Off Limits
Saigón
1988 · United States · 102 min
- Director
- Christopher Crowe
- Music
- James Newton Howard
- Cinematography
- David Gribble
- Production company
- 20th Century Studios
What the critics say
45 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
In 1968, during the Vietnam War, Sergeants Buck McGriff and Albaby Perkins, two military police investigators with the CID, are assigned to look into crimes committed by American soldiers in Saigon. The discovery of a murdered prostitute reveals a longer series of killings, and a previous inquiry that was shut down from higher up the chain of command. To move forward, the two agents must rely on a French nun, their senior non-commissioned officer and some unorthodox contacts, while pressure on them mounts.
How it was made
Shot between April and June 1987 in Thailand, Off Limits was directed by Christopher Crowe, with a score by James Newton Howard. Willem Dafoe, who had already appeared in Platoon, prepared for his role with help from a Vietnam veteran and former counterintelligence agent. The title refers to an area of Saigon off limits to military personnel, and the film was released elsewhere as Saigon. Although set during the war, it works more as a mystery than as a war story.
Reception and legacy
Critics were divided, and the film holds a 45% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on eleven reviews. It was not a box office success, grossing about 7.2 million dollars, but it later found its audience through home video and cable television, mainly on HBO and Showtime. Today it is remembered mainly for blending a police procedural with its wartime setting and for its cast.
Stills
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.