Off Limits

Set in Saigon in 1968 during the Vietnam War, Off Limits follows two U.S. Army criminal investigation officers, Buck McGriff and Albaby Perkins, who work in plain clothes rather than standard military duty. When they are assigned to investigate a series of murders of Vietnamese women, they find themselves pursuing a suspect inside their own chain of command, an American officer of high rank whose position makes him difficult to touch. The inquiry puts both men under pressure from within the military and exposes them to serious danger.

Christopher Crowe directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Jack Thibeau. The film sits between the earlier features he directed and the work that followed, and it was produced by Alan Barnette and Michael S. Glick for 20th Century Fox with Amercent Films and American Entertainment Partners. Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines play McGriff and Perkins, with Fred Ward, Amanda Pays, Scott Glenn and Keith David in supporting roles.

Released in March 1988, the film runs 102 minutes and mixes action and crime with mystery and thriller elements. Made for about 12 million dollars, it returned roughly 7 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.2 rating from about 3,800 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.6 from a much smaller base of 70 votes. A critics' rating of 4.9 from 11 reviews places it below even the modest audience scores.