This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Blistering performances.

The acting in this movie is really good.

For those who consider themselves Jeff Bridges fans have never experienced him in this rather obscure film back in the year 1984. Jeff Bridges was definitely eye candy to the female demographic and it doesn't hurt that a romantic story is added to the crime drama that also stars James Woods and Rachel Ward. The gorgeous island landscape will surely inspire you reconsider where you plan to go to for your next vacation. And if the romance and the island paradise are not your cup of tea, there is also a story filled with conniving dirty scoundrels, corruption, greed, money and power that will likely keep the fans of noir intrigued. Jeff Bridges stars as Terry Brogan, a football player trying to make a comeback after being on the shelf with a shoulder injury. But due to a political loophole, Brogan is cut from the team. Suffering from financial debt and nowhere to turn to he is contacted by a sleazy businessman Jake Wise (James Woods) whose reputation has not always been clean. Jake is also not on very happy terms at the moment because his girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward) who's the owner's daughter to the team that Brogan played for, betrayed him and left the guy in a perpetual limp. With an act of desperation for money, Brogan arbitrarily agrees to help Wise look for Jessie and sure enough he finds her, but is not sure if he wants to bring her back to Jake Wise as he falls head over heels for her. They soak up sun sun together, they frolic in the sand, which lead to Jake bringing in a hired hand to see what the hell is going on. Things take a turn for the worse and the lovebirds find themselves in a precarious situation that neither of them can escape. Do they have the any chance to escape their fate before it is too late?The love triangle is surprisingly very engaging, even though situations like this has been done thousands of times before. The chemistry between Bridges and Woods is very intriguing and the romantic angle between Ward and Bridges will surely make your heart melt like a snowman in a microwave. The suspense is engaging, the thrills are exciting and the action could get pretty intense at times. But the crime drama can also tend to have its share of awkward moments as well. Brogan has become a man on a mission even through blackmail and is now a man running for his life all on account of just looking for extra money to get him out of debt. The premise can at time be quite surreal at times and the twists and turns are can leave you puzzled thanks mainly to the script by Eric Hughes and Daniel Manwaring. The plot of the story gets lost in the shuffle and the good relaxing time on the beach, well let's just say it wiped-out.Bridges plays his role quite convincingly as a wounded man, a naive guy who put his foot in a place he never should have been in from the beginning. The man has a heavy burden on his shoulder and he succeeds very well in carrying it. I was never a huge fan of Rachel Ward, but she's not sore on the eyes. The dialogue between her a Bridges are well executed, but his attraction to her is well obvious and not very well hidden. Woods is in his usual territory as the slimy, back-stabbing remorseless scoundrel who has no problem dealing with anyone who crosses his path, even if it isn't always pretty. Alex Karras as the head patriarch from the 1980's sitcom "Webster" plays a pivotal supporting role as a coach and sponsor to Mr. Brogan. Though the story has its share of lopsided scenes, it is still one worthy enough to enjoy. For Jeff Bridges fans who have overlooked this one should see him in his prime. He brings his charm and personality here like he's done in almost 45 years he has graced the silver screen.It will surely please everyone who enjoys romance, suspense and action.

Nothing to brag about, not even about the restricted audience. Los Angeles in all its shady business dealing with city planning and city development, no cinema industry, but a lot of football. A football player gets kicked out of the Outlaws, the football team, or at least one of the football teams, of Los Angeles after a broken shoulder or something like that. He gets involved with some "friend" who is as crooked as my arm when I blow my nose. That "friend" wants him to find his disappeared girl friend. She is the daughter of an important business woman who is doing in city development, meaning real estate speculation for the rich, the very rich, away from Beverley Hill. Behind her there is a man who is the real maker of deals, generally with money or blackmailing.Our kicked out football player accepts to look for the girl, falls in love, brings her back against all odds since a killer had been sent after them and then he manages to put his hand on the treasure chest of a crooked lawyer just after the latter was killed and the former has the power to blackmail everyone he wants. That's what I call a kushy pushy job. Lovely Jubbly!So he accepts to disappear, he gets trials with football teams out of Los Angeles, but he cannot get the girl. Too bad.And that's all. It is no new thing that city planning and real estate development are rotten to the core. It is no new thing that sports competition and football games are in a way or another "arranged" by some people who make money out of it. They say rigged like the football players who are rigged with their padding and masks and helmets, etc. You are sure to win when the result has been well cushioned ahead of time. So the film is in no way a masterpiece, except maybe if you could speak of a B masterpiece, the way some speak of B movies. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

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.

Jeff Bridges plays an aging down on his luck footballer who is cut. Looking for work and money, he helps a friend in a shady proposition: tail his girlfriend. He follows her down to Mexico and finds her and of course falls for her. Her motives though are questionable and she heads back to LA and her boyfriend. Bridges follows her and tries to find answers and ends up in a bunch of danger.Best known for the title song by Phil Collins, the film has some good points going for it : Jeff Bridges and James Woods do good jobs acting and Rachel Ward is definitely simmering in this movie. The car chase scene is a classic but overall thats about it. The rest is your standard noir film without much more to recommend it