Phillip Baker Hall plays the Defense Secretary and Alan Bates plays the sinister Richard Dressler. Each of these actors does great performances and really show the high-caliber of acting assembled for this picture.

The film itself reminded me a lot of “Thirteen Days” in its intensity and especially how it begins. The tension escalates as Ryan’s adventure patiently and methodically awakens. The film moves from a “Thirteen Days” style to more of a “Peacemaker” feel. The intensity shifts as a shock occurs that changes the outcome of the film. The film’s plot and more importantly the shock are probably even more thrilling, intense and relevant after the events of September 11, 2001. What I enjoyed probably the most of this film was the layout and direction of this film. Like “Thirteen Days”, the film doesn’t take a breather and we are transfixed for the entirety of the film.

I also really enjoyed the scenes involving the conflicts between Affleck and Liev Schreiber, who plays John Clark, a CIA wet-works specialist. These confrontations reminded me a lot of the previous Jack Ryan movie, “Clear and Present Danger” where Harrison Ford and Willem Dafoe would have the similar arguments. Schreiber is great as the deadly Clark who has no qualms about getting his hands dirty.

The only flaw that I could see in the film was that it did start to feel long going into the third act but it was also necessary to finish the story. “Sum of All Fears” is a rare intelligent spy-thriller that will rejuvenate the Jack Ryan franchise.

(4.5 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.

As a child of the late Cold-War era, I recall the tensions between the East and West powers and how to many a pending war was seen as inevitable between the two. Flash forward to the modern era and things have changed considerably. The Eastern block foes are now Democracies, and several have entered into NATO becoming allies rather than potential adversaries. I myself have some very close friends who are either from, or descendants from the former Soviet Union, and have found that they are closer in many beliefs and customs than many of our allies in Europe, and that the negative propaganda issued by both sides during the Cold-War only served to establish stereotypes that kept people of both nations in the dark about the other.

With the tragic events of September 11th still at the forefront of the news, the threat of a rogue nuclear device being smuggled into a nation and detonated has become a major concern for many. I recall a documentary once that issued the chilling statement that if you have a million dollars, then you likely can buy a nuclear device from nations where corruption or government transitions are in affect. It is this frightening backdrop that inspired the Tom Clancy novel the Sum of all Fears.

In the film of the same name, Ben Affleck follows Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin in the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan. The film does a bit of a James Bond flip by casting a younger actor in the role yet setting the events in modern day, however it is great to see the how the younger Ryan rose to his top status. At the outset of the film, Ryan has not yet risen to his lofty status as the top analyst as he was in the previous films; instead he is low member of a group that creates intelligence reports for his superiors. A surprise election of a new President in Russia brings Ryan into the forefront, as he had done an in-depth study of the new Russian President prior to his political rise and is now tasked with bringing his superiors up to speed on the new leader.

Against this backdrop is a mix of events combine to take the world to the height of war. A Neo-Nazi has obtained a nuclear bomb, and sets a dastardly plan into motion. Combined this chilling event with factions in the Russian military launching a chemical missile attack on a rebellious republic and the tensions are escalating worldwide pushing nations to the brink of war. Naturally Ryan has to uncover the truth and save the world from war in an ever-escalating situation. There are many other clever sub-plots that all combine to make this a gripping and effective thriller. There are some very intense scenes in the film as there was a 30-minute stretch in the film where the audience was in shocked silence over events. James Cromwell and Morgan Freeman are fantastic in their supporting roles and Affleck shines in the role making a seamless transition into the franchise. While the film does have some plot holes, it is for the most part a gripping and chilling thriller that will leave you entertained and is a welcome addition to a summer lineup that has given viewers some great entertainment already.

4 stars out of 5