Against All Odds (1984)

A gangster hires an ex-football player to find his girlfriend. When he finds her, they fall in love, and the twists start to appear.

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers:

Eric Hughes (screenplay by), Daniel Mainwaring

Stars:

Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, James Woods

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel Ward	...	Jessie Wyler
Jeff Bridges	...	Terry Brogan
James Woods	...	Jake Wise
Alex Karras	...	Hank Sully
Jane Greer	...	Mrs. Wyler
Richard Widmark	...	Ben Caxton
Dorian Harewood	...	Tommy
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Edie
Saul Rubinek	...	Steve Kirsch
Pat Corley	...	Ed Phillips
Bill McKinney	...	Head Coach
Allen Williams	...	Bob Soames
Sam Scarber	...	Assistant Coach
Jon St. Elwood	...	Ahmad Cooper
Tamara Stafford	...	Kirsch's Girlfriend

Storyline

Reluctantly, the penniless, injured, and down-on-his-luck former football player, Terry Brogan, accepts to track down Jessie Wyler: the ex-girlfriend of the old friend and shady nightclub owner, Jake Wise. Now, on the sun-kissed beaches of picturesque Cozumel, Terry not only finds the elusive woman but also, unexpectedly, falls head-over-heels for Jessie, against the backdrop of suspicion and betrayal. More and more, Terry finds himself trapped in an intricate web of passion, intrigue, and murder, as Jessie starts to feel the burden of choice in this dangerous love triangle. Can there be a future?

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Plot Keywords:

nightclub | mexico | gangster | sex scene | los angeles california | 

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Taglines:

From the director of "An Officer and A Gentleman" comes a different kind of film.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the subject of Against All Odds (1984) being a remake of Out of the Past (1947), a notable "film noir" starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer, director Taylor Hackford commented: "Certainly, we've tried to retain certain qualities from the original film, mainly the electric, dangerous interaction of the three main characters. However, the story itself, the background of the characters and the setting are very different. I think we've come up with a film that deals with the unique nature of power in Los Angeles and how that power consumes and almost destroys the three main characters. Years from now I can see theaters playing this version and the original on the same bill and the audience seeing two very different films".

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Goofs

At the start of the movie Terry is wearing dark deck shoes when he speaks to the taxi driver about the photograph. When he speaks to the third person about the photograph he's wearing white Nike trainers.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Terry Brogan: Señor! Have you, uh, seen this woman?
Taxi driver: Oh - no, sir.
Terry Brogan: Gracias.

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 9 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in The Oscars (2015)

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Soundtracks

My Male Curiosity
Written by Kid Creole
Performed by Kid Creole and The Coconuts (as Kid Creole & The Coconuts)
Courtesy of Sire Records / Island Records / Champion Entertainment

User Reviews

From Evil to Spoiled

Against All Odds is an less than effective remake of Out of the Past that RKO noir classic that starred Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming. Not that the players in this film are bad, far from it. But the whole basic structure of the story was completely changed.

What made Out of the Past the classic it is, is the moody tension and overwhelming sadness surrounding the leading characters. Most of all Jane Greer who is an evil temptress beyond description bringing death and destruction to all around her.

Jane Greer is in this film, but as the mother of Rachel Ward who plays the part Greer had in the original. Ward in this one is just a spoiled young woman who runs off with bookie James Woods to upset mom and then runs off with him.

Greer is the owner of a professional football team in Los Angeles which she runs with her high priced fixer of a lawyer Richard Widmark. I think they're characters are modeled on Joan Payson who was the original owner of the New York Mets and M. Donald Grant who was reputed to be the hard character Widmark portrays.

Anyway Jeff Bridges gets into the act when he's cut from Greer's team and goes to work for Woods trying to locate Ward. The rest of the film is pretty much following the plot of Out of the Past until the ending which is completely different. Remember how everyone ended up in the RKO film and the same doesn't happen to most of them.

Still it's not a bad film, but Against All Odds just won't be a classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Out of the Past

Filming Locations:

Riviera Country Club - 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,766,128, 4 March 1984

Gross USA:

$21,689,062

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,689,062

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, New Visions, Columbia-Delphi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1