Closed Captioned; Bio/Filmographies; Soundtrack English; Soundtrack French; English Subtitles; Director's Comments; Dolby Digital 5.1 Re; Behind The Scenes
In this high-intensity drama, based on the novel by Tom Clancy, Ben Affleck stars as Jack Ryan, the CIA agent from Clancy's THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. Here, Ryan is dealing with a terrifying new problem: a nuclear weapon has fallen into the hands of foreign terrorists who are determined to create a war between Russia and the U.S.
As the film begins, a South African arms dealer (Colm Feore) acquires a long-lost nuclear weapon and sells it, at great profit, to a resurgent group of fascists led by Dressler (Alan Bates), who plans to lure the U.S. and Russia into a war. Soon after, the Russian premiere dies and the relatively unknown Nemerov (Ciarán Hinds) replaces him. But U.S. president Fowler (James Cromwell) smells a rat, and calls CIA chief William Cabot (Morgan Freeman) and special agent Jack Ryan (Affleck), the junior analyst who has been researching Nemerov, into action.
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS is a powerful addition to Tom Clancy's techno-thriller series. Affleck is effective, and there are notable supporting performances from Freeman, Cromwell, Feore, Hinds, Bates, and Liev Schreiber as a CIA operative. Director Phil Alden Robinson manages the action with great skill. Particularly notable are the terrifying nuclear attack and the sequence of final reckonings intercut with Puccini's beautiful aria "Nessun Dorma."
Theatrical Release: MAY 31, 2002
Sum Of All Fears Reviews:
"...The first two-thirds of the film skillfully sets up its dramatic dominoes....And the glossy catalog of aircraft and missiles being primed for action makes for an impressively chilly display of hardware..."
-- Stephen Holden, New York Times
"...THE SUM OF ALL FEARS could hardly be more timely or frightening....Affleck has the intelligence and athleticism to carry off the singularly unpretentious and fiercely diligent hero..."
-- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"...Freeman always manages to do something new....He and Affleck demonstrate a seasoned team's nimbly cutting spontaneity..."
-- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...Solid, quality summer entertainment....Few Hollywood spy thrillers have been more handsome than this one..."
-- Robert Koehler, Variety
"...Vigorously directed....Tautly scripted....The production values are first-class..."
-- David Hunter, Hollywood Reporter
Customer Sum Of All Fears Reviews Customer Sum Of All Fears DVD Reviews
Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)
Good build up This is really an exciting movie with a good buildup and eventually reaching a peak at the end. Submitted by sudheer_p (Mauritius) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
THIS IS WHAT I CALL FILM-MAKING I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER FILM-MAKING JOB THAN THIS. LOTS OF UNEXPECTED SURPRISES AND INTENSE MOMENTS. KIND OF REMINDED ME OF JOHN FRANKENHIEMER'S BLACK SUNDAY. GREAT MOVIE. Submitted by a reviewer (CHICAGO, IL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
More Jack Ryan Suspense! I loved this movie and totally recommend it to anyone who likes Tom Clancy novels (especially those about Jack Ryan). Very well done! Submitted by a reviewer (Delta, UT) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Mediocre high-def transfer, lousy audio (again) This rating pertains to the new Blu-ray release of "Sum of All Fears." I bought it today, July 29 2008, after a highly anticipated HD DVD box set was cancelled just prior to its scheduled release.
Anyway, this title marks the first I've bought from Paramount/DreamWorks in Blu-ray format (I have maybe 20 or so HD DVD), and I was excited to finally begin adding the "Jack Ryan" movies to my HD library. Only to be let down. The High-Definition video transfer is mediocre at best (and that's being polite). I just can't understand how a movie from the late 1980s can be transferred to 1080p looking like it was filmed six months ago - and a 2002 movie like this, with plenty of well-lit interior sets, comes off looking like it was filmed with Hi-8 camcorders after the 1080p transfer.
Audio was the principal reason why I bought this Blu-ray. I watched this movie in its theatrical release in 2002 at a theater with DTS auido processing and THX equipment, and I can still recall the effects of the clarity from that show. When the DVD came out, I wasn't expecting great audio because Paramount hadn't started releasing DTS DVDs yet; nevertheless the Dolby audio was absolutely horrendous - I had to turn my receiver up 15 notches from normal to get similar volume, then suddenly down when the main menu starting BLARING and shaking the pictures on my wall. Today, I was disappointed when I found out that Paramount was using only Dolby TRUE HD for the Blu-ray, but was optimistic that they had fixed the low audio problem. I WAS WRONG! THE VOLUME IS STILL WAY TOO LOW, which affects understanding much of the whispers and muffled phone conversations the movie features.
The movie itself warrants 4 stars, losing one because of the fact that it had strayed so far away from Tom Clancy's novel. But the DVD releases, particularly the Blu-ray, loses another star. I'm leery at buying any other Jack Ryan movies, "Hunt for Red October" in particular, because that is the oldest of the franchise, and has already been digitally remastered several times - imperfections which will be easily noticed in a 1080p transfer.
A word of Advice. If you already have the DVD and don't have a TV larger than 60 inch, you won't need the Blu-ray of "Sum of All Fears" - the standard would be just fine. Submitted by Invincible_Irvine (Mission Viejo, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
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Sum Of All Fears DVD
Sum Of All Fears DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Letterbox - 1.85 Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 - French Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary: Phil Alden Robinson - Director, John Lindley - Cinematographer Featurette:
1. Making Of 2. CREATING REALITY: THE VISUAL EFFECTS OF 'THE SUM OF ALL FEARS' Trailers:
1. Theatrical 2. Phil Alden Robinson - Director, Tom Clancy - Novelist Interactive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Selection
More Jack Ryan Suspense!
Mediocre high-def transfer, lousy audio (again)
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