Robert J. Maxwell It ought to be more engaging than it is. Willem DaFoe is a fine actor, and his performance here is as good as any he's given in the past. Gregory Hines doesn't have the same power but is reliable and sympathetic as always. Fred Ward is a tough, masculine bemustached presence here, as in "Benny and June," masculine without trying too hard to be. Scott Glenn has a small part that carries a lot of impact. Amanda Pays is -- well, Amanda Pays, perhaps the planet's least likely nun.The story has potential too, lifted as it seems to be from "Night of the Generals," based on Kirst's novel. Two plain-clothes CID men search for an officer who's been slaughtering hookers in the chaos of wartime Saigon. There are touches of "Apocalypse Now" too, as in the scene at Khe San where an apparently deranged Marine has dug himself a hootch at the end of a long trench, reminiscent of the scene at the bridge in "Apocalypse Now."But it just doesn't come together for me. There is no discernible character development. Everyone at the end of the movie is pretty much exactly what he or she was at the beginning. The two CID men finish their job. The focus is on DaFoe, who practically bursts with principle. Hines is more than just a sidekick here, but not much more. Glenn is an obvious psychotic who throws a couple of VC prisoners out of a helicopter and then tells DaFoe and Hines that they are about to ruin his army career by squealing on for being into S&M. Then he screams, "If I killed any prostitutes, I'll stay in this helicopter. If I DIDN'T kill any prostitutes, I'll jump out of the helicopter." Then he jumps out. What was THAT all about? Amanda Pays with her limpet-like lips exudes sensuality. She has a good moment or two with the CID men when they are questioning her about the murdered hookers. She looks at the photos and tells them phlegmatically that, yes, this one was into sadism. This one specialized in oral sex. The officers lined up to wait for her. And this girl was a prostitute and put on lesbian shows for the men at a bar called "The Pink Pussy." Meanwhile the two investigators are squirming with discomfort and rolling their eyes at the ceiling. She takes them to the bar where a nude stripper is performing and punishes them even more by insisting that they not wait backstage to question the witness but take a table in front instead. (Later she admits she enjoyed discomposing them.) But she's one of those movie nuns who is allowed to strip down to her shift and be attracted to one of the men because she had not yet taken her final vows.There are so many pegs here to hang good things on but they really don't show up. The treatment of sociopolitical issues is perfunctory. The characters are immutable. The final revelation comes as no surprise -- at least it didn't to me. The gaps are filled up with car chases and shootouts like any grade-B thriller. It's too bad really.

dbdumonteil During the sixties,Anataole Litvak made "the night of the generals".A nazi officer was on a prostitutes murder's trail in Varsaw,Poland:and it seemed that the culprit was a general (check the title).That script was absurd -in Varsaw,during WW2,there was worse,to say the least!-and dubious taste.So back in Saigon,during the Vietnam war.Two cops are on a prostitutes ' murder's trail...and it seems that this killer is a general....Well you get the picture.Well,it's not that bad.It's rather entertaining,thanks to Dafoe's good performance.A lot of things do not rise above routine:the two cops who ,of course, are very different,the de rigueur swearwords ,and strip tease galore.What's more interesting is the conflict between the American cops and their local colleagues ,although it's much too superficial,as the Dafoe/nun 's relationship is.Unlike Litvak's Polish extravaganza in which we soon know the murderer's name,"off limits' is a whodunit,saving his identity for the last minutes.Best moment:although over the top,the scene on the plane where two simultaneous questionings take place gives goosepimples.

johnpollydccsre Gregory Hines and Willem Dafoe make an excellent team in this unusual murder mystery set in Vietnam.Actual filming overseas add to the realism.Anyone ever serving in the Pacific can attest to that.The soundtrack was great, using music not usually heard in most of the Vietnam movies.Supporting actors performances were also very good ( Fred ward, Amanda Pays ).I have collected all the Vietnam movies and rate this one of the best.

burger-5 Off Limits is a tense and even paced thriller. It concerns two cops is Viet Nam investigating a murder of a prostitute and the first suspect is a high ranking Army Officer. The film contains shock after shock, with plenty of plot twists. The dialogue is snappy and the interplay between Dafoe and Hines is excellent. The supporting actors are convincing as well. Kudos to Keith David who plays a paranoid witness to the murder. And one may not soon forget Scott Glenns portrayal as a crazed Officer. The scene in the helicopter is as tense and thrilling as a scene can get. The film is not a preachy summary of the war in Viet Nam but rather just a good mystery and slam bang action. The ending comes around too fast but you have to check it out for yourself. I suggest this film for a rainy Sunday afternoon if you are looking for a good action flick.