Unlawful Entry

"Unlawful Entry" kept me on the edge of my seat, or should I say the edge of my bed. Ray Liotta proved with this performance that few actors can play the apparently shy guy with evil tendencies better than him. The movie also presents some good "What if" questions. In the pivotal scene, Liotta grabs the burglar who ran into Kurt Russell's house and put a knife to his wife's throat. In an earlier scene, he explains how he'd beat the living crap out of that burglar if he had the chance. Well, one night Liotta gives Russell the permission (him being a cop) to "beat the living crap out of him" and Russell totally panics and refuses. Meanwhile, I'm thinking to myself, "If Madeline Stowe were my wife and that moron put a knife to her throat, I would've taken that nightstick and beat him to death." But then again, I'm saying that while sitting comfortably on my bed, watching the movie. I'm not in his shoes. I'm sure many people would panic in that situation.

Though the movie kept my eyes glued to the screen, I could've done without certain plot conventions towards the end. I don't have to spoil it for you. You've seen thrillers in the past, you know what I'm talking about. And the writer could've trimmed the use of lines like "Get the f**k out of here," "Stay the f**k out of my house" and "Stay the f**k away from my wife" or "If you touch her, I'll kill you." I think those lines have popped up in every movie thriller I've seen. But the best reason to see this movie is Liotta's flawless performance. On those grounds alone, this movie is well worth seeing.

My score: 8 (out of 10)

What a great, suspenseful, and brilliantly acted film. I still have chills from watching it. Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe are both excellent as a well off couple who are terrorized by an unstable cop(Ray Liotta, who also gives one of his best performances). The film gives us some great suspense, and you cannot help but feel bad for Kurt Russell when Ray Liotta starts stalking his wife. I have seen hundreds of thrillers and this is by far one of the best, along with "Cape Fear"(1991)and others. A must see if you like thrillers about obsessions. Overall this is a much underrated, always suspenseful, top notch thriller. 9 out of 10.

Unlawful Entry along with Breakdown is another Kurt Russell film which is excellent yet doesn't receive the highly acclaimed fanfare. Actually this movie has two main stars (Russell and Ray Liotta) who are pitted against each other, resulting in a very interesting and intense emotional roller coaster.

What makes this movie great is that it has 2 actors who are very good at portraying emotional characters. Russell and Liotta are rivaled by none in depicting characters of struggle, grit,intensity and emotion. The films script and directing by it's producer Jonathan Kaplan is perfect.

Without a doubt there is something about Liotta's eyes, when he speaks, they have emotion written all over them. After watching this movie you feel that even though Liotta's character of Officer Pete Davis was initially a functioning member of society, without a doubt this guy has some serious issues and probably isn't working with a full deck. The scene where he has sex in his police cruiser with the female he earlier stopped for a ticket is almost astonishing and very eerie. This is an indication of this films mood and tone.

Russell meanwhile excellently plays his role as a husband who is struggling dealing with a policeman who; going with his instincts, is a little "off". Madeleine Stowe comes off perfect as his sexy and sultry wife who innocently is unsuspecting in realizing officer Davis's true intentions.

Without a doubt Unlawful Entry is about Michael Carr(Russell)VS Pete Davis. They square off in various ways culminating with a memorable physical confrontation at the end. One scene of note is when Officer Davis responds to the Carrs home on a hoaxed security system call. Officer Davis walks into the couples bedroom holding a flashlight during a lovemaking session and Russell fires off to him "Get the bleep outta my house!!". Later he warns his wife that "this guy is sick and he's after you". Incredibly at the onset Madeleine (Mrs Carr) doesn't believe so.

If you like a fast moving suspenseful thriller then Unlawful Entry has a lot in store for you. Director Jonathan Kaplan treated me to a classic with this score. One of Kurt Russell and Ray Liotta's best films, and neither one are shabby actors. In fact both are 2 of my favorites because they have a way of bringing to life the characters they play. Check this film out.

I consider myself a big film buff, but before I'd seen it recently, I'd never even heard of Unlawful Entry. The story is pretty simple: a couple in love (Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe) make friends with a cop (Ray Liotta) who turns out to be possessive and to make their lives a living hell (see also: The Cable Guy, which follows the same lines). But, with a simple story, this low-key film deserves recognition for being a clever and original thriller. Throughout the film, you feel all the emotions that Kurt Russell is feeling as his life is slowly taken away from him by the ever-menacing Ray Liotta. In brief, this is a fabulous film, which was under-appreciated and a missed hit.

I remember seeing this film in theaters in 1992 at the tender age of 12, and I can recall now how frightened I was. That just goes to show the professionalism involved in this first-rate thriller. When a cop is on your back, what are you gonna do? Call the cops? Hmmmm....Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe struggle to find that answer here. Ray Liotta has never been creepier. Kurt Russell shines yet again in a role balancing the everyman we can relate to and the hero we cheer for in the end. One of the best thrillers of the 1990s.