Against All Odds

Yucatan bliss and Los Angeles thrills

An NFL player loses his place on the team in Los Angeles (Jeff Bridges) and is hired by a shady nightclub owner (James Woods) to find his lover who took his money and ran off to the Yucatan coast (Rachel Ward). Richard Widmark shows up as the arrogant owner of the team.

“Against All Odds” (1984) is part island adventure/romance and part big city crime thriller. Woods is great as the smirking antagonist while Bridges and Ward are in their physical prime. The Yucatan section is in ways similar to “The Deep” (1977) while the big city part is sorta akin to “Sharky’s Machine” (1981), but this is better than both. The relationships are convincing and the dialogue is snappy.

The Yucatan sequences are a highlight, especially the mind-blowing Mayan ruins, as is the inventive score that’s sometimes reminiscent of Pink Floyd meets “Apocalypse Now.” Ward never did anything for me, but she’s a’right, and there are several quality females in the periphery, including Swoosie Kurtz. Then there’s a quirky-but-entertaining performance by Kid Creole and the Coconuts.

This is basically a character study of the three principles. The plot is too busy, but I had no problem following it. The well-done ending with the Phil Collins’ song is notable.

The film runs just over 2 hours and was shot in Los Angeles, California, including Manhattan Beach, as well as Yucatan, Mexico.

GRADE: B-/B