The Sum of All Fears - 2002

Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions,MFP Munich Film Partners GmbH & Company I. Produktions KG

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

Cast:

• Jack Ryan – Ben Affleck
• William Cabot – Morgan Freeman
• President Fowler – James Cromwell
• John Clark – Liev Schrieber
• NS Advisor Gene Revell – Bruce McGill
• President Nemerov – Ciaran Hinds
• Dr. Cathy Muller – Bridget Moynahan

Story: A young CIA analyst becomes embroiled in a conflict between the United States and Russia. Jack Ryan is the resident expert on the newly elected Russian President Nemerov, and is summoned by CIA director Cabot to provide background information. He accompanies Cabot to Moscow, and then joins him in a tour of a facility where nuclear warheads are being dismantled. Ryan's curiousity is peaked when he discovers three of the seventeen scientists who are supposed to be on duty at the facility are missing. The more he digs into this anomaly, the more he discovers, and he and his research team are the only people standing between World War Three.

Review: The fourth Tom Clancy novel to make it to the big screen, and the third actor to play Jack Ryan. This film falls short of expectations for several reasons. Since it is shot as a “prequel”of sorts to the previous films, Sum of all Fears seems somehow out of time with its predecessors. In this film, Jack Ryan is played by Ben Affleck, who is certainly no slouch in front of the camera. His portrayal of the the Clancy hero is good, and even meshes with the performance of Alec Baldwin in the first film of the series, Hunt for Red October. I guess my problem is Red October post dates Sum by a number of years, since in it Catherine and Jack are married with a daughter, yet the Soviets are still around. In Sum, Ryan and Cathy are still dating, only becoming engaged at the end of the film and the Soviet Union is long gone. From that standpoint alone, the timing is off sequence, which can make for a bit of a conflict for those of us who have read Clancy's novels, or seen the previous films. For the uninitiated, the film is terrific, and opens up the possibility of an entire new series (which was never pursued, apparently). Cromwell and Freeman are striking in their roles, as is Ciaran Hinds as the Russian President. The remaining cast, McGill, et. al., are intense when they need to be and absent when not needed. Which is the problem with a film like this, since you have so much action going on it is easy to get lost in it. Rated PG-13 for violence and language, the terrifying scene of a nuclear weapon going off in a crowded city is enough for all of us to consider whether or not to let the kids watch. Definitely not collectible, since the series was never continued and the film is out of sequence with the first three Clancy films. Rent it, don't buy it.

The General's Daughter - 1999

Paramount Pictures, Neufeld Rehme Productions, MFP Munich Film Partners GmbH & Company I. Produktions KG

Directed by Simon West

Cast:

• Warrant Officer Paul Brenner – John Travolta
• Warrant Officer Sara Sunhill – Madeline Stowe
• Lt. General Joseph Campbell – James Cromwell
• Col. William Kent – Timothy Hutton
• Col. George Fowler – Clarence Williams III
• Capt. Elizabeth Campbell – Leslie Stefanson
• Col. Robert Moore – James Woods
• Police Chief Yardley – Daniel von Bargen

Story: An Army Criminal Investigations Division Agent, Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, is undercover investigating the illegal sales of weapons to a civilian at Fort MacCallum. He is about to arrest the civilian when his suspect attempts to murder him and is killed in the process. As he is finishing up reporting to the local sheriff, he gets a call. When he arrives at a training area on the fort, he sees the body of a young woman lying staked to the ground and MP's all around. He has met her before, she helped him change a flat tire the night before. Also on the scene is a CID rape counselor and investigator, WO Sara Sunhill, with whom Brenner has had previous relations. Soon they discover the victim is none other than the daughter of the soon to retire General Campbell. As the two investigators probe into the crime, they discover a trail of coverups that lead back to West Point, the academy where the General's Daughter attended. Suspect after suspect is investigated until the truth is revealed, a truth the Army did not want revealed.

Review: Just how far should the military be allowed to “take care of it's own”? That is the underlying question in this fictional account of a rape covered over for the “good of the service”. Or was it? Travolta is at his best in this suspenseful thriller that places him between the proverbial rock and hard place. Is he a soldier first or a police officer? James Woods is equally good as the Commander and friend of the victim, and his position as the head of Psychological Warfare group makes him an interesting foil for the questions the investigator must ask. Madeline Stowe presents an interesting character as the skilled rape investigator who uncovers the perpetrators with a “minimum of effort”, and her conversations with Travolta (the character's ex-lover) bring out an interesting sub plot to the film. While the other actors in the film are adequate to the plot, the main conflict lies with Travolta and Stowe, so the remainder of the cast plays “second fiddle”. With scenes of nudity, sexual sadism, language and violence being strung throughout the film, it is well deserving of the R rating. While not particularly collectible, this film should be seen by any lover of a good drama with a surprising ending.

I, Robot - 2004

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Mediastream Vierte Film GmbH & Co. Vermarktungs KG, Davis Entertainment

Directed by Alex Proyas

Cast:

• Detective Del Spooner – Will Smith
• Dr. Susan Calvin – Bridget Moynahan
• Sonny – Alan Tudyk
• Dr. Alfred Lanning – James Cromwell
• Lawrence Robertson – Bruce Greenwood
• Gee Gee – Adrian Ricard
• Lt. John Bergin – Chi McBride
• Farber – Shia LeBeouf

Story: In the year 2035, technology has advanced to create affordable robots for almost everyone, and we arrive on the eve of NS-5, the next generation of robots. These robots are programmed with the Three Laws that prevent a robot from harming a human, but Detective Del Spooner doesn't trust them. When the primary creator of the robots is suddenly killed in an apparent suicide, Det. Spooner is sent to investigate, and along with Dr. Calvin, a psychologist working with US Robotics to make the robots seem more human, discovers Sonny, a robot assembled by Dr. Lanning who is able to countermand the three laws. Spooner suspects something is amiss, but his investigation is being thwarted by an unknown force that threatens to kill him, if he doesn't uncover the source of the plot.

Review: Now it is interesting they chose to use Asimov's title for this film, since the plot is actually very loosely drawn from the novel. But seeing as it is an action/adventure film more than a deep exploration in to the human condition, Will Smith is the perfect actor to play the role. If you are looking for action with guns and explosions, this is your film. Bridget Moynahan does a fine job as the dedicated scientist who is unwilling to accept the robots could vary from their programming, until she meets Sonny, played wonderfully by Alan Tudyk. There are enough comic moments and pauses in the action to make the film realistic, but having read the book, I have to say overall it is a disappointment. Notwithstanding, Will Smith is an action hero, and he lives up to his reputation in this remarkable film with amazing special effects. PG-13 is because of language and a brief shot of Will in the shower, but nothing too risque. Entertaining and fun to watch, I recommend this one for a rental, collectible for Sci Fi and Will Smith fans. If you are looking for an interpretation of Asimov's Novel, I suggest Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams.