Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

GazerRise Fantastic!

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

tomsview A remake probably works best if it's not just a straight scene-for-scene copy. In that spirit, when the filmmakers remade "Out of the Past", they cross-pollinated a story about washed up pro-football players onto the old missing girlfriend plot. Unfortunately we are presented with a hybrid that just doesn't bloom at all.The film commences with Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), searching for the beautiful Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward), through picturesque locations in Mexico. A pulsating score by Michael Colombier accompanies his search along palm-fringed beachfronts, cafés and bars. A flashback explains the reason for his search.Jeff Bridges brings his likable style to the role of Terry Brogan, a pro-football player who has been dropped from his team. His charisma goes a long way to disguising the thinness of the material with much footage devoted to the ex-player part of the story. Amongst the characters is Grace Wyler played by Jane Greer who had Rachel Ward's role in 1947's "Out of the Past".Brogan accepts an assignment from Jake Wise (James Woods) to track down his girlfriend Jessie Wyler, Grace Wyler's daughter, who has disappeared in Mexico. The fact that Wise would send such an appealing and attractive guy to find his hot girlfriend makes about as much sense here as it did when Kirk Douglas sent Robert Mitchum on the same errand thirty-seven years before.When Brogan finds her they have an affair. They tryst in a number of exotic settings including the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Sound hot? Not really, the sex scenes register about as much heat as a fragrance commercial – just look at the poster.The plot follows the 1947 version and the characters eventually end up back in LA for a less than exciting denouement.Although there is much talk in "Against All Odds", the motivation of many of the characters is hard to gauge. By the end, Bridges' character attracts little sympathy while Rachel Ward's character attracts none at all. She struggles to make us believe that she is the femme fatale the story says she is. There has to be something engaging even with the most deadly of fatales, but Ward comes across as just too brittle. Not helping much is James Woods who as Jake Wise is relentlessly ruthless and scheming; with the exception of Bridges, everyone is just a little too one-note.Despite interesting locales, and attractive stars "Against All Odds" is a pale imitation – or a suntanned one in this case – of an older, better movie.

LeonLouisRicci The Argument that You can't Transfer Film-Noir to Modern Times is Weak at best. Talented Filmmakers have Done it Repeatedly and it Can Work. It has been Termed Neo-Noir. Of course, it is a Tricky Transformation and the result has Not always been Successful. There Are some Great Neo-Noirs out there, but this is Not One of them.Director Taylor Hackford said that He did not want to Remake "Out of the Past" (1947), So why did He? It's OK to imagine a Metamorphosis and tailor the Film to Current Sensibilities, Style, and so forth, but Here it Hurts and the Mediocre result is anything but effective.Somehow, the Core of Noir is Lost among the Steamy, Sweaty, Sex Scenes and the Sheen of 1980's crowd pleasing Fads. Music Video Styling and Shallow Representations of the Femme Fatale Fails to intrigue. The Crisp Noir Dialog featured in the Original falls flat and the Actors seem to be Struggling to Make This WorkOverall, Not a Bad Movie, it is Just Unremarkable. Jeff Bridges at His physical Peak of Manhood, seems a bit Whiny on Top of the Tan and Gym Tone and Rachel Ward is a Less than Great Actress and is almost Awful and here Shows No Range of Emotion. James Woods gives the Best Performance but for Him it is a notch Below His usual Show Stealing abilities. Richard Widmark Playing the reprehensible Money Man, a Rich Slime Bucket, is Fine, but again, about Average for His later day Movies.You Know the Movie is Struggling for attention when Just about Everyone Relates to the Film through a Pop Song. A Pop Song? Now that's Definitely Not Noir, in Any Era.

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.

krisrox I expected a cringefest, but actually ended up liking this movie a lot. Befitting its era, it has a sleazy "Miami Vice" atmosphere, complete with Porsches, Ferraris, casual jackets, big hair and a great soundtrack including a live show by the one and only Kid Creole. But there's more. Nice location shoots in Mexico - Cozumel, Tulum and Chichen Itza. Jeff Bridges and James Woods, who play fairly complex characters well. A dark script that delivers some good moments, especially during the final 30 minutes.Yes, it's a B-movie, and at times it feels like a protracted episode of Knight Rider, the A-Team or the aforementioned Miami Vice. But is that a bad thing? If you're looking for a real 80s experience, find "Against All Odds" on VHS, pop it in your VCR and soak it in.