The Sum of All Fears
Short description
The Sum of All Fears follows Jack Ryan, a young CIA analyst recruited by agency director William Cabot to assess the new Russian president after his predecessor dies suddenly. The change in leadership unsettles Washington, and suspicions grow that rogue scientists or factions may be developing nuclear weapons. When a bomb detonates on American soil, the blame quickly falls on Russia, pushing the two countries toward a confrontation neither side can afford. Ryan works to uncover who is actually responsible before the retaliation becomes irreversible.
Phil Alden Robinson directed the film, which sits between Sneakers and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn in his directing career. The screenplay is by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, and Mace Neufeld produced. Ben Affleck takes on the role of Jack Ryan, with Morgan Freeman as Cabot, James Cromwell as President Fowler, Liev Schreiber as John Clark, Bridget Moynahan as Dr. Cathy Muller, and Alan Bates as Dressler. It is based on Tom Clancy's novel and arrived as the fourth film featuring the Jack Ryan character, following earlier adaptations in which Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford had played him. Made for 68 million US dollars, it earned around 194 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.5 from roughly 134,000 votes, on TMDB 6.4 from about 2,000 votes, and its critics' rating stands at 6.2 from 177 reviews, close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film (during US government evacuation drills in the event of a nuclear attack) mentions a certain “vile General Bulgakov” who has seized power in Russia and wants to use nuclear weapons in Chechnya (this is the scenario of the drills). Interestingly, at the time the film was released, General Vladimir Bulgakov, a Hero of Russia and a recipient of many orders, was actually serving in the Russian army and had actively participated in repelling the militants’ invasion of Dagestan and in the battles of the Second Chechen War, including leading the assault on Grozny.
- Spassky (one of the Russian nuclear scientists) is the surname of a deputy head of "Rosatom".
- There is a belief that the spray used by John Clark, as played by Liev Schreiber, to make a hole in the wire fence is a real substance from CIA arsenals, informally known as "Pee." When the film's technical consultant was asked if he could obtain a bottle or two of this "Pee" for filming, he replied that such actions are punishable by imprisonment.
- Director Phil Alden Robinson replaced the Islamic terrorists, as they appeared in Tom Clancy’s (1947-2013) novel *All Fears* (1991), with neo-Nazis. This was done because before the September 11, 2001 attacks, he did not believe that Arab terrorists were capable of such a large-scale attack. After the 9/11 attacks, the film crew had to rack their brains about how to present the film to the public.
- Originally, Harrison Ford was supposed to reprise his role as Jack Ryan, but he left the project due to disagreements with director Phillip Noyce over the script. Noyce also subsequently left the project.
- Kieran Hindes, who played the role of Russian President Nemerov, did not know a single word of Russian, and learned quite lengthy speeches in Russian by ear in just two weeks.
- When Ben Affleck first appeared on set, he told director Phil Alden Robinson that he was happy for the opportunity to work with him again, to which Robinson reasonably asked why "again." Affleck explained that when Robinson was filming the 1989 fantasy drama *Field of Dreams*, he and Matt Damon were among the extras.
- Matt Damon filmed a cameo role as a waiter, but the scene with his participation was cut from the film during editing.
- During filming in the desert, several "Panavision" cameras failed due to the heat, which caused some of the mechanisms' parts to melt or soften.
- When Ben Affleck was offered the role of Jack Ryan, he was filming Michael Bay's war drama 'Pearl Harbor' (2001). He was persuaded to accept by his co-star Alec Baldwin, who played Ryan in John McTiernan's thriller 'The Hunt for Red October' (1990). But before agreeing, Affleck called Ford to get his blessing to take on the role.
- The nuclear bunker that James Cromwell and Morgan Freeman's characters enter at the beginning of the film is actually a shelter built in the Canadian province of Ontario in case of nuclear conflict. It was intended to hide the Canadian government, including the prime minister, in the event of a nuclear exchange. The bunker operated from 1961 until the late 1980s, and was named 'Diefenbunker' after John Diefenbaker (1895-1979), who was Canada's prime minister at the time of its construction.
- The scene of the president, played by James Cromwell, being rescued from the attacked motorcade featured real U.S. Marines and a pair of actual 'CH-53E Super Stallion' helicopters in service with the Marine Corps.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
