She was a beautiful fugitive. Fleeing from corruption. From power. He was a professional athlete past his prime. Hired to find her, he grew to love her. Love turned to obsession. Obsession turned to murder. And now the price of freedom might be nothing less than their lives.
Jeff Bridges
Terry Brogan
Rachel Ward
Jessie Wyler
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
Paul Valentine
Councilman Weinberg
Jonathan Terry
Ryskind
Director
Taylor Hackford
Novel, Writer
Daniel Mainwaring
Writer
Eric Hughes
January 2, 2021
6
_**Yucatan bliss and Los Angeles thrills**_
An NFL player loses his place on the team in Los Angeles (Jeff Bridges) and is hired by a shady nightclub owner (James Woods) to find his lover who took his money and ran off to the Yucatan coast (Rachel Ward). Richard Widmark shows up as the arrogant owner of the team.
“Against All Odds” (1984) is part island adventure/romance and part big city crime thriller. Woods is great as the smirking antagonist while Bridges and Ward are in their physical prime. The Yucatan section is in ways similar to “The Deep” (1977) while the big city part is sorta akin to “Sharky’s Machine” (1981), but this is better than both. The relationships are convincing and the dialogue is snappy. The Yucatan sequences are a highlight, especially the mind-blowing Mayan ruins, as is the inventive score that’s sometimes reminiscent of Pink Floyd meets “Apocalypse Now.” Ward never did anything for me, but she’s a’right, and there are several quality females in the periphery, including Swoosie Kurtz. Then there’s a quirky-but-entertaining performance by Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
This is basically a character study of the three principles. The plot is too busy, but I had no problem following it. The well-done ending with the Phil Collins’ song is notable.
The film runs just over 2 hours and was shot in Los Angeles, California, including Manhattan Beach, as well as Yucatan, Mexico.
GRADE: B-/B
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00