Off Limits (1987)

50% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(1,594 ratings)

Buck McGriff (Willem Dafoe) and Albaby Perkins (Gregory Hines) are military police from the army's Criminal Investigation Department assigned to find a serial killer in 1968 war-torn Saigon. Hookers have been ritualistically murdered, and the two cops spend their final days of active duty in the… More Buck McGriff (Willem Dafoe) and Albaby Perkins (Gregory Hines) are military police from the army's Criminal Investigation Department assigned to find a serial killer in 1968 war-torn Saigon. Hookers have been ritualistically murdered, and the two cops spend their final days of active duty in the sleazy back alleys of Saigon tracking down the killer in this military mystery. One by one, possible witnesses who can shed light on the case are systematically murdered. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Christopher Crowe
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Mar 11, 1988 Wide
On DVD: Jan 25, 2005
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Clint Morris, Moviehole
An explosive picture! Dafoe is typically great
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
The overseas setting of this whodunit fails to offset what is basically a lackluster story peopled by unsavory characters.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
A noteworthy detective thriller set against a Vietnam war backdrop. Dafoe and Hines investigate a slew of prostitute murders in Saigon.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The acting was flat, the story was trite, and the suspense was marginal.

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Featured Audience Ratings

David L

Even though its set during the Vietnam war Off Limits is first and foremost a genuine cop thriller, set in a hellish environment torn apart through warfare, and an effectively disturbing portrait of the horrible issues caused by American soldiers outside of the battlefields. McGriff… More
Even though its set during the Vietnam war Off Limits is first and foremost a genuine cop thriller, set in a hellish environment torn apart through warfare, and an effectively disturbing portrait of the horrible issues caused by American soldiers outside of the battlefields. McGriff and Perkins have the worst jobs in the world, since they're employed as army police officers in Saigon and responsible to investigate the crimes committed by American soldiers. One day they're assigned to investigate the murder of a Vietnamese prostitute who had a child with an American soldier. They quickly discover this isn't the first gruesome crime of its kind, as no less than seven similar cases were reported during the past year and they're clearly the work of a serial killer with a strict modus operandi. The devoted and headstrong duo also discovers that the previous officer prematurely quit his investigation even though he came fairly close to capturing the killer, undoubtedly because several high ranked officers got involved and his own life became endangered. McGriff and Perkins, however, are determined to stop to sadist killer, especially when they receive help from a beautiful and street-wise young novice. "Off Limits" is a fast-paced, suspense and frequently very violent thriller with a screenplay that is full of misleading twists, false leads and red herrings, like a legitimate and compelling whodunit thriller ought to be. Some sequences are even downright fantastic, for instance the helicopter-interrogation (Scott Glenn is sublime) or the nail-biting scene where the copper duo is surrounded by a mob of furious and vengeful Vietnamese people. Christopher Crowe's direction is tight and consequently surefooted ? which is quite remarkable for a debut feature ? and his own script is *almost* completely devoid of dreadful clichés and irritating stereotypes. I do emphasize the word 'almost' because a Vietnam movie without mad-raving American officers and/or foul-mouthed Vietnamese prostitutes is practically unthinkable. Dafoe and Hines provide some terrific on screen chemistry, but they certainly aren't your typical witty interracial buddies like Eddie Murphy & Nick Nolte in "48 Hours" or Mel Gibson & Danny Glover in "Lethal Weapon". They tease and provoke each other all the time, but the atmosphere of the film and the nature of the events are simply to austere to mix with comedy. The film is beautifully shot and has a marvelous soundtrack filled with timeless contemporary songs from James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Arthur Resnick. "Off Limits" is a terrific and incomprehensibly overlooked film. If you have the opportunity to watch it, please do so without hesitation.

Cast

            Willem Dafoe as Buck McGriff

            Gregory Hines as Albaby Perkins

            Fred Ward as Sgt. Benjamin Dix

            Amanda Pays as Nicole

            Kay Tong Lim as Lime Green

            Scott Glenn as Col. Dexter Armstrong

            Keith David as Maurice

            Woody Brown as Co-Pilot

            David Alan Grier as Rogers

            Peter Mackenzie as M.P.

            Raymond O'Connor as Staff Sgt. Flowers

            Louis Roth as Captain

            Ken Siu as Ploughboy

            Wasan Uttamayodhin as Rogersan

            Tawan Mahathavorn as VC Prisoner

            "Arm" Suvinit Pornvalai as V.C. Taxi Driver

            Arun Sunantalod as Sapper

            Boonchai Jakraworawut as ARVN Interpreter

            Fr. Buncha as Bishop

            Norah Elizabeth Cazaux as Mother Superior

            Coconut Kid as Dead Whore's Baby

            Clive Gray as M.P.

            Hoang Nga as Vietnamese Interpreter

            Jean Phuturoj as Vietnamese Interpreter

            Kamsine Spinog as Gen. Vin

            Kanya Wongsawasdi as Nguyen Tri Quan

            Jim Kinnon as Top

            Greg Knight as M.P.

            Kovit Vatanakul as V.C.

            Robert Langlois as M.P.

            Elizabeth LeCompte as Nurse

            Look Nam as Whore

            Mayura Sristtidecharak as Bar Girl

            Nguyen Kim Hoa as Sappers's Mother

            Elizabeth Nguyen Thi as Vietnamese Interpreter

            Thommas Pestony as Bar Band

            Piathip Khumwong as Dragonlady

            Pipot Nalinat as V.C.

            Pradit Prasartthong as V.C. Prisoner

            Prae Petchompoo as Francine

            Praput Puuyatip as Bar Band

            Richard Lee Reed as Col. Sparks

            Rungsima Kasikranund as Whore

            Tom Schroeder as M.P.

            Somboun Phuturoj as Vietnamese Interpreter

            Suksanti Cherpat as Sapper

            Terd Porn Manophaiboon as V.C. Prisoner

            Thuy Ann Luu as Lanh

            Tongaow Taveprungsenukul as Aborigine

            Trachi Chaivan as Bar Band

            Viladda Vanadurongwan as Sister Agnes

            Greg Wayne Elam as Batman

            Richard Brooks (VI) as Preacher
See full cast