In 1973, a jet fighter flying over a Third-World country failed to clear the top of a mountain. The explosion could be seen across the scorching desert as it illuminated the sky like fireworks.
The fission bomb it had been carrying, however, was unharmed and remained buried for 29 years, until it was uncovered and fell into the hands of a Neo-Nazi group intent on framing Russia for nuclear attacks and re-igniting the Cold War.
"You don't fight Russia and America. You get Russia and America to fight each other, and destroy each other," said main antagonist Alan Bates.
Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, Paramount Pictures brings to life the Tom Clancy thriller "The Sum of All Fears," scheduled for release May 31, a spicy action flick that asks audiences if terrorists could use nuclear weapons against the United States.
CIA Director William Cabot, played by Morgan Freeman, and CIA analyst Jack Ryan, played by Ben Affleck, race against time to stop terrorists from detonating a nuclear bomb at the Super Bowl, and uncover the truth before the U.S. launches a retaliation attack against Russia.
In the fourth movie starring Clancy's Ryan, "The Sum of All Fears," plays on the terrorist tensions inherent in today's society, and mixes them with Clancy's signature nod to foreign relations.
Affleck now tries to fill the shoes of Hollywood giants Harrison Ford, who played Ryan in "Clear and Present Danger" and "Patriot Games," and Alec Baldwin, who portrayed the role in "The Hunt for Red October."
In most Hollywood blockbusters, the main plot interferes with the protagonist's love interest. "The Sum of All Fears" is no exception to this rule.
Ryan's story is, of course, intertwined with his budding relationship with Cathy Muller, played by Bridget Moynahan. Predictably, Ryan is constantly torn between his top-secret career and his love.
As a mildly predictable action thriller, "The Sum" succeeds, despite what would seem to be a controversial topic, partially due to big explosions and intense graphics, because while most shots were beautiful to look at, they aided in covering up the largely transparent plot.
Movie: "The Sum of All Fears"
Scheduled for national release May 31.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
