Against All Odds

James Woods and Jeff Bridges both loved working with Richard Widmark, and fondly remembered the late actor's love of pancakes. He used to have a plate waiting for him while shooting a scene, and Woods and Bridges would often hide it. Widmark refused to go back to shooting before the cakes had been recovered.

Phil Collins was contacted by director Taylor Hackford to record a song for the movie. Collins had written "Against All Odds" (originally entitled "How Can You Just Sit There?") for his first solo album, "Face Value" (released in 1981), and it was one of many songs on the album which were about his first wife, who had left him. Collins had left the song off the album because he felt he had enough ballads on "Face Value" already and he hadn't included it on his second solo album, "Hello, I Must Be Going", either. After Taylor Hackford's request for a song, he decided to return to it and recorded it in two days, one day in New York, the other in Los Angeles, aided by legendary record producer Arif Mardin.

The spectacular Mexican locations in Yucatan and Quintana Roo in Mexico included the colorful resort island of Cozumel; a fishing village on the picturesque island of Isla Mujures off the coast of Cancun; Tulum, the Mayan-Toltec ruins overlooking the Caribbean; and the famous ruins of Chichen Itza in the jungles of Yucatan. This movie was the first time that permission had ever been granted by the Mexican Government to use these sacred ruins for a theatrical motion picture.

On the subject of Against All Odds (1984) being a remake of Out of the Past (1947), a notable "film noir" starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer, director Taylor Hackford commented: "Certainly, we've tried to retain certain qualities from the original film, mainly the electric, dangerous interaction of the three main characters. However, the story itself, the background of the characters and the setting are very different. I think we've come up with a film that deals with the unique nature of power in Los Angeles and how that power consumes and almost destroys the three main characters. Years from now I can see theaters playing this version and the original on the same bill and the audience seeing two very different films".

The theme song "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" was a huge success for Phil Collins, becoming his first of seven number one singles in the United States during his solo career. It won him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1985 and it was also nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Collins was the only nominee in the Academy Awards category not invited to sing his song on stage, instead sitting in the audience as dancer Ann Reinking gave a lip-synced performance accompanied by a dance routine. His perceived negative reaction---albeit not shown on the telecast---made this performance to be considered as one of the most awkward moments in the history of the ceremony and has been a favorite reference for Dennis Miller to relate someone reacting in a horrified fashion.