Saigon: Império da Violência

Off Limits (AKA: Saigon) is the missing Vietnam film, a film I feel not many have actually seen since I never see it mentioned on the message boards out there in net land. While I have certainly never heard it spoken about when talk of Vietnam films crops up. The film is in essence a who done it police drama, two cops on the streets of Saigon during the war are searching for a high ranking officer who is, erm, offing prostitutes.

It is the backdrop of the war that gives the film added substance and lifts it way above average, because we see not only the problems a murder investigation brings, but also the horror of war getting in the way as well. Some damn fine and tidy performances flesh out the characters, with both Gregory Hines & Willem Dafoe as our two stoic and battle weary coppers engaging us from the off, whilst the supporting cast of Fred Ward, Keith David (look out for his dance man!) & Scott Glenn are interestingly watchable; the latter of which who leaves the lasting impression with what has to be the best 5 minutes work he ever did during a brilliant interrogation sequence during a mid-air flight.

It's gritty and interesting and deserves to be better known and sought out. It doesn't pull up any trees as regards formula, and it certainly isn't one you will want to go back to time and time again for thrills and spills, but it hits the spot and as the mystery and stifling heat of Vietnam pervades the mood, you will remember watching it long after the credits have rolled. 7/10

Never heard about "Off Limits" before when it aired on late Friday night television here in my country, but everything about it instantly appealed to me big time. There's the obscurity status for starters (I'm particularly intrigued by films I never heard about before), the prominent cast (Willem Dafoe, Gregory Hines, Fred Ward, Keith David, Scott Glenn), the period of release (late 80's) and - most of all - the concept in its entirety. As you can derive from the alternate title "Saigon", the film is set in Vietnam during the infamous war, but it's definitely not just another epic illustrating the horrible battles in the jungle or the traumatizing impact on its soldiers. "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.

In Saigon, during the war, Buck McGriff (Willem Dafoe) and Albaby Perkins (Gregory Hines) are U.S. Military Policemen trying to do law enforcement in a chaotic city. When a prostitute is executed on bed, they investigate and they find a witness – the G.I. Maurice (Keith David) that is scared since the killer is an American officer. However Maurice is murdered and soon they find that there are six other prostitutes that have been murdered but their cases have vanished from the files.

They meet the former investigator that gives a copy of his findings and they have five colonels as prime suspects that might be the serial- killer, but their friend Sergeant Dix (Fred Ward) warns that only three of them were in Saigon in the night of the last murder. McGriff finds that Sister Nicole (Amanda Pays) has a witness hidden in the jungle with the Vietcong and he tries to convince her to let them meet her to find who the serial-killer is.

"Off Limits" is a good movie with great cast and a storyline similar to "The Night of the Generals", i.e., a high ranking officer is killing prostitutes during the war. However, the movies are absolutely different and also in common the manhunt of the serial-killer in time of war. This movie is also a great chance to see the lovely Amanda Pays that has disappeared from the screens. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Saigon - Império da Violência" ("Saigon – Empire of Violence")

An interesting film with an excellent cast.

Buck McGriff, played by Willem Dafoe and Albaby Perkins, played by Gregory Hines are military police officers in Saigon in 1968. Things get complicated when they start investigating the murders of local prostitutes.

The cast is excellent, especially Scott Glenn who unfortunately has a smaller role that could have been much better and more relevant to the plot. Although, the helicopter interrogation scene where Scott Glenn (Colonel Dexter Armstrong) interrogates captured soldiers while being interrogated by McGriff and Perkins is really tense and interesting and perhaps the best part of the film. So Scott Glenn's role nonetheless contributed greatly to the film.

The direction is good, as is the cinematography. The atmosphere is interesting and tries to capture the atmosphere in Saigon during those years. Amanda Pays plays a nun, a rather interesting role in which she did well.

Some things are done awkwardly and over the top, but the film is still entertaining and worth watching.

The film has its flaws, which it compensates for with its interesting cinematography and great cast.

I watched this film on Sky movies the other night, it is called Saigon here in the UK. It is of course set in Saigon and I think if you took this cop thriller and set it in LA or New York it would just be another average cop film. What makes it different is the setting and the backdrop of the Vietnam conflict. I must admit though I guessed the murderers identity about halfway through the film. It was also refreshing for the guy not to get the girl as it were! A decent if a quite forgotten film.