The Sum of All Fears

Play trailer

The Sum of All Fears

PG-13

Released May 31, 2002

1h 58m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

177 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Based on Tom Clancy's novel, this espionage thriller tracks a sinister plot to draw the United States and Russia into World War III. When the Russian president (Ciarán Hinds) suddenly dies, world tension escalates. Coupled with missing nuclear scientists and the threat of a nuclear detonation on United States soil, young CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) must uncover who is behind the conspiracy.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A slick and well-made thriller that takes on new weight due to the current political climate.

Read Critics Reviews

Stanley Kauffmann

The New Republic

In this Bush-Ashcroft age, we do not especially need more strictures on civil liberties, but after this despicable film perhaps the great minds of Movieland could be persuaded to agree on a ground rule: films about nuclear terror must not be risible.

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Laura Bushell

BBC.com

Deals with a chillingly topical nuclear attack on Baltimore. But perhaps more disturbingly, it rehashes it into a Ben Affleck action romance.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 5, 2002

Full Review

Jason Caro

Radio Times

The intelligent twists and taut pacing ensure entertaining, albeit occasionally uncomfortable, viewing.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 9, 2024

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

If released in a calmer world, the movie would be received and understood, if not necessarily enjoyed, as yet another piece of militaristic pulp from the factory of Tom Clancy, in which only one ingenious American can avert catastrophe.

Rated: C-

Sep 17, 2022

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Effective Hollywood thriller in which Ben Affleck replaces Harrison Ford as airport novel author Tom Clancy's favourite creation, CIA super-snoop Jack Ryan.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 9, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Ryan M

With just the right amount of action, this stylish spy thriller kept me entertained throughout, although it is a bit silly having Ryan being the only smart person around.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

Harvey K

So f stupid 🤬 so f stupid 😠

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

Madam D

A typical Jack Ryan plot with him the only intelligent person on the planet. An excellent cast did their best with this so-so CIA flick.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/30/25

Full Review

Anon A

Loved it, don’t get the hate at all. Very entertaining!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

Full Review

alan g

Morgan Freeloader ruins another otherwise good film with his "acting". When will hokeywood learn he is well past his prime. He never follows a script and makes it up as he goes along. Nuking Baltimore was good though.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/25

Full Review

Rob K

Very glitzy and well acted, at least by Morgan Freeman, but like others I always laugh at Hollywood's inability to kick the cold war mentality now that Russia's not communist. Plenty of dictators in the world (Romania!) worse than Putin that we just love, but the combination of Orthodoxy, 11 time zones full of minerals, oil, grain, timber, and more make them an enemy. Having a legendary Irish actor play a Russian dictator and fake an accent is absolutely hilarious.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Phil Alden Robinson

Director

Ben Affleck

Jack Ryan

Morgan Freeman

William Cabot

James Cromwell

President Fowler

Liev Schreiber

John Clark

Bridget Moynahan

Dr. Kathy Muller

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - The Bomb is in Play

2:03

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - This Virus Is Airborne

1:31

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - Terrorist Attack

0:57

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - Back Down

1:59

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - Keep The Back Channels Open

1:57

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - I Can't Tell You That

1:31

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - I Don't Think He Did It

2:12

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - I Like Him

2:11

The Sum of All Fears: Official Clip - Everyone Has Opinions

1:48

View more videos

Half Past Dead

3%

37%

Half Past Dead

Watchlist

The Transporter

54%

73%

The Transporter

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Transporter

Transporter 2

52%

58%

Transporter 2

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Transporter 2

The Bourne Identity

84%

93%

The Bourne Identity

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Bourne Identity

The Sentinel

34%

41%

The Sentinel

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Based on Tom Clancy's novel, this espionage thriller tracks a sinister plot to draw the United States and Russia into World War III. When the Russian president (Ciarán Hinds) suddenly dies, world tension escalates. Coupled with missing nuclear scientists and the threat of a nuclear detonation on United States soil, young CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) must uncover who is behind the conspiracy.

Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Producer: Mace Neufeld
Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio, Daniel Pyne, Tom Clancy
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Mace Neufeld Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Disaster Images|Brief Strong Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 31, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 21, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $118.5M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now