Rent Off Limits (1988)

Great Police Drama - Off Limits review by GI

This is a first rate cop film that has the added bonus of a great setting. Griff (Willem Dafoe) and Al (Gregory Hines) are US military police investigators based in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Their duties mostly consist of tracking down deserters in the seedy world of the clubs and brothels of the city. Then a prostitute is murdered and a witness sees a US Army officer leaving the scene and Griff and Al are assigned the investigation. They soon learn that there have been other similar killings that appear to have been covered up and as their investigation begins to lead to very senior officers they find themselves targeted. A great story, grippingly told and with two great wisecracking performances from Dafoe and Hines aided by Fred Ward as their supervisor. As a murder mystery film with good action sequences it excels and whilst there's a slight misfire with a partial romance thrown in the film as a whole is riveting. A forgotten gem and definitely one to seek out if you've never seen it. NB: In the UK this film was titled Saigon. A much better one in my view.