The Digest
In 1973, an Israeli fighter plane is shot down. It was carrying a nuclear warhead, but it doesn't explode. Over the next 29 years, it gets covered with sand and buried in the desert. In 2002, it is uncovered and reaches the black market where it finds itself in the hands of Neo-Nazis.
Meanwhile, in D.C., Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) is a Russian historian working for the C.I.A. he spends his days going over intelligence reports and identifying key Russians for the U.S government. He spends his nights with his girlfriend, Cathy Muller(Bridget Moynahan) His low-key existence is forever changed when a new Russian president, Alexander Nemerov (Ciarán Hinds) comes to power. It just so happens that Jack wrote a paper on him in college and knows everything there is to know about Alexander.
After Nererov supposedly does something unexpected to Chechnya, The Director of the C.I.A., William Cabot (Morgan Freeman) gets wind of this and wants Jack to speak before American President Fowler (James Cromwell) and his Cabinet. Jack is convinced that Nemerov didn't do it even though he claims responsibility for it. Nonetheless Jack is sent to Russia to get some information. He finds out the Russia is missing a Nuke and some Nuclear scientists. This is further confirmed when the bomb is detonated in the middle of Baltimore.
Jack knows in his heart that the Russians have nothing to do with it and he must work against odds and time to stop America from retaliating and beginning World War 3.
The Dish
The character of Jack Ryan was originated by Alec Baldwin and made popular by Harrison Ford and the first thing you need to tell yourself is that neither of these men exist. If you don't you'll drive yourself nuts comparing their Jack Ryan to Affleck's. Just save yourself the grief from the get-go. Also realize that a switcheroo has taken place. This movie takes place in the present day, which conflicts with the timeline set down by the Baldwin and Ford movies. I suggest you also forget about the timeline in those movies while you are watching this one. I tried to keep it all straight and nearly ended up in a padded cell - drooling.
But you can safely compare the plot and story of this one to the other Jack Ryan films and it measures up. The other movies grabbed you and sucked you in, leaving you on the edge of your seat. Sum didn't do this consistently, but when it did wooo boy. My heart rate went up when the nuclear bomb was set to go off and when it did go off, I was dumbstruck. Sum is also similar to Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt For Red October and Patriot Games in that sometimes, Clancy takes so many twists and turns that the viewer is left scratching their head. There are dozens of important characters to remember and lots of political wheeling and dealing. You almost have to watch each movie more than once so you catch everything.
It is because of some of he far-fetched plot points and the over-acting by Affleck, that caused me to not like this flick as much as I could have. Let's be real, who in their right mind goes to ground zero of a Nuclear blast when they aren't a rescue worker? How does a desk jockey end up in Europe with an undercover operative? Yeah. Right.
Even though I didn't care for Affleck, he was believable as Jack Ryan even if how he is dragged into service isn't. I loved Liev Schreiber as C.I.A special Operative, John Clark. Morgan Freeman was a breath of fresh air.
The Directive
If you like a little political intrigue and a lot of political espionage, this really is the movie for you. Even if the plot requires a suspension of disbelief.
To sum it up: heavy on imagination and light on reality.
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Copyright Kamal "The Diva" Larsuel-Ulbricht, 2002
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