Film Review: Against All Odds (1984)

Phil Collins cemented his status of 1980s pop icon partly due to increasing synergy of Hollywood and music industry, which allowed him to provide soundtracks for memorable films and TV shows of the decade. Some of those songs became big hits and are fondly remembered now, unlike the films in which they were first played. One such example is a title song for Against All Odds, 1984 crime drama directed by Taylor Hackford.

The film is based on Out of the Past, classic 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur. The plot of the remake is set in 1980s Los Angeles and begins with Terry Brogan (played by Jeff Bridges), pro football player whose best days on the field are definitely behind him. Due to age and injuries he is withdrawn from team and, lacking money, he accepts the job offer from his old friend, shady night club owner and illegal bookie Jake Wise (played by James Woods). Terry is given the task of finding Jake’s girlfriend Jessie Wyler (played by Racheld Ward) who left him and took some of his money. Terry manages to find her in Mexican tourist resort, but, instead of informing Jake, he hopelessly fall in love with her and starts torrid affair. Their bliss is interrupted by arrival of Jake’s associate which would force lovers to return to Los Angeles where Terry discovers that the affair is part of much larger web involving Jessie’s wealthy mother, match fixing, real estate speculation and political corruption.

The greatest asset of this film is a strong cast. Jeff Bridges in his prime very convincingly plays good-looking and generally kind-hearted protagonist who nevertheless does the wrong thing and get into lot of trouble. He has good chemistry with Rachel Ward, which could be seen in couple of steamy lovemaking scenes. James Woods, one of the greatest character actors of modern Hollywood, is also great as seemingly cynical, but deeply unhappy third part of the love triangle. Even the supporting cast does good job, most notably Alex Karras as football coach, Saul Rubinek as cocaine-sniffing corrupt lawyer and Swoosie Koortz as his kind-hearted secretary. Great cast, however, can’t compensate for some serious flaws with the script and Hackford’s somewhat uninspired direction. The plot is too complex, full of holes and implausibilities (like Jake using pro footballer for delicate investigation instead of professional investigator) and ends in melodramatic fashion that unsuccessfully tries to match the impact of Chinatown. Even more distracting is use of music in the wrong scenes, when the soundtrack often drowns the dialogue and becomes too distracting. The result is disappointing film that inevitably pales in comparison with its classic predecessor and doesn’t warrant two hours of attention for viewers unless they are most devout fans of Jeff Bridges and the rest of cast.

RATING: 4/10 (++)

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