TheVietnam Warwas re-examined from multiple perspectives in major Hollywood productions throughout the ‘80s. War dramas such asPlatoonandFull Metal Jacketdepicted the horrors of combat and the psychological toll it put on American soldiers. Within this wave of Vietnam-era films, however,Willem Dafoereturned to the setting differently with 1988’sOff Limits.
The military crime thriller directed and co-written byChristopher Crowe(Fear,Whispers in the Dark) usesthe shock and awe of war as the backdrop for an incredibly dark murder mystery tale. Set in 1967 Saigon, this unique film noir would replicate the formula that madeLethal Weapona success just one year earlier, featuring Dafoe, fresh off his star turn inPlatoon,teaming up withRunning Scared’sGregory Hinesas army investigators looking into the murder of a Vietnamese prostitute. Despite negative reviews upon release from critics likeRoger Ebert, who looked down on the film’s grim tone,Off Limitsis just as provocative as any Vietnam War movie ever.
What Is ‘Off Limits’ About?
Criminal Investigation Division Sergeants Buck McGriff (Dafoe) and Albaby Perkins (Hines) are called to the scene of a Saigon apartment where a prostitute is found dead by a gunshot wound to the head and her baby left alive. Under orders from Master Sergeant Benjamin Dix (Fred Ward), McGriff and Perkins investigate what turns out to be systematic slayings of underage prostitutes over six years, which they believe are being committed by someone high up in the military. They initially suspect a freewheeling soldier (Keith David) who frequented the brothels within the city until he’s attacked and killed in his quarters by members of a Saigon gang.
As McGriff and Perkins dive deeper into the case, they begin to realize that multiple high-ranking military men are using these prostitutes as part of a larger network. Along the way, they receive help from Sister Nicole (Amanda Pays), a French nun running the local orphanage for the prostitutes' children who seems to know more than she lets on. But as the CID officers close in on the prime suspect, they face danger from the gangs, the Saigon military police, and their superiors.
On the surface,Off Limitsplays as a standard procedural with Dafoe and Hines pursuing their leads with force and aggression. The Saigon setting creates an atmosphere of danger, distrust, and often impending death at every turn. Director Crowe emphasizes the heat in every scene with the characters sweating profusely as they maneuver their way through the dark and grimy bordellos and war-torn neighborhoods. It is never meant to be comfortable popcorn entertainment. Rather,Off Limitswants the audience to feel like they are in the middle of scorched-earth chaos.
‘Off Limits’ Captures the Chaos of Vietnam Through the Lens of a Detective Story
The shock value ofOff Limitsis not necessarily the graphic violence, butwhen it happens unexpectedly, much like being in the trenches of war. At one point, Dafoe and Hines witness an army colonel (Scott Glenn) having his way with a prostitute when they get captured by members of their troops. In the next scene, they’re tied up in a chopper as the colonel forces them to question his motives while he drops poor Vietnamese men to their deaths. It not only emphasizes the corruption of high-ranking soldiers but also how war brings out a mental breakdown in a soldier’s sense of morality.
Some ofOff Limits’ gloomy tone is offset by the laid-back banter between Dafoe and Hines. The latter would share stories about the letters he receives back home from his girlfriend while revealing physically intimate details to make his more stoic partner laugh. But unlikeLethal Weapon’s buddy movie humor,Off Limitshas virtually no room for comedy. For Dafoe as McGriff, he continues to deliver the nihilistic attitude he presented as Sgt. Elias in Platoon by making his CID character’s personality get shaped and molded by the breakdown of morality in the war, despite his quest for justice. The naturally charming Hines dials up the anger in ways uncharacteristic of the legendary tap dancer. He’s fired up to the max after surviving a car bomb explosion and gets up disheveled with an M-16 to kill his would-be assassin.
Off Limitscaptures the moral decay caused by the Vietnam War within the context of a detective story. Dafoe and Hines lean naturally into the hostile environment, and director Crowe puts together a sense of confusion and horror similar toBrian De Palma’sCasualties of War. It’s a highly underrated thriller thatmissed moviegoers’ radarin 1988.
Off Limits
