Beyond the Limit (1983)
"The Honorary Consul" (original title)

Dr. Eduardo Plarr, despite the name is an Anglo working in a Latin American country. His work is a return home after several years. He begins to form and re-establish friendships and begins... See full summary »

Director:

John Mackenzie

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Charley Fortnum, Consul
Richard Gere	...	Dr. Eduardo Plarr
Bob Hoskins	...	Colonel Perez
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Clara
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Leon (as Joaquim De Almeida)
A Martinez	...	Aquino
Stephanie Cotsirilos	...	Marta
Domingo Ambriz	...	Diego
Eric F. Valdez	...	Pablo (as Eric Valdez)
Nicolás Jasso	...	Miguel (as Nicolas Jasso)
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Belfrage: British Ambassador
Leonard Maguire	...	Dr. Humphries
Jorge Russek	...	Senor Escobar
Erika Carlsen	...	Senora Escobar
Josefina Echánove	...	Senora Sanchez (as Josefina Echanove)

Storyline

Dr. Eduardo Plarr, despite the name is an Anglo working in a Latin American country. His work is a return home after several years. He begins to form and re-establish friendships and begins an affair. All of this comes together to create problems when he is asked to help revolutionaries kidnap a diplomat.

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Plot Keywords:

diplomat | affair | male nudity | female nudity | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

First they betrayed him. Then they gambled with his life. [UK Theatrical]

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Limit

Filming Locations:

Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$11,800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parsons & Whittemore Lyddon Ltd., World Film Services

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Paramount Pictures studio changed the film's title from "The Honorary Consul" to "Beyond the Limit" for the film's American release. They did this because they believed that public audiences would not generally know what a 'consul' or an 'honorary consul' was. John Mackenzie and others involved in the making of this movie were against the American title change.

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Quotes

Colonel Perez: Is this why you've been lying to me?
Dr. Eduardo Plarr: An affair always involves a few lies.

User Reviews

Gere passer may pass or waste your time

Believe this, I have watched this so many times, but in part. I could spout off lines in Christopher Hampton's script, at the click of a finger. I love the settings for this movie in which Gere, an English spoken doctor, falls for a newly married young woman, Clara (Elpidia Carrillo) who is earlier seen as the whore working at this seedy bar that doubles as a cat house. She's married to the honorary Consul (Caine) unaware of the affair that has sparked between friend and wife. At the start, Gere, just arriving in town, helps another guy escort a drunk Caine from one bar to infamous cat house one. It's here he sets eyes on Clara. The sex scenes are quite hot as passions run high, but Gere has trouble from the other side, involving his past, where two old friends, (one a much younger Joquian Almedia) approach him, with a kidnapping plot to snatch a consul, in return for their fellow South American prisoners to be released. Only problem is, they snatch Caine instead, not a real consul, an honorary consul. Gere, maddened by the idiocy of the mates, remains loyal. Gere's father too, is one of those prisoners, as Gere is innocently led to believe. Caine's actor mate, Bob Hoskins, plays a cop, trying to help Gere track down his old man. One scene has Gere going off at him, when they arrest 250 mentally unsound people under his care and put them temporarily in prison, but Hoskins mellows him. Gere's fate at the end of the this, where the strong arm of the law closes in, was tragic, I must say. His not so badly portrayed doctor, is a sympathetic, goodhearted and likable character. But the heavyweights are Caine, who plays drunk so good and being funny too about it, where no nonsense Hoskins is solid. Elpidia is just pretty scenery really. But really there's something too brief about whole affair of the story here, despite it's good screenplay, and really it's just a passable, but involving drama + those couple of sex scenes. And near it's end too, some of the scenes are quite dark, they disjoint the action. But Gere too is a bit of a bastard in the bedroom, paying the now married Clara cash for her services as if she was still working. Also when going up to Gere's apartment, is her first tome, riding in an elevator. I liked the way Gere wore his jealousy well too, really at the sheer fact, Caine loves her. There's a lot of good scenes to find in the movie and Paul's McCartney's Brazilian intro theme was just beautiful and melodic, as it was soothing. For Gere fans, do put this different and quite enjoyable one one on your list.