Beyond the Limit
Beyond the Limit is a 1983 British drama thriller directed by John Mackenzie, released in the United States as Beyond the Limit and in most other territories as The Honorary Consul, its title taken from the 1973 Graham Greene novel on which it is based.1 It stars Michael Caine as Charley Fortnum, the alcoholic British Honorary Consul in the Argentine border town of Corrientes, and Richard Gere as Dr. Eduardo Plarr, a half-English, half-Paraguayan doctor who becomes Fortnum's friend, his wife's lover, and an unwilling accomplice in a rebel kidnapping that goes wrong.2 • 3
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Titles | Beyond the Limit (US release); The Honorary Consul (release outside the United States)1 |
| Director / writers | John Mackenzie; screenplay by Christopher Hampton, from Graham Greene's novel2 |
| Principal cast | Michael Caine (Charley Fortnum), Richard Gere (Dr. Eduardo Plarr), Bob Hoskins (Colonel Perez), Elpidia Carrillo (Clara), Joaquim de Almeida (Leon)2 |
| US release | September 30, 1983, distributed by Paramount Pictures; opened at number 3 with $2,208,9764 |
| Box office | Domestic gross reported as $5,997,566 by Box Office Mojo and $3,933,011 by SaltyPopcorn2 • 4 |
| Runtime and rating | 104 minutes; rated R in the United States5 • 6 |
| Recognition | 1984 BAFTA Film Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor7 |
Spoilers
Plot
The story is set during the period of right-wing military juntas in Paraguay and Argentina. As a boy, Eduardo Plarr and his mother fled Paraguay after his father was captured and held as a political prisoner; as an adult, Plarr returns from Buenos Aires to practice medicine in Corrientes, the Argentine town where he first settled after the escape.3
In Corrientes, Plarr befriends Charley Fortnum, a disgraced and alcoholic British Honorary Consul, and seduces his Argentine wife Clara, a former high-class prostitute; the two begin a passionate affair. He also renews ties with Colonel Perez of the junta's police and with Leon, a former priest turned rebel leader who was his childhood friend in Paraguay.3
The plot turns on a kidnapping. Leon's Paraguayan underground plans to seize the US ambassador visiting Corrientes, expecting that the United States would then pressure the Paraguayan junta to release political prisoners, including Plarr's father, who may or may not still be alive. The plan misfires: it is the consul Fortnum who is mistakenly kidnapped, and Plarr, entangled with the rebels, the police, and the consul's wife, must pick a side.3 • 2
Production
The film adapts Graham Greene's novel The Honorary Consul, with a screenplay credited to Christopher Hampton, and was produced by Norma Heyman, with Richard F. Dalton also credited as a producer by some listings.2 • 5 • 11 Production companies included World Film Services and Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.6 The crew included cinematographer Phil Meheux, editor Stuart Baird, composer Stanley Myers, and production designer Allan Cameron.2 A theme is credited to Paul McCartney and John Williams.8 The supporting cast included Joaquim de Almeida as Leon, A. Martinez, Geoffrey Palmer, Leonard Maguire, Jorge Russek, and Zohra Sehgal.9
The US one-sheet poster, printed in 1983 at 27 by 41 inches, was painted by Richard Amsel.1
Release and box office
The film opened in the United States on September 30, 1983, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and debuted at number 3 on the North American chart with a gross of $2,208,976; it fell to eighth place the following week and spent only two weeks on the chart.4 SaltyPopcorn records no UK cinema release and estimates about 1.2 million US tickets sold.4
The two box-office databases disagree on the total. Box Office Mojo reports a domestic gross of $5,997,566 with no international figure, while SaltyPopcorn's chart-based total is $3,933,011; both figures are cited here as recorded.2 • 4
Reception
Critical response was mixed. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2.5 out of 4, writing that it "has one of the best endings I can remember in a mediocre film, an ending that goes a long way toward redeeming some of the sloppiness that went before."6 Rotten Tomatoes lists a Tomatometer of 12% from two critics.6 A CinemaParadiso reviewer praised Caine as the consul and Hoskins as the police chief but found Gere's performance wooden and inexpressive, judging the film good rather than great.9 At the 1984 BAFTA Film Awards the film received nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and Caine was also nominated for foreign-actor honors at the Italian David and Silver Ribbon awards.7 IMDb users have rated it 5.7 out of 10 from about 1,776 votes.10
References
- Beyond the Limit (1983) Original One-Sheet Movie Poster, Original Film Art
- Beyond the Limit (1983), Box Office Mojo
- Beyond the Limit - Full Cast & Crew - TV Guide
- Beyond the Limit (1983) Info & Ratings, SaltyPopcorn
- Beyond the Limit (1983), FULLTV
- Beyond the Limit, Rotten Tomatoes
- Beyond the Limit (1983), TV Guide
- A tiszteletbeli konzul (1983), MeTa4
- The Honorary Consul (1983), CinemaParadiso
- The Honorary Consul (1983), FilmVandaag
- International Television Almanac 1985.pdf, worldradiohistory.com
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 1980s › Released 1980 to 1985
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
Your notes
© 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI. Free to use with credit under the Edgepedia Community License. Developers: read Edgepedia by API or MCP. Embed a reference card.