Against All Odds (1984)
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An aging football star is forced into a dangerous game of cat and mouse when he is hired to find a woman who doesn't want to be found.
The story
Professional football player Terry Brogan is released by his team, the Outlaws. Aging, injured and in need of money, he is contacted by an old acquaintance, gambler and nightclub owner Jake Wise. Jake wants Terry to locate his girlfriend, Jessie Wyler, who also happens to be the daughter of Mrs. Wyler, the Outlaws' owner. Terry is reluctant to take on the job, but he needs the money and knows Wise is capable of blackmailing him for a point-shaving incident. Terry tries to convince Mrs. Wyler and her business partner Ben Caxton to reinstate him on the team, but she offers to pay him more than Jake would if he will instead find Jessie for her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Terry Brogan, an aging and injured football player, is hired by Jake Wise to find Jessie Wyler. Terry finds Jessie in Cozumel, Mexico, and they become lovers. However, Jake sends a trainer, Hank Sully, to investigate. During a confrontation at Chichen Itza, Jessie fatally shoots Sully and they flee. After disposing of the body, Terry returns to Los Angeles to find Jessie has returned to Jake. Jake then tasks Terry with breaking into the office of Steve Kirsch, a corrupt lawyer. Terry finds Kirsch dead and meets his secretary, Edie, who reveals a secret box containing information to take down the syndicate. Meanwhile, Jessie discovers that her business partner, Ben Caxton, is actually Jake's boss. Caxton arranges a meeting with Terry to retrieve the files. During the confrontation, Jake threatens Jessie, and she shoots and kills him. Jessie is forced to agree to Caxton's terms: returning to her mother and ending her relationship with Terry. Months later, Terry attends a publicity event for Caxton's project, where he sees Jessie one last time before leaving for Miami.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Taylor Hackford
- Writers
- Eric Hughes · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Rachel Ward; Jeff Bridges; James Woods; Jane Greer · Rachel Ward's mother; Alex Karras; Richard Widmark; Dorian Harewood
- Genres
- neo noir; romantic thriller; crime; drama
- Themes
- Betrayal; Obsession; Corruption; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Neo-noir; Romantic; Suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- Crime; Romance; Thriller; Sports Drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Build My Gallows High by Daniel Mainwaring (1946)
- Reception
- The film received mixed or average reviews, with some critics praising the contrast between the leads and the social criticism, while others felt it dragged due to the plot. It was recognized for its stunts in 1984.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Grammy Award · Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male · Winner; Academy Award · Best Original Song · Nominated; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Song · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Jeff Bridges' age and appearance in this film were used as a reference to re-create a 35-year-old version of him for the characters of Kevin Flynn and CLU in the film Tron: Legacy (2010).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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