# Just caught the 'Sum of All Fears' preview. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 30, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435 "2002-04-30T07:56:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/41 "2002-05-02T00:47:50Z")
It sounds to me like they’re pretending the Tom Clancy _books_ never happened and are starting all over. Hey, that’s fine with me. Give Ryan a taste for martinis, whoever can be as beautiful and funny as Myrna Loy, and a fuzzy dog. Everything’ll be just peachy. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/42 "2002-05-02T01:02:05Z")
[hijack] Could one of you fine Doper list the Clancy books in order for me. I’m a little lost.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/43 "2002-05-02T01:14:34Z")
So, the new movie based on a Tom Clancy book will have almost nothing to do with the book it’s based on? Hey, it just might be worth seeing! ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/44 "2002-05-02T01:52:32Z")
Okay, going by memory: Hunt for red October Red Storm Rising (which isn’t technically a _Jack Ryan_ book) Patriot Games (which was actually a ‘prequel’ to _October_) Cardinal of the Kremlin Clear and Present Danger Sum of all Fears Without Remorse (which takes place during early Vietnam, which would make it, in storyline chronology, the “first” book of them all) Debt of Honor Executive Orders Rainbow Six Bear and the Dragon Now, I’ve heard some vague rumors about Clancy and the books, so take this with a grain of salt- First, I’d heard that his first wife, whom he divorced a few years back, held some of the rights to the books, possibly going as far as owning the rights to the _Jack Ryan_ character. True or not, if you read _Rainbow Six_, which was a poor excuse for a Clancy book anyway, you’ll note that there was _maybe_ as many as two references to “Jack”, about as many to “The President”, and absolutely none at all to “Jack Ryan” or “President Ryan”. The other thing I’d heard is that Clancy is now basically just “going through the motions” of writing, and that _Rainbow Six_ was almost entirely a mere vehicle to get his video games off the ground. All I know for sure is that it read about as badly as the _Op-Center_ books, which is pretty darn bad. _October_ was great, _Red Storm Rising_ was damned good, and both _Sum_ and _Remorse_ were worth reading… _Patriot_ was okay, the rest were merely adequate, and while I haven’t read _Dragon_, I did read _Rainbow_ and that pretty much killed my appetite for more. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/45 "2002-05-02T01:55:23Z")
_Bear and the Dragon_ was little more than “Hey, if the US ever goes to war with China, we’ll kick their asses from here to Nanking!” I wait breathlessly for the day that _Red Storm Rising_ is turned into a movie without altering the events at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/46 "2002-05-02T02:45:26Z")
If it’s interesting at all to you, **Doc N** , I’ve read _The Bear and the Dragon_, too. Interestingly, I read _B&D_ before I read _Rainbow Sex_. Bear &c., like the erstwhile television show, _B. J. and the Bear_, had a respectable level of schlock. Once you get a taste for ten thousand words a day or more, man, the schlock is sustenance. Devil may catch you. _R6_ ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/47 "2002-05-02T03:47:05Z")
I don’t really know much about Clancy or whatever artistic integrity may be destroyed by this movie or whatever. But the trailer was pretty cool. IMO, if one forgets about the novel connection it could be a pretty good action flick. Anyone agree? ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/48 "2002-05-02T06:07:04Z")
The Super Bowl in Denver in the book takes place at a fictional indoor stadium. IIRC, it’s called the Skydome, which is actually a stadium in Toronto. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by abel \* > \*_They screwed up Clear and Present Danger enough_. Don’t they realize by leaving out all these details they’re crippling their ability to make more movies? Some of the books have whole sections of their plot which began in previous books. Make the movie longer, but don’t cut out the plot and add a lot of superfluous b.s. > > - Dan Murray dies (Doesn’t he become director of the FBI at a later date? Can’t do that when you’re DEAD!) > - Moira dies (She’s alive at the end of the book) > - Buck Zimmer doesn’t die (He gets shot in the rescue attempt in the book) > - Escobedo shot by Cortez? (He’s handed over to the Cartel in the book) > > What the… ? \*\* Damn, that’s screwed up. Especially since Buck Zimmer’s death is a MAJOR plot point in Executive Orders. I guess Clancy’s books are inherently unfilmable. There’s too much going on to make a 2, even 2 1/2 hour movie out of them. An HBO miniseries, maybe? And yeah, what **Doc** said about the wife. Think Clancy’s divorce has anything to do with these shiatty books and films? Maybe he just needs the money. His ex-wife apparently cleaned his ass out. When he tried to buy the Vikings a couple years back, the NFL investigated his finances and found that he had nowhere near the money he said he did. My dad is an avid table wargamer and says he used to see Clancy at gaming conventions, but that he has pretty much disappeared from this circuit in the past couple years. ---
**Author:** ![DynoSaur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DynoSaur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DynoSaur)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/49 "2002-05-02T07:10:15Z")
So, we’re saying I shouldn’t bother reading The Bear and the Dragon, then? Really, I just wanted to post what I said to my friend after reading SoaF: “So, the moral of this story is ‘Never shoot your Nazi research scientist before he filters your tritium.’” Hey, _we_ thought it was funny… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/50 "2002-05-02T14:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Al Zheimers \* > \*\*I’m surprised none of you have figured out that the change in the terrorists is so they can use white actors in the roles. \*\* There are lots of Arabic-looking Hollywood stalwarts who could fill those roles: - Tony Shalhoub is an Arabic guy, and very popular - Art Malik, The guy who played Arnold’s nemesis in “True Lies” is a great villian, and looks Arabic - The guy who played the terrorist honcho in the appallingly racist “Executive Decision” is good too - Ben Kingsley looks Arabic, sort of - Also from True Lies, Grant Heslov played the Arabic kid who worked for Omega Sector. He delivered this priceless line: Heslov: “They call him the Sand Spider” Charlton Heston: “Why?” Heslov: “Probably because it sounds scary.” - By Hollywood standards, anyone who looks Hispanic can play an Arab in a pinch, so any one of a number of Hispanic actors would do. ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/51 "2002-05-02T22:22:39Z")
Since we’re listing Arabic or Arabic-looking actors, how about the supremely tasty-looking [Oded Fehr](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Fehr,+Oded)? As to the OP, I won’t be seeing the movie. That changes the whole point! The reason the book actually managed to creep me out a bit was because the events were entirely too plausible - I first read it just as Osama was beginning to make himself a SERIOUS pain-in-the-butt, as opposed to just another kvetcher whining about Western Imperialism. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/52 "2002-05-03T00:45:29Z")
To those complaining about continuity, how come nobody worries about the fact that James Bond should be eighty years old by now? What? You mean you take Jack Ryan _seriously?_ Uh, okay. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/53 "2002-05-06T03:35:13Z")
**Cervaise** , I think it’s pretty well established that each individual Bond movie (and book I guess, I’ve never read one) is just supposed to be an action romp through a variety of settings featuring actors, vehicles, weapons, etc. that are current with the times. Clancy books, on the other hand, very often refer to events that previously occurred. It’s not high literature, but Clancy seems to at least try and keep a continous running timeline going. There’s often events in the books that won’t make sense to you (to varying degrees) if you haven’t read the previous book. _Executive Orders_ is probably one of the best examples of this. Not only is it a true sequel to _Debt of Honor_, it refers to and hinges on several events from other Jack Ryan books. I don’t think this happens in Bond movies as anything more than an in-joke. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/54 "2002-05-06T04:04:54Z")
Affleck may do okay. I just saw him in Changing Lanes, and he seemed to have more depth than in previous roles. (Excellent movie, by the way. It could have been very formulaic, but eschewed all the underdog and action flick cliches.) If Affleck isn’t careful, he could become another Brad Pitt. And that’s not a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/55 "2002-05-06T04:37:57Z")
Y’all saw the **SPOILER WRANING** , right? Okay, then. While the movie takes place in modern time, Jack Ryan is young, fresh to the Agency. He’s still only dating Cathy, so yeah, they’re taking the continuity right out. The bomb goes off about 1/2 way through the movie, instead of the end, like the book. They changed the actor for John Clark, too. And yes, it’s Nazi’s and Baltimore. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/56 "2002-05-06T04:39:06Z")
Damn, make that: Y’all saw the **SPOILER _WARNING_** , right? ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/57 "2002-05-06T18:13:53Z")
> [@](#): > > ## Did they at least keep the opening Golan Heights scene? > > I would doubt it since they’re buying the nuke instead of refurbishing a “lost” nuke. And yes, they did keep the Golan Heights bit, but just barely and there’s really not much about refurbishing, either. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/58 "2002-05-07T05:47:20Z")
You know, by this point it seems like any connection to Tom Clancy and his characters are just an attempt to cash in on their popularity. I know one of the oldest complaints about movies is “It was nothing like the book!”, but come on. This is more “inspired by” than “based on”. ---
**Author:** ![Demise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@Demise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demise)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/59 "2002-05-07T16:23:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > **Interestingly, I read _B&D_ before I read _Rainbow Sex_.** What do your sexual tastes have to do the the bastardization of Clancy novels? 😃 _d&r_ ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/60 "2002-05-07T16:41:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*And I’d rather lose Denver than Baltimore. (Sorry.) \*\* You bastard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435.md?page=4)