Movie Review: Against All Odds (1984)

Synopsis: After a shoulder injury causes him to be cut from his team, professional football player Terry Brogan, desperate for money, accepts a job offer from club owner and criminal Jake Wise and travels to Mexico to locate Wise's ex-girlfriend, Jessie Wyler. Things become complicated when Brogan falls in love with Wyler and Wise learns of the love triangle.

Who's in it? The movie stars Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras and Jane Greer.


Review: There was nothing on TV a couple days ago, so my wife and I wound up watching music videos from the 1980s. The Phil Collins' song Against All Odds came on and my wife, who had never seen the movie, suggested she'd like to see it. So, we did. Overall, it was good as I remembered.

There were times when the movie feels a bit like an advertisement for traveling to Mexico and a couple parts that did seem a bit dragged out, especially toward the end. However, the film offers an interesting love story mixed in with a thriller and a hint of a mystery and is very enjoyable as a result.

I think the thing I liked most about this film was while Jessie (Ward) was the objection of everyone's affection, it was unclear just how much she could be trusted. On one hand, she could be falling in love with Brogan (Bridges) but on the other, there were plenty of times when it felt a bit like she was leading him on. 

At minimum, the situation surrounding their romance, with everyone from Wise (Woods) to her parents standing in the way, made the ending of this movie unpredictable. In fact, the ending is one that actually kind of surprised me because it wasn't what I was expecting at all, though it also happened to be the ending that made the most sense (which, ironically, might have been the reason why it was a surprise).

Maybe the only thing I was disappointed about was, for a movie that centers around a football player, there sure wasn't a whole lot of football. While it wasn't a huge deal, it did make Brogan's backstory seem a lot less important. He could have had any other job, and it wouldn't have impacted the plot all that much.

Final Opinion: This is a good romantic thriller that withstands the test of time and has some great music to boot. It's worth taking the time to watch or rewatch if you get a chance.

My Grade: A

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