The Science and Technology Behind "The Sum of All Fears"

To guarantee authenticity with regard to political matters and the method of such a potential attack, the filmmakers on The Sum of All Fears consulted extensively with Brandon and the Department of Defense. According to Davis, "This is probably one of the most technically correct movies in a long time." The Department of Defense made it possible to film numerous aircraft, including a group of F-16s and B-2s, as well as U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters. The film also benefited from the extensive access to the Pentagon, the CIA, the White House and the National Airborne Command Center.


Under supervision, the art crew was permitted to take photographs, make sketches and take notes that proved invaluable in recreating the physical details of the sets built and dressed on stage. This level of collaboration allowed the filmmakers an environment of accuracy and realism. Great attention was paid to detail from set construction to character development. Affleck spent time at CIA Headquarters in preparing for his role as a CIA analyst.


"Having such support from the government and military added verisimilitude that could not otherwise have been achieved onscreen," says producer Mace Neufeld. "There is no substitute for the real thing."


"The initial request for assistance came from the senior production team," explains Brandon. "They wanted the director, the producers, some of the set decorators and costuming people to come and see CIA headquarters, to basically have a chance to see the terrain and what we look like, in order to make a realistic movie."


Al Di Sarro was the expert special effects coordinator on The Sum of All Fears. Di Sarro and his special effects crew created explosive pyrotechnics, rain, snow, flames, wind, smoke and ash. They were also responsible for the mechanics in the film, including the "controlled" crash of a Huey helicopter, and the design and construction of a 120-foot gimbaled platform, which rocked and tipped the National Airborne Command Center set in order to simulate aircraft turbulence. Neufeld and his visual effects team used everything from sophisticated computer-generated animation to the more traditional method of green-screen compositing.


One of the film's most multifaceted sequences, the Super Bowl, was shot in Montreal's Olympic Stadium, which for three days was transformed into the Baltimore Forum.


"The Super Bowl is a massive event. To recreate it, with all of the panoply is quite an undertaking," says executive producer Stratton Leopold. Paramount Pictures consulted with experts from the Air Force, the Marines, the Army and the Navy. In fact, the myriad of top-notch experts provided technical advice on everything from what would occur during and after a nuclear explosion, to the procedures involved in the building and handling of nuclear weapons.


"We live in dangerous times, says Neufeld. "The number of nuclear devices floating around the world is of very legitimate concern. The possibility of a clandestine terrorist attack gets stronger all the time, as reflected in newspaper headlines, which, on a daily basis, seem to get closer to our story. Hopefully, they won't catch up."


"When I read the script, I was struck by how smart it was, which is a touchstone of all the Tom Clancy movies," says The Sum of All Fears director Phil Alden Robinson. "They're smart action films. They're about the issue of the real world, treated in an intelligent manner. In the post Cold War world, with regional conflicts becoming more prevalent and the proliferation of technology and information, the threat of someone using weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical or biological - in a populated area, has increased tremendously. This is a film that shows the danger of how fear can drive our reactions and lead us to the wrong conclusions and responses."


The Sum of All Fears is a chillingly realistic portrait of what could happen if one such weapon fell into the wrong hands. The film is a frightening depiction of how quickly fear can escalate into a paranoia that dominates man's ability to reason.