Changing lead actors is nothing new in the entertainment world. It has happened to Doctor Who, James Bond, and Batman, so why not Jack Ryan? Ben Affleck becomes the third actor to take on the part of Tom Clancy's protagonist, following in the shoes of Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford. Affleck, who is best suited for romantic comedies and low-key dramas, seems a little out of his depth here. He is not an action hero - he doesn't look the part nor does he seem comfortable with it. As Ryan, he lacks the toughness of Baldwin and the presence of Ford. Nevertheless, because the success of the film is not wedded to Affleck's effectiveness as Ryan, The Sum of All Fears survives in spite of the weak performance of its lead.
The scenario is much like ones that we have heard discussed on TV and radio talkshows in the months following 9/11. A fringe group gets hold of a nuclear warhead and plans to detonate it at a major gathering point of American citizens - in this case, the Superbowl. The goal is not only to create mass hysteria, but to implicate the Russians, and possibly precipitate a nuclear holocaust that will wipe the world's most powerful nations off the map. The movie's logic is a little muddled here (how exactly do the neo-Nazis benefit from emerging in a world that is poisoned by nuclear fallout and shrouded under the clouds of a nuclear winter?), but it's just strong enough for us not to question it while we're watching the movie. Enter Jack Ryan and his boss, CIA director Bill Cabot (Morgan Freeman). Their job: present President Fowler (James Cromwell) with facts that others may not be aware of, and keep the lines of communication open between him and his Russian counterpart (Ciar�n Hinds). Much of the film plays like a fictionalized version of Thirteen Days, with higher stakes and a little more action.
If Ben Affleck is a disappointment, the same cannot be said of the supporting players. Although criminally underused, Morgan Freeman brings his usual sense of dignity to his role. James Cromwell is suitably presidential as Fowler, and Ciar�n Hinds represents the Russian leader as a man of honor. Live Schreiber is cool and amoral as operative John Clark, and Bridget Moynahan is an adequate replacement for Anne Archer as a younger Dr. Cathy Muller.
Because of 9/11, The Sum of All Fears is more demanding than the usual escapist summer fare. The echoes of reality in its plot points make suspension of disbelief a facile thing, but therein lies a double-edged blade. Will viewers be able to abandon themselves to the rhythms of the story and the horrors contained therein without the steady presence of Harrison Ford to shepherd them forward? The movie does what all good thrillers should do - provide enough shocks and surprises to keep us guessing, and never lets up on the suspense until the end credits arrive. But now that reality and fantasy have come so close together, can audiences see one without being reminded of the other?