I love this movie so much

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Whenever I think about "Against All Odds", it's that final shot of Rachel Ward as the credits roll that springs to mind. It's a great image, and one that really captures the sad undercurrent running through the whole movie. I haven't seen the original "Out of the Past", but from what I've read about it, "Odds" seems less a remake and more its own thing: a romantic love triangle very much of the '80s and sold on the chemistry between its leads. Between the exotic Cozumel beaches and nighttime L.A. streets, it's a sort of sunshine noir with sports politics and real estate maneuvering thrown in. There's a lot of plot going on here (probably overstuffed), but there's also a very nice sports car chase down Sunset Blvd, the always magnetic James Woods and the smoldering heat between Ward and Jeff Bridges that keeps things focused. 7/10

I'd put off seeing "Against All Odds" for almost 30 years, though I'd loved Phil Collins video, and the title song, since it debuted on MTV. Turns out that the video is the better of the two and I should have just watched that. I finally rented the film, and it stinks. I can't believe Taylor Hackford made this confusing mess of a film. I also can't believe the 9-10 star reviews of the film on this site.I adore Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, and most of the other actors in the film, but not one of them does a credible job, which I don't think was their fault. Emotions range from spoiled tween to dementia-riddled senior on tranquilizers. One minute Rachel is crying, the next she's stomping off in a huff, then she runs away and jumps on a plane. Bridges recites his lines as if from a teleprompter, when just two years before, in "Tron," he is delightfully droll and playful as Flynn. Same with Ward; she was amazing two years earlier as Juliette in "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." Alex Karras is completely wasted here. He has about three minutes tops of screen time, where he's just used as a plot point.Another reviewer mentioned that Bridges was in the best shape of his life at this time, and it's true that both he and Ward look fantastic. That doesn't quite make up for the dearth of good acting. The viewer has 128 minutes of story to sit through and in a film of that length they need something more than beautiful people to keep their attention. When you have the superlative Richard Widmark in your film as the main baddie and even his performance is comatose, something is dreadfully wrong. Widmark is more like an insurance agent discussing options on your policy than the crime kingpin he is supposed to be; no one can do evil expressions like Widmark, yet his face seems to have turned to stone here. James Woods, who can be counted on to go over the top if he is allowed to, remains about floor level with his emotions and his acting. When he threatens Bridges it sounds like your kid brother trying to impress you; there is no menace behind his threats. Because of all this I feel the blame for the nearly universal bad performances in this film has to fall on the director. This group of actors had given many wonderful performances before they made this film...they were capable of much more if only the director had asked it of them. The horrendous score and incidental music also deserve to be called out. The jagged electronic score was completely wrong. Hackford should have had Phil Collins do that as well; it cried out for something more lushly melodious and symphonic. The score bears a good deal of the blame in my reasons for hating the film. Hackford must have been distracted throughout the filming. He'd done a good job on "An Officer and a Gentleman," which had some great performances, but this film is just a complete dud. The only reason to watch it is for the beautiful scenery of coastal Mexico, and even that is muted on the DVD release. I'm upset that I can't get back the two hours I wasted on this movie.

I saw it when it was released. It's on my list of most boring, overrated movies of the 80s, which includes Reds (starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton) and Chariots of Fire. Except for Rachel Ward, it was a waste of time. Although on the screen more in Odds as co-star, her smaller role as the mysterious high-price prostitute in a much better movie, Sharky's Machine, was more intriguing. After the Thornbirds mini series, her fans would go to see any movie she was in. Rachel and the title song--the first of Phil Collins' boring formula "hit" pop songs--were the forces behind the interest in the movie. It was the last straw for me going to see Jeff Bridges. His acting at that time consisted of pushing his hair back, squinting and puffing on a cigarette. He began really acting in The Fisher King and The Fabulous Baker Boys, and I became a fan. I've always liked James Woods' acting even in bad movies.

Jeff Bridges may have physically been in the best shape in his life in 1983/84 when he filmed Taylor Hackford's "Against All Odds", a dated, sometimes beautiful, but yuppyish crime drama starring provocative Brit Rachel Ward, rugged Bridges, and boyish James Woods. Yuppiness is in full display in a myriad of scenes and pervasive throughout the dialog. Who has the most money and toys wins with bad 80s haircuts - I guess that's the theme. The "thriller" aspect is poorly done - with laughable choreographed fight scenes occasionally sprinkled in. By far the best sequences in the movie are the international ones more so for the aged beauty of Mexico nearly 30 years before and with Ward and Bridges in their respective physical primes - like watching a travel plug-in. The script and dialog is clunky though with a bad 80's TV show feel thanks to the trapped music of the time and sometimes poor direction. Might be worth a view for nostalgia and the international scenes and locations. Movie was apparently a remake. Mixed at best.