Against All Odds (1984)

It takes sand to remake a crime classic — especially when the original film noir thriller was way more thrilling the first time around. The Big Sleep (1978) was a snooze compared to the Howard Hawks flick The Big Sleep (1946). Sorry, Wrong Number (1989) was a disconnect from Anatole Litvak’s Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). And Diabolique (1996) was a dud next to Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Les diaboliques (1955). Yet while Against All Odds (1984) may not have been as critically-acclaimed as Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past (1947), it does improve upon the original by adding nudity! Under the direction of Taylor Hackford, this R rated romance centers around injury-prone pro footballer Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges). After he’s cut from the team, Brogan’s buddy Jake (James Woods) hires him to locate his missing girlfriend Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward). When Terry talks to Jessie’s mother (Jane Greer, who had Rachel’s part in the original pic), she offers him more money to keep Jessie away from Jake. Things get even more complicated when Terry heads for Cozumel and finds Jessie. Hmmm, a hot girl, a cool guy, and tons of tequila? Terry treats Jessie to some body shots and she bites his trouser worm while the two fall in love. It’s not long before Jake realizes something’s amiss and sends Hank Sully (Alex Karras) to find the couple. Things get bad for Terry as Karras raises more hell than a barrel full of Mongos. But at least we get to see Rachel’s three Bs!