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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

#152. Against All Odds (1984)

DVD Synopsis: Dark passions explode in this steamy, sinister love story starring Rachel Ward and Jeff Bridges. Terry Brogan (Bridges), a cynical ex-football star, is hired to find Jessie Wyler (Ward), the runaway mistress of a ruthless L.A. nightclub owner, Jake Wise (James Woods). According to Jake, Jessie had stabbed him and vanished with $50,000. But Terry's mission is soon forgotten when he tracks down and falls in love with the beautiful Jessie on a Mexican island. Trouble brews, however, when Jake dispatches his henchman, Hank Sully (Alex Karras), to bring the lovers back. Driven by passion for the mysterious young woman, Terry quickly finds himself trapped in a complex web of corruption, betrayal, and murder. Packed with riveting excitement and vivid sensuality, Against All Odds grabs you and never lets go.




When most people think of Against All Odds, it's not the movie that's on their mind, but the Phil Collins song, which hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1984 and was nominated for Best Original Song by both the Academy and the Golden Globes. Even today, this ballad gets regular play on the radio, and is considered a classic, a timeless anthem to longing and lost love. It's popularity has far surpassed that of the film it was written for.

But not for me. 

Whenever I hear that song, I immediately think back to this movie, to the images and events that made it such a great viewing experience; the red-hot chemistry brewing between Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward, the story chock full of passion and intrigue, the beautiful Mexican landscape, the kick-ass race through the streets of L.A., and the brilliant performance by James Woods, playing a guy you're never quite sure about. 

Like millions of others, I count myself a fan of Phil Collins' tune, but only because of the memories it conjures up. Against All Odds is a great song, but it was a great movie first.


Please leave a comment below... I'd love to hear from you



WARNING: CLIP CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE





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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    This is a film I've been meaning to see for a while, Against All Odds (1984). It was a remake of a film called Out of the Past (1947). I quite liked Phil Collins' music in the 80's.

    - WaveCrest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DVD InfatuationFebruary 2, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    @WaveCrest: Thanks for stopping by again, and for the comment.

    AGAINST ALL ODDS is, indeed, a remake of OUT OF THE PAST, which is also a great film. Unlike most remakes, however, AGAINST ALL ODDS does full justice to the original story while updating it for a modern audience (something most remakes strive for, but usually come up short). I would definitely recommend it.

    As I stated above, I'm also a fan of Phil Collins' song, but mostly because it reminds me of this movie.

    Thanks again, and hopefully we'll get another chance to talk real soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tommy RossJuly 12, 2013 at 8:00 PM

    One of the most underrated and under-appreciated films of all-time!! This thing rocks from start to finish and has all the perfect components in place from acting to directing to locations to story, you name it, this one's spot-on!

    ReplyDelete