A game of "Hide the Cliche"

Rating: 6/10 (16 June 2002)

Another entry in the spy fairyland movies, where the CIA is seen as the Wizard of OZ these days. I cannot believe there is yet another completely implausible James Bondish feature like this, where "Sum of All Fears" bathes the viewer with a little bit more realistic approach to the spy world. We cannot savour the adrenaline rush of the action - if we don't believe the peril of it's stars. Damon is just too darn good, and the rest of the bad guys are just too darn dumb. The only fresh approach to the formula is the Bladerunner-esque portrayal of the superhumans that are the assassins. My biggest beef though is the TV ads boasting "a car chase better than the French Connection" - or something like that. Much better work was done with the similarly French based "Ronin", and Willaim Friedkin already did the driving-against-one-way-traffic stunt in "To Live and Die in L.A." way back in 1985.
A good job by the director in getting the paranoia under your skin, and a smart job by both Damon and Potente in trying not to fall into the cliche traps too often.
I give this a 6 out of 10.