A remake probably works best if it's not just a straight scene-for-scene copy. In that spirit, when the filmmakers remade "Out of the Past", they cross-pollinated a story about washed up pro-football players onto the old missing girlfriend plot. Unfortunately we are presented with a hybrid that just doesn't bloom at all.
The film commences with Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), searching for the beautiful Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward), through picturesque locations in Mexico. A pulsating score by Michael Colombier accompanies his search along palm-fringed beachfronts, cafés and bars. A flashback explains the reason for his search.
Jeff Bridges brings his likable style to the role of Terry Brogan, a pro-football player who has been dropped from his team. His charisma goes a long way to disguising the thinness of the material with much footage devoted to the ex-player part of the story.
Amongst the characters is Grace Wyler played by Jane Greer who had Rachel Ward's role in 1947's "Out of the Past".
Brogan accepts an assignment from Jake Wise (James Woods) to track down his girlfriend Jessie Wyler, Grace Wyler's daughter, who has disappeared in Mexico. The fact that Wise would send such an appealing and attractive guy to find his hot girlfriend makes about as much sense here as it did when Kirk Douglas sent Robert Mitchum on the same errand thirty-seven years before.
When Brogan finds her they have an affair. They tryst in a number of exotic settings including the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Sound hot? Not really, the sex scenes register about as much heat as a fragrance commercial - just look at the poster.
The plot follows the 1947 version and the characters eventually end up back in LA for a less than exciting denouement.
Although there is much talk in "Against All Odds", the motivation of many of the characters is hard to gauge. By the end, Bridges' character attracts little sympathy while Rachel Ward's character attracts none at all. Ward struggles to make us believe that she is the femme fatale the story says she is. Later she would make some memorable ones, "After dark, My Sweet", "Double Jeopardy", but here she comes across as just too brittle.
Not helping much is James Woods who as Jake Wise is relentlessly ruthless and scheming; with the exception of Bridges, everyone is just a little too one-note.
Despite interesting locales, and attractive stars "Against All Odds" is a pale imitation - or a suntanned one in this case - of an older, better movie.
The film commences with Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), searching for the beautiful Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward), through picturesque locations in Mexico. A pulsating score by Michael Colombier accompanies his search along palm-fringed beachfronts, cafés and bars. A flashback explains the reason for his search.
Jeff Bridges brings his likable style to the role of Terry Brogan, a pro-football player who has been dropped from his team. His charisma goes a long way to disguising the thinness of the material with much footage devoted to the ex-player part of the story.
Amongst the characters is Grace Wyler played by Jane Greer who had Rachel Ward's role in 1947's "Out of the Past".
Brogan accepts an assignment from Jake Wise (James Woods) to track down his girlfriend Jessie Wyler, Grace Wyler's daughter, who has disappeared in Mexico. The fact that Wise would send such an appealing and attractive guy to find his hot girlfriend makes about as much sense here as it did when Kirk Douglas sent Robert Mitchum on the same errand thirty-seven years before.
When Brogan finds her they have an affair. They tryst in a number of exotic settings including the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Sound hot? Not really, the sex scenes register about as much heat as a fragrance commercial - just look at the poster.
The plot follows the 1947 version and the characters eventually end up back in LA for a less than exciting denouement.
Although there is much talk in "Against All Odds", the motivation of many of the characters is hard to gauge. By the end, Bridges' character attracts little sympathy while Rachel Ward's character attracts none at all. Ward struggles to make us believe that she is the femme fatale the story says she is. Later she would make some memorable ones, "After dark, My Sweet", "Double Jeopardy", but here she comes across as just too brittle.
Not helping much is James Woods who as Jake Wise is relentlessly ruthless and scheming; with the exception of Bridges, everyone is just a little too one-note.
Despite interesting locales, and attractive stars "Against All Odds" is a pale imitation - or a suntanned one in this case - of an older, better movie.