Against All Odds (1984) starring Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, James Woods, Alex Karras, Jane Greer directed by Taylor Hackford Movie Review

Against All Odds (1984)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jeff Bridges in Against All Odds (1984)

Woods, Alex Karras, Jane Greer directed by Taylor HackfordBlast from the Steamy Past

Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges - King Kong) was a football player until he had surgery on a shoulder and ends up cut from the team which is owned by Mrs. Wyler (Jane Greer). With no career Terry is approached by his friend and night club owner Jake Wise (James Woods) who wants Terry to track down his former girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid) who not only stabbed him but also made of with his money and just happens to be Mrs. Wyler's daughter who also wants to know where her daughter is. Down in Mexico Terry tracks down the sexy Jessie and rather telling Jake he has found her embarks on a passionate affair with her. But then Jake sends someone else down after them and it becomes complicated as a man is murdered, a body is hidden and Jessie returns to Jack.

Back in 1947 Jane Greer starred in a movie called "Out of the Past" where she was the attractive young woman playing games between Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. Almost 40 years later and Greer found herself in "Against All Odds" another story of a sexy young woman playing off two men, in this case James Woods and Jeff Bridges except she plays the sexy woman's mother. The sexy woman in question was played by Rachel Ward who I remember very clearly at the time of this movies release was very popular with male audiences with this movie doing in no harm in increasing her popularity.

Rachel Ward in Against All Odds (1984)

Anyway as to the movie itself, well the first half of "Against All Odds" is back story and passion as it opens up with Terry in Mexico before flashing back to him being cut from the team, approached by Jake and then Mrs. Wyler all of which explains why Terry is down in Mexico. This is followed by the passion as Terry and Jessie end up dating and having some passionate sex which is steamy and erotic but not as explicit as sex scenes just a decade later.

Then you have the second half where things become convoluted as Terry realises he is being played and having to try and work out what is going on. It is convoluted yet entertaining although not the sort of convoluted which is entertaining when you start to pay too much attention to it. Nope "Against All Odds" is entertaining watched purely for the drama, romance and because it has an impressive cast.

The thing is that whilst "Against All Odds" certainly has a cast which wouldn't look out of place for a disaster movie with its mix of young stars and those who were stars decades earlier no one puts in a great performance. Yes there is the chemistry between Ward and Bridges but beyond that their characters are ordinary as is Woods as Jake, another shifty sort of guy for Woods to make a creep. And as for Ward, well she is sexy but this is not Ward at her best.

What this all boils down to is that "Against All Odds" is entertaining but it is also kind of ordinary with nothing but some scenes of passion to make it memorable.


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