UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

funkyfry Low expectations are the key to enjoying this movie. Keep in mind that the film is anchored by a dubious ballad by Phil Collins, an even more dubious performance by top-billed actress Rachel Ward, and was directed by a man who has the word "hack" in his name (Taylor Hackford). It is a re-make of Jacques Tourneur's equally stylish but infinitely more cynical 1940s classic "Out of the Past." While Tourneur's film took us on a death-trip that proceeds with cold logic to its blazing suicidal finale, this film is too invested in the romance at its core to allow the characters to be truly bad or truly alive.Let's face it, Jeff Bridges is not a replacement for Robert Mitchum. It says everything about the difference in these two films, that Mictchum's character is a broken-down man who operates a gas station in the high deserts of Nevada, while in this version Bridges plays a football player. That's right, and the plot actually has something to do with football players, coaches (Alex Karras appears prominently), bookies (Dorian Harewood and James Woods), corrupt real estate moguls (Jane Greer, from the original film) and professional fixers (Richard Widmark). The primary weakness of the script is that it spends the first half trying to convince us that Rachel Ward is a femme fatale, and then by the time we're halfway believing it (she deserts Bridges in Mexico after murdering Karras' character), the rest of the movie is spent trying to convince us that she's got a heart of gold. Her character makes no sense, and she doesn't have the screen presence to make us look past that fact.A high speed chase with sports cars that takes place 10 minutes into the film is the highlight of the entire film. We also get to see Kid Creole do his best Cab Calloway impersonation, and other bits of 80s "nostalgia" for things that weren't worth showing in the first place. The director is mostly concerned with having his characters walk through rooms that are stylishly decorated and architecturally moderne. If he had spent more time working on the script and less time scouting locations, it might be worth something. As it is, this film is not only an embarrassment to anybody who is a fan of the original film, but just a poor effort in and of itself. Widmark is the only actor who comes out looking better than he did going into it. Eminently skip-able.

namashi_1 A remake of Out of the Past, 'Against All Odds' is A Passable Noir-Thriller, that isn't power-packed nor is it weak. Its thoroughly watchable, but never gripping enough to leave you awe-inspired. 'Against All Odds' Synopsis: 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.'Against All Odds' has an interesting premise, but it never pushes the limits. Its a so-so Noir-Thriller, that does have some terrific moments, but it isn't entirely wholesome. The twists & turns in the narrative do hold an appeal, but they could've been sharper nonetheless.Eric Hughes's Screenplay is passable, but it needed a much stronger punch. Taylor Hackford's Direction is classy. Cinematography & Editing are okay. Larry Carlton's Score is beautiful.Performance-Wise: Jeff Bridges delivers a credible performance, as always. He enacts the protagonist torn between love & conspiracy, with conviction. Rachel Ward is effortlessly seductive, but also heartfelt. James Woods does well as the villain. The Late/Great Jane Greer leaves a mark. On the whole, 'Against All Odds' can be watched once.

TxMike We had not seen this movie over the years but caught it today on the Movies! channel. Jeff Bridges is football quarterback Terry Brogan, having just been fired by the Los Angeles Outlaws, in his 30s he still thinks he has a couple of good seasons in him, so he is trying to get his job back.During all this he is hired to find a wealthy missing 20-something, Rachel Ward as Jessie Wyler. This requires him to track her down in Cancun. Her mother is tied in with real estate developer Richard Widmark, as Ben Claxton, and there are some shady deals going on out of sight, including James Woods as Jake Wise. There are betrayals and murder, in the end he heads for Miami to try out and see if he can play there, and it looks like he will get the girl too! Moderately entertaining, but not a particularly memorable movie.

dglink Loosely based on a 1947 film noir, "Out of the Past," Taylor Hackford's "Against All Odds" has strong performances in all but the most critical role. Jessie, a confused disoriented heiress, is the romantic obsession of two men and the crux of the film's action. However, Rachel Ward fails to convince that Jessie could obsess anyone with her flat delivery and phoned-in performance. Jessie runs off to Mexico to snorkel and shop, and her gangster boyfriend hires an injured football player to find her. Sending a handsome hunky athlete off to find your girlfriend at the beach is not an inspired idea, and both the expected and the unexpected ensue. The twisted convoluted tale occasionally meanders, and the pacing falters at times. However, when the sweaty romantic scenes are over, the plot manages to re-energize and re-capture attention towards the fade out.Despite her physical beauty, Ward is the black hole at the film's center. However, her two co-stars are more captivating. James Woods can play slimy gangsters in his sleep, and his Jake Wise is appropriately chilling and creepy, which makes Jessie's attraction to him even less convincing. Evidently Jake had a brain fart when he decided to hire Terry Brogan to search for the girl who deserted him, because Jake and Terry are worlds apart in the looks and charm departments. Jeff Bridges's athletic Terry, who has history with Jake, is unwittingly drawn into a vortex of corruption during his search for Jessie. Although always watchable, Jeff Bridges has had better and more demanding roles than an injured jock playing private eye. Despite a decent script adapted by Eric Hughes from Daniel Mainwaring's original, the film's central mystery is why Jake and Terry would be hopelessly drawn to a shallow drifter like Jessie. Ward received top billing over Bridges and Woods, another mystery as baffling as any in the plot.Experienced veterans provide solid supporting performances, led by a still-handsome Richard Widmark, who, at age 70, remained a commanding presence. In a nod to film buffs, Jane Greer, star of the 1947 version, appears as Ward's cold distant mother. Location work in the Mayan temples of Mexico's Yucatan is travel-log appealing, and the end credits feature an Oscar-nominated title song by Phil Collins. An exciting car race through Los Angeles traffic is thrilling, if pointlessly reckless. Although "Against All Odds" runs more than 20 minutes longer than the 1947 original, Bridges and especially Woods are compelling enough to hold attention even when the tricky plot wanders.