Director John Mackenzie spent two weeks in Argentina doing research for this movie. A day after he left, the Falklands War began. Production moved to Mexico instead.
Sir Michael Caine was nominated twice in the same year for the 1984 BAFTA Best Actor Award, both for this movie, and Rita Rita (1983), but Caine won the award for the latter.
Paramount Pictures changed the title from "The Honorary Consul" to "Beyond the Limit" for the American release. They did this because they believed that public audiences would not generally know what a "consul" or an "honorary consul" was. Director John Mackenzie, and others involved in the making of this movie, were against the American title change.
One of six feature films that featured both Bob Hoskins and Sir Michael Caine. The movies include Ghiaccio blu (1992), L'ultimo bicchiere (2001), Mona Lisa (1986), Sweet Liberty - La dolce indipendenza (1986), this movie, and for television, World War II: When Lions Roared (1994).
Sir Michael Caine was offered the lead in the earlier Graham Greene filmed adaptation Il fattore umano (1979), but he turned it down. He later starred in two theatrical movie adaptations of Graham Greene novels: this movie and The Quiet American (2002).