The Sum of All Fears

The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American spy action-thriller film directed by Philip Noyce, produced by Mace Neufeld, and written by Matthew Carnahan, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. The film marks the first appearance of Ben Affleck as John Carrick, alias "Jack Ryan," a character who originated in Clancy's book series. The film's narrative revolves around international politics, secret agents, and the escalation of global conflicts. The story commences with the death of the Russian president, Borisakov, who is succeeded by a virtually unknown politician, Anatoli Dmitrievich Korshunov. Korshunov's ascension sparks intense speculation and skepticism among American intelligence officials, particularly U.S. Director of Central Intelligence Bill Cabot (Morgan Freeman). Seeking a younger analysis of the new Russian leader, Cabot recruits a talented young analyst, John "Clay" Moore (Chris Fulford) and then later, CIA analyst Jack Ryan. Introduced as an economic analyst in the Treasury Department's Office of Management and Budget, Jack Ryan is relatively inexperienced but is quickly tapped for his excellent analytical skills by Cabot, despite being unfamiliar with field work or counter-intelligence. Initially, the involvement of Jack Ryan is peripheral as he studies the situation though monitoring Korshunov's behavior from afar. However, things escalate further when a terrorist commits a catastrophic atrocity on U.S. territory. The event sets off a global chain of distrust among world leaders, igniting long-brewing tensions and inciting the U.S. government to swiftly label the perpetrator: Russia. American Vice President Bob Gardner (Ken Stott) convinces the President to prepare his military personnel for the potential possibility of targeting Russia in retaliation. The rhetoric seems intense – however a parallel tension ensues within Washington. Discrepancy in American military plans appear alarmingly close as more clues of a second Russian operation unfolds. President Iselin (Ken Stott) was only willing to attack if he saw such a clear risk to major U.S. cities such that a choice either became his military option. This U.S. military view is heightened by what it sees from backroom politics driven figures following events very closely and its increasing fear heightened by an element seemingly connected to Korshunov, suggesting and increasingly revealing to Ryan that the U.S. leadership was in a self-ballooning but potentially and irrevocably hurtful situation if the tensions really escalated among international leaders. That could be the spark to a catastrophic global war. The progression has no visible light at the end for all of America unless an internal plan develops. Through his observations Ryan realizes a threat level in U.S. security he considered would likely be entirely unlikely but were on his grounds what the plan revolves around a surprise he had never foresaw at any time in general: U.S. interests threaten counter this idea more and end to their claims only further away after someone calls him as what happened in relation then as an analyst by training to carry the facts they got – 'the sum of all fears.'