"Just the memory of your face..."

Over the past few days, I've watched both "Against All Odds" and "After Dark, My Sweet". Quick, tell me what both films have in common, in addition to being mediocre, that is. Give up? Rachel Ward.

Rachel Ward. Man, she was smokin' hot. In the lexicon of movie hotties, Rachel Ward is right up there with the best of them. How did she not become a huge star?

Her acting wasn't that bad. She seemed to choose challenging roles. I guess she never "went for it"... never went for the blockbuster. Though, I'm sure she was thinking that "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" was that breakthrough. Look at this cast: Marlon Brando, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Selleck (at his peak.)

I wonder who the modern day 'Rachel Ward' would be. Amanda Peet? Piper Perabo?