Against All Odds

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive..."

Now, who said that again...?

....Hmm, well, I believe it was Sir Walter Scott, must have had the characters from 1984's "Against All Odds" in mind when they said it.

A movie driven by romance and mystery, Against All Odds can be called anything but predictable. What am I talking about, you ask? Well, let me explain.

This Taylor Hackford directed film begins with a west coast tanned and handsome Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges) driving around Mexico asking random citizens if they've seen "this woman", as he extends a photo of the beautifully permed heiress-to-riches Jessica Wyler, played by England native Rachel Ward. No-one seems to recoginize her and so the film skips back to show exactly why Jeff Bridges is looking for this woman in the first place.

Terry's so-called "friend", Jake Wise played by James Woods, has been dumped by Jessica sfter she stabbed him and "supposedly" ran off with 50 Grand. He believes she's hiding out somewhere on a Mexican island in the Caribbean, however, he can't leave his L.A. nightclub, "Jake's Palace", to search for her, so he promises Terry $30,000 if he can retrieve the rebellious girlfriend.

This offer sounds great to Terry, since he's out of a job and basically broke. He used to be a football player for L.A.'s "The Outlaws" but was fired by the owners, who happen to be Jessica's parents. They offer Terry double of whatever Jake is offering to find Jessica, make sure she's alright, and to keep her away from Jake. However, he refuses.

Instead, Terry takes Jake up on his offer, simply because he has nothing better to do and a tropical vacation sounds nice. All he expected to find was a naive 25-year old runaway, but what he found was a sensual, troubled woman caught up in a complex triangle between her boyfriend and her parents. Jessica seduces Terry and he realizes he cannot live without her. However, she gets Terry mixed up in a murderous cat-and-mouse game which makes the viewer wonder if she's worth all the trouble she causes.

Not to mention the fact that we later learn that her boyfriend, Jake Wise, works for her parents, so it seems that escaping their control is nearly impossible.

This film tends to be confusing because you become so entranced by the beautiful scenery that at times you ignore the dialogue and find yourself asking, "Wait, what did I miss? What just happened?" In short, the film can sometimes throw you off.

"Against All Odds" certaintly lives up to its title and has elements reminiscent of 1983's Scarface. Regardless of the passionate embrace on the poster, this film does not end so fairy-taleish as you might imagine. Not every story has a happy ending, and it's the sardonic ending of this movie which sets it apart from other 80's romances.