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, 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

Terry Brogan, an aging football player in L.A., is cut early in the season; he needs money, so he takes a job from a shady friend of his, Jake Wise, to track down Wise's girlfriend, Jessie, who's somewhere in Mexico. She's also the daughter of a very wealthy land developer, who owns Terry's team. He heads for Cozumel, finds Jessie, and promptly falls in love with her. He thinks it's mutual, then without warning, she heads back to L.A. and Jake. What's going on with her, and what's the connection between Jake's hold on Jessie and the various politicians, lawyers, and environmentalists who seem to be converging on some sort of land deal? Terry keeps looking for answers.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Sometimes love is the most dangerous game of all.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

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)

Gross USA:

$25,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Columbia-Delphi Productions,New Visions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This 1980s film noir movie co-starred actor Richard Widmark as Ben Caxton. Widmark had been a star of 1940s and 1950s film noir pictures such as Road House (1948), No Way Out (1950), Kiss of Death (1947), Panic in the Streets (1950), Pickup on South Street (1953), The Street with No Name (1948) and Night and the City (1950) as well as the 1960s' film noir movie Madigan (1968).

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Goofs

In the scene where Terry and Jess are arguing on the "ball field" in Chichen Itza, as the camera switches back and forth between the two, in the background behind Jess a group of kids playing ball can be seen at the other end of the arena; when the camera cuts back to her, they're gone, and the next time the camera returns to her, they are visible again, albeit in the very edge of the frame.

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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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Connections

Featured in The Best of Film Noir (1999)

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Soundtracks

AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW)
Written and Performed by Phil Collins
Produced by Arif Mardin
Courtesy of Atlantic Records/Virgin Records

User Reviews

Beautiful flawed noir.......

Parts of "Against All Odds" are absolutely magnificent. The Mexican location photography is terrific. Rachel Ward looks great as does Jeff Bridges. The chemistry between them is mostly believable. I liked James Wood's smarmy, pompous, character. Alex Karras seemed miscast, as did Richard Widmark. The story piles on a thickening plot that occasionally wanders off course, and is probably more complex than necessary. No police are involved, and bodies too conveniently disappear. The ending seems especially forced, with an outcome that is less than satisfying.

The film is beautiful, however the characters are mostly unlikeable, including Rachel Ward's. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this partially flawed movie. - MERK