The Sum of All Fears (2002)

The Sum of All Fears (2002) is a gripping American spy thriller helmed by Phil Alden Robinson. Based on Tom Clancy’s novel of the same name, the film follows a complex plot involving a lost nuclear bomb and international political tensions. It all begins with an Israeli warplane being shot down during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Decades later, a Syrian scrap collector comes across the unexploded bomb buried in the Golan Heights. He sells it to a South African arms trafficker, who recognizes its significance and passes it on to neo-nazi group leader Richard Dressler. His ultimate goal is to ignite a war between the United States and Russia, leaving Europe as the dominant power. To prevent this catastrophe, CIA analyst Jack Ryan is called upon by CIA Director William Cabot to join him on a trip to Moscow to meet with new Russian President Nemerov.

While Cabot and Ryan were granted access to a Russian nuclear facility, as obligated by the START treaty, Ryan observes the absence of three scientists listed in the facility’s records. Acting on information from a highly trusted informant, known as ‘Spinnaker’, located within the Kremlin, Cabot dispatches operative John Clark to Russia for further investigation. Clark successfully tracks the missing scientists to a former Soviet military base in Ukraine, where it is suspected they are developing an undetectable nuclear weapon. This raises tensions between Russia and the U.S., already strained due to Russia’s involvement in Chechnya. Upon closer examination, Ryan and his team discover that a crate from the Ukrainian facility was transported to the Canary Islands before being shipped to Baltimore on a cargo vessel.