Excellent adaptation.

A lot of fun.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

In Argentina, Dr. Eduardo Plarr (Richard Gere) is a medical doctor with a Paraguayan deceased mother and an English revolutionary father that is imprisoned in Paraguay. He unsuccessfully tries to get news about his father with his acquaintance Colonel Perez (Bob Hoskins). One night, he is summoned to attend the alcoholic British Honorary Consul Charley Fortnum (Michael Caine) in a brothel where he sees a beautiful young prostitute but she goes with another man. When he returns to the Whitehouse, he learns that the prostitute Clara (Elpidia Carrillo) left the place. One day, Charley calls him to examine his wife, and when Eduard turns the light of the room on, he sees that Charley married Clara. Soon he meets her in a store and buys an expensive sunglass to her. Clara goes with him to his apartment and they begin a love affair. When Clara becomes pregnant, Charley believes that the baby is his. Meanwhile Eduardo's childhood friend Leon (Joaquim De Almeida) visits him in his office and tells that his father is alive in Paraguay. Further, he tells that he plans to abduct the American ambassador and exchange him per political prisoners in Paraguay including his father. However he needs inside information about the visit of the ambassador. What will Eduardo do?"The Honorary Consul" is a dramatic thriller with romance that does not work well. Eduardo is an unethical doctor and amoral man. His relationship with Clara is cold and he betrays Charley with a great cynicism. The film does not work well and the conclusion is predictable. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Cônsul Honorário" ("The Honorary Consul")

The Honorary Consul is a film that I strongly feel didn't come off. The script which I could spout out great bits of thought provoking dialogue, ala: Christopher Hampton, as having seen the movie, god knows how many times, still made for an interesting affair, something different. Set in Argentina, South America, what have you, Gere who's adequate here, plays the new doctor in town. After a bit of an incident, on his arrival, he becomes good friends with a drunk nothing good for, honorary consul, which Caine plays the part, expertly. He inhibits the character totally, his drunkard, so convincing. When a ex brothel worker, Clara (Carillo, slightly wooden in the role) now married to Caine, comes between the two, where she had lay eyes on Gere earlier, the two start an affair. When the honorary consul is mistaken for a real consul, in an abduction by rebels, friends of Gere's, in return for the release of some of their fellow comrades, the relationship intensifies in this advantageous position. There are a couple of hot scenes, notably that nude intercourse one, trimmed down for t.v. where we are grateful for viewing Carillo's goodies. Gere's fate is sad in this, as the walls close in the attackers. I'm thinking The Honorary Consul, was a rush of story, too brief, for really the impact of the to kick in. The late Robert Hoskins was great as the Chief of Police, in one of his best performances, where a much tamer and pleasant Joaquin Almedia, was good as the chief kidnapper. Check out the torture job on his mate (Martinez's now deformed hand). Too which is heavily confronting, is Gere's father, a prisoner, forced to talk, in some brutal torture methods, one involving being held down in a bath tub of rotten poo. Almost for the second half, the abduction part, I found it sloppy. But seeing Carillo naked, counts for something. Beautiful opening theme song, which we owe thanks to Wings and Paul McCartney. A film worth a view for Caine fans, or even to see a younger Almedia strut his stuff.

Richard Gere plays Dr. Eduardo Plarr, an Anglo-Paraguayan doctor who unwittingly gets entangled in the kidnapping plot of an American consul by a novice group of Paraguayan rebels in exchange for ten of their imprisoned comrades.The plan goes awry as the rebels mistakenly kidnap his new friend instead - Charley Fortnum (Michael Caine), a British honorary consul who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.Complicating the matter, the doctor falls head over heels in love with Charley's young wife, Clara (Elpidia Carrillo) - an ex-prostitute who has the same feelings toward him.Meanwhile, the police have tracked down the rebels hide-out and are closing in. With his life at stake, he is forced to decide between betraying his love or friendship.Sounds interesting, right? Sadly, it is not. The main problem is that the characters are not likable. Gere's character is a doctor who lusts after his friend's wife. Caine's is a heavy drinker who often creates problems than solves them while Carrillo's is a fickle-minded woman who can't decide who is best for her life.The title itself "The Honorary Consul" does not fit into the main plot, which is more about Gere's character than Caine's. Even less fitting is the alternate US title "Beyond the Limit".This is one of three John Mackenzie's films that I have watched and also the most unconvincing because of its tepid performances, contrived plot and ending, and lackluster direction. Only for Gere's or Caine's die-hard fans.

Intriguing music and lighting choices with some good camera movement and angles keep this film relatively interesting on an audio and visual level. However, they do not compensate for the film having quite a limited story of just a lightly developed romance during political unrest. There are political themes and morality issues in it, however they are not too well explained. It is also far too slowly paced, dragging between the story action. It is not a bad film though, and it is arguably interesting to watch… however it misses the mark for greatness. Despite Caine and Hoskins receiving BAFTA nominations for their roles, it is Gere who delivers the most effectively.