Unlawful Entry Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Desire, passion, lust... It's a deadly game of obsession.
A young professional couple are befriended and looked after by one very kindly uniformed police officer, who at first merely answers a burglary call at their home, but in the course of time his ever-increasing attentions to them come to be more and more suspect in themselves.
| Kurt Russell | Michael Carr |
| Ray Liotta | Officer Pete Davis |
| Madeleine Stowe | Karen Carr |
| Roger E. Mosley | Officer Roy Cole |
| Ken Lerner | Roger Graham |
| Deborah Offner | Penny, Karen's Friend |
| Carmen Argenziano | Jerome Lurie |
| Andy Romano | Capt. Russell Hayes |
| Johnny Ray McGhee | Ernie Pike |
| Dino Anello | Leon, the Dealer |
| Sonny Carl Davis | Neighbor Jack |
| Harry Northup | McMurtry, Desk Sergeant |
| Sherrie Rose | Girl in Jeep |
| Alicia Ramirez | Taco Stand Worker |
| Ruby Salazar | Rosa, the Hooker |
| Jonathan Kaplan |
5.90 out of 10 (4587 votes)
Visitor Reviews
One Of The Better Films From The Sub-Genre
posted on 02 Feb 2009It's interesting to note how forgotten the sub-genre of " People from hell " films are today . In the early 1990s every major studio would bring out a nanny from hell , a lodger from hell , a fan from hell , a client from hell etc etc . Perhaps the reason they're forgotten is down to the fact that the movies weren't very good and suffered from being formulaic ? Certainly UNLAWFUL ENTRY is one of the more entertaining movies in its field and it's probably down to the cast . Kurt Russell who unfortunately seems to have disappeared from successful films over the last few years was always good at playing good guy everyman and here plays architect Michael Carr . Madeleine Stowe is someone else who seems to have disappeared from the radar recently plays his wife Karen and they both make a likable and believable on screen couple with Karen being the object of lust of sociopathic cop Pete Davis played by Ray Liotta . Okay I doubt if any of the cast were expecting Oscar nominations but the on screen chemistry makes UNLAWFUL ENTRY a very watchable film There are some problems . Liotta is good enough when Davis is just an ordinary cop but when he acts all mean , nasty and obsessive he does tend to go over the top and unlike his two co-stars you can't really scratch your head wondering why Liotta now appears in obscure straight to video/DVD movies . Likewise the screenplay does became more and more unbelievable in the second half but that's always the problem with these type of movies . Not to be too negative it's still a watchable piece of entertainment
One of the best suspense films i've ever seen!
posted on 24 Jan 2009Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe are Michael and Karen Carr a married couple terrorised by a psycho cop in this chillingly suspenseful thriller.One night their house is broken in to and the thief gets hold of Karen with a knife pulled on to her throat.Michael tries to stop him but the thief gets away.The couple call the police and there they meet Ray liotta who plays officer Pete Davis a respected cop who they befriend and welcome in to their house.Davis comes to their aid and shows his genuine concern and friendly nature.From Davis's advice the couple get an alarm system on their house but as events follow Davis's behaivior takes a turn for the worse.When one night Liotta takes Russell to the house of the thief who broke in to the couples house and Davis starts beating the guy up.Michael sees the whole thing and is so shocked with what he witnissed.Michael angrily tells Davis that his job is done of being a cop and protecting Michael and his wife. Davis begins to make Michael's life a misery so he can get close to his wife.Kurt Russell is believable as the husband who is faced with a difficult situation which he has to solve.Ray Liotta gives a brilliant performance as the bad corrupt cop doing whatever it takes to get closer to what he wants and making the character so chilling and very real.Unlawful Entry is a brilliant nailbiting suspense thriller Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe are excellent as the couple this is One of the best films i've ever seen Excellent viewing.
Better than you think -
posted on 22 Nov 2008Unlawful Entry is a tense crime drama that is near the top of its genre. It should be more like 8 out of 10 stars if more people would see this fine film. I have about 500 full blown external reviews on this site and it never ceases to amaze me the dumb rankings I see on decent films.Ray Liotta is at the top of his game as "psycho cop from hell," while Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe provide sterling support. Sure, the story is derivative as all this genre have been since Psycho (1960), but it's one of the best executed psychological thrillers to date. I guess some people want everything to be Shakespeare.This is a must see, folks!
Great suspense thriller
posted on 19 Nov 2008For those of you who like suspense thrillers, this movie is for you. It's about a disturbed cop who has a romantic interest in a break-in victim's wife. The setting in the beginning of the movie is in the suburbs of L.A. Michael Carr (Kurt Russell) and his wife Karen (Madeleine Stowe) experience a break-in in the middle of the night. The would-be robber is discovered by Michael and holds Karen hostage for a brief time before making his escape. The couple calls the police and two officers arrive to ask questions and write a report. It is at this time that one of the officers, Pete Davis (Ray Liotta), becomes smitten with Karen. To sum up the rest of the movie, Pete Davis becomes obsessed with Karen so much that he goes out of his way to try to steal Karen away from Michael, even going as far as tinkering with computer records to give Michael $600.00 in unpaid parking tickets that Michael never received to begin with, and electronically cancelling Michael's credit cards. It escalates from there, with Pete planting a large amount of cocaine in Michael's house, resulting in a SWAT team arriving and arresting Michael and putting him in jail. Michael's lawyer Roger (Ken Lerner) goes out of his way to help him out, even bailing him out of jail. By this time, Pete has Karen in his clutches, even killing Karen's friend and fellow teacher, Penny (Deborah Offner). Michael races home from the jailhouse to find that Pete was stalking Karen. They fight and the movie ends with Pete being shot and killed by Michael in his home. There are a lot of ironic things that happen during the movie, but I'll let you figure those things out when you watch it. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I highly recommend it for fans of suspense thrillers. It has a good story, a great setting (Los Angeles) and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Buy it. You'll love it.
Another overlooked masterpiece.
posted on 13 Jul 2008Another movie that brings back good theater memories.
An outstanding cast.
Russell plays the best part.
His wife is being stalked by Mr. psycho cop.(Liotta)
Russell's character evolves from Mr. Nice guy to protective hubby with an attitude.
Stowe is pretty good, she could have used some good fighting techniques to use in the movie.
Sorry I just love the Linda Hamilton (Terminator) kind of women. Beautiful.............and BAD!!!!!!!!!
Stowe wasn't "BAD" enough for my tastes, a few round house punches would have been good.
Still, her acting is well done and convincing.
Ray Liotta???
Gotta love the the guy.
Or is it, the guy you love to hate.
Charming, attractive, never judge a book by it's cover.........he turns out to be a mega psycho that unfortunately has a badge.
I won't give away any more, I just can't believe there are so few reviews on the VERY OVERLOOKED thriller.
Brilliant directing, brilliant acting, fast paced, etc........
Rent this, today!!!!
Highly recommended!!!
SUSPENSE & SURPRISES!
posted on 24 Mar 2008This was one of the first Ray Liotta movies I ever saw. He was excellent, his character was phony & evil (like usual)lol, but he's such a great actor, (not to mention he's from New Jersey: like ME)! He is also quite a HUNK! lol, Kurt Russell was excellent and gorgeous too! Madeline Stowe was very good too. I don't recomend this for young teens, there are some sickening parts! I saw it on a pay channel, years ago, it's a GREAT movie,get it, you won't be disapointed.
sick...i loved it.
posted on 05 Feb 2008A gifted Liotta surprised me once again in the sinister role of schizo-cop he carries out. I must say that his demeanor, his voice, his insanity are the backbone of the whole movie. With that said, I feel comfortable enough stating that Kurt Russel and Madeleine Stowe struck me only as ancillary characters, in other words they were only the frame and not the picture.Unlike the young mafioso he played in Good Fellas, where his conscience gets in the way all the time, Liotta shows a rather dark and unstable himself in Unlawful Entry, willing to go any distance to "win" Russell's wife.
Although some may say that a better photography job could have been done, the director concentrated himself on the main subject (Liotta), his face, his voice, his movements, his (I dare to say) needy behavior.A rather similar ending to Internal Affair, 1990, starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia, where the bad cop dies at the end, although Gere's interest was not the attractive colleague's wife. Another intriguing and sickening L.A. story..sick city of angels.
Flawless made, but totally cliché
posted on 05 Oct 2007After watching 10 minutes of this movies, I knew what would happen all the way to the end. And guess what? I was right...Unlawful Entry is directed and acted very flawlessly, and it really works as a thriller. But Unlawful Entry is build on all movie clichés there are, plus the characters are stereotypes. I think Unlawful Entry is something for you, if your that kind of person, who only wants entertainment from a movie. But I, on the other hand, want more from a movie! Something I can relate to, something that surprises me, something that makes me think about my life!Give me 2 hours back
I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND; I'M NOTHING TO YOU
posted on 13 Jul 2007I 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.
freaky and powerful
posted on 09 Mar 2007glad I saw this
3 words
scary, shocking, powerful story/movie
see this one
it will amaze you from start to end
and go to show you what happens when you get away with too much and think you'll have no repercussions. many lessons were learned from watching this movie. I really enjoy it more and more every time I view it on my player for dvds.
Talk about a bad cop!
posted on 09 Mar 2007Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe play a married couple who experience a scary break-in at their home. They take an instant liking to the cop (Ray Liotta) who shows up afterward, and at first he seems like a great guy to have around ... but I have to stress the words "at first." Pete (Liotta) ends up deeply in lust with Stowe and believes she would be better off with him than with Russell ... then he reveals his psychotic side.Although it is a conventional Hollywood thriller with no surprises (and some plot developments that may be hard to believe), it's so well done, and so well-acted (particularly by Liotta) that I definitely enjoyed it.I gave it eight out of ten.
a great suspenseful movie
posted on 19 Oct 2006Ray Liotta's carrer sky rocketed after this movie. He plays the perfect bad guy/cop. He makes it so real. I hope he makes more films like these, aka Turbulence. Russell is at his best again with M. Stowe in a good perfromance. This is 1 pure suspenseful thriller. U never know what will happen next.My dad hates R. Liotta so much, but my mom thinks he is cute.He hates his eyes while my mom loves them. Anyway, this is worth seeing & worth having.
PSYCHO COP!
posted on 01 Oct 2006Unlawful Entry is an awesome flick about a psycho cop who turns things upside down for an honest, innocent hardworking couple in L.A. after one innocent telephone call to the police after being burglarized by a sadistic crack-head.
This was probably a movie showing Ray Liotta at his best acting ability, since Ray Liotta plays Los Angeles police Officer Pete Davis who starts out righteous, loyal, and professional like any other typical police officer until Kurt Russell(Michael Carr) decides to disown Pete(Ray Liotta) after seeing Pete's true colors after Michael goes on a ride-along with Pete Davis and his partner Los Angeles police Officer Roy Cole(Roger E. Mosley) discovering what a dangerous psychopath Pete really is.
From there on, it becomes quite obvious that Pete is a psycho cop gone crooked after being disowned by Michael and being infatuated with Michael's wife Karen Carr(Madeline Stowe), especially since Pete goes mad trying to get Michael out of the way and out of the picture even if it means killing people in the process prompting Pete to tarnish Michael's credit, framing Michael with drugs in his house, barging into Michael and Karen's bedroom while Michael & Karen are in the middle of doing hubba hubba along with the fact that Pete even ends up killing his own faithful partner(Roy Cole) in the line of duty in the process to shut him up and to get Cole out of the way after Cole threatens to report Davis if he didn't comply.
Therefore, Pete was a practical supercop and slick con-man kind of guy who seemed to know just about every technique and strategy to try to get what he wanted, since a lot of people were hurt and killed in the process.
So you could say this suspenseful action flick was very similar to the 1990 movie "Internal Affairs" with Richard Gere, since Richard Gere plays a psycho cop working for the LAPD too in that movie, just like Ray Liotta did in "Unlawful Entry" working for LA's finest, which was certainly enough to help tarnish LAPD's reputation in law enforcement like the "Rodney King Beating" did back in March of 1991.
Therefore, you could say that "Unlawful Entry" was almost a carbon copy of "Internal Affairs" and Ray Liotta's character in this movie was kind of a carbon copy of Richard Gere's character in "Internal Affairs", since Liotta played a dangerous psycho cop who was just as psycho and just as dirty as Gere's character was in "Internal Affairs".
Additionally, I distinctly recall back in 1993 that Ray Liotta was voted as one of the top movie villians of 1992 for his role in "Unlawful Entry", since Ray did his psycho cop Pete Davis role so well in that movie along with the fact that it just goes to show you that you simply can't even trust or call the police sometimes either which almost gives you an excuse not to call the police whenever there's a serious crime or an emergency.
I also found it quite interesting seeing Roger E. Mosley in this movie after his days on MAGNUM, P.I. as Magnum and Rick's old vietnam buddy(T.C.), since I'd never seen Roger Mosley play a role like this one, especially since I'd never seen Roger Mosley playing any other role in a movie before, but it was neat seeing Roger Mosley without the mustache, which made Roger Mosley look even younger than he did on MAGNUM, but Roger Mosley obviously had the body for a police officer, since he was already husky during his TC days on MAGNUM.
This movie also takes me all the way back to memory lane to when we had all those Rodney King riots in LA back in April of 1992 and when we had the recession back in 1992-1993 just before Bill Clinton got elected president in November of 1992.
Therefore this movie also reminds me of when the California Highway Patrol and the Imperial County Sheriffs Office were in a hiring freeze from 1992 to 1993, due to budget cuts since this was a cop movie that was released in 1992 when the 1992-1993 recession was at its peak which takes me all the way back to memory lane to when I was living in the Imperial Valley since I was living in my hometown(El Centro, CA)at the time when this movie was released in the theatres back in the Spring of 1992.
Trilling to the end.
posted on 01 Oct 2006Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe play a couple need protect from burglars in their home, and was confronted by one. They measures to their safer with help of a police officer played by Ray Liotta. He becomes little more friendly with the couple, and obsessively wants Stowe for himself even committing murder. An unusual role for Russell and usual role for Liotta in the movie. The excitement builds up in the movie, but never loses it tension through out the plot of the picture. Well worth the time to see this film.
shoot to thrill
posted on 27 Jun 2006"Unlawful Entry" came out at a time when Americans were so hungry for those suspenseful, yet rather predictable thrillers. Ray Liotta is Pete, the nice cop who is wound just a bit too tight. Have you ever noticed that all those kooks always start out really nice and then go crazy all of a sudden? That's what makes it so entertaining not to mention funny.
If Ray Liotta was great, then Madeleine Stowe was nearly perfect in this movie. Karen had the personality of Delta Burke, the body of Madonna and the mannerisms of Bea Arthur. So she was a total handful. Karen was such a total drama queen and so over-the-top. The more her hubby told her to stay way from Pete, the more she went running toward him. It wasn't until he had his hand shoved up her skirt did Karen finally realize that Pete was a homocidal maniac. I loved the part in the very beginning when Karen made her grand entrance down the stairs to meet the policemen. You could tell she enjoyed having all eyes on her.
Kurt Russell as Michael Carr was really one of the only totally normal people in this movie. I think my favorite scene with Michael was in the beginning when Karen complaiend that she "can't sleep here." So Michael offered to take her to a hotel. Little did he know, Karen meant she wanted to move! And what woman would not feel safe with Kurt Russell?
What was up with Michael's lawyer, Roger? He was portrayed by Ken Lerner, who some viewers may remember from his bit parts on "90210?" (By the way, speaking of "90210," didn't the Carr's residence look just like the Walsh Home?) Have you ever seen any lawyer do all this? Sure, I've seen a few. They either work for O.J., Michael Jackson or Brit Brit Spears. They don't run around like this for the common man! I suppose that's why this is called a movie, because it's made up.
Officer Pete Davis was such a complete whack-job. I couldn't tell if something set him off (was it the way Karen acted around him, she was obviously very attracted to him,) or was he always like this? I love the part at the nightclub, when Pete shows up unannounced and ruffles Michael's feathers. But the scene with Pete and the hooker in his police car was just so ludicrous because it didn't add anything to the story. We already knew he was a nut and we already knew the level of respect he had for females. BTW, did anyone else think that the blonde hooker looked just like Olivia d'Abo?
When it's apparent to Michael that Pete isn't going away he offers the nut some money to bug off. That doesn't work. So as a last resort Michael goes to Officer Roy Cole (Roger E. Mosley) for help. Officer Roy Cole is Pete's ride-along-buddy, who bragged to Michael when another hooker was buzzing around them, "you see, these b itches can't get enough of us." It really wasn't a very good idea for Officer Roy to confront Pete. Suffice it to say, Pete shut him up in another far-fetched (because any police investigation would uncovered who the real killer was) scheme.
I also found the scene with Karen and Michael doing the nasty very funny. Actually I could not stop laughing when Officer Pete walks in right as Karen is literally straddling Michael. Of course Karen turns around and screams bloody murder, but one cannot help but think that she would have welcomed a menaje trois with Michael and Pete. Kurt Russell was totally believable, as the furious hubby though because there was pure furry in his eyes. He didn't blink once when he screamed to Pete, "get the **** out of my house." And just as Pete was being thrown out, Officer Roy popped his head in to make sure everything was copasetic. So funny because police don't do this.
BTW, what was up with Penny (Deborah Offner,) Karen's colleague? I am referring to the odd expression on her mouth when Karen found her. Her mouth was wiiiiiiide open; it looked like a grapefruit would have fit nicely inside there.
Anyway, the rest of the movie is rather fast-moving if not utterly predictable. I did enjoy it very much and recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys classic suspense films of the early 90's. They just don't do em like this anymore!
The cop from hell
posted on 31 May 2006UNLAWFUL ENTRY (1992) **1/2 Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe. Okay thriller with cop from hell Liotta obsessed with Russell's wife Stowe and the extent he'll go to make their lives a living hell. Standard thrills with a little too much at film's end a la Jason from "Friday the 13th".
One Bad Cop, One Bad Movie.
posted on 16 Jan 2006Sometimes a premise starts out good, but because of the demands of having to go overboard to meet the demands of an audience suffering from attention-deficit disorder, it devolves into an incongruous mess. And for three well-respected actors who have made better work before and after, this is a mortal shame.So let's see. Premise: a loving couple who lives in a beautiful home is threatened by a bad cop. Interesting to say the least. Make the encroaching cop a little disturbing, why not. It was well done in THE HAND WHO ROCKS THE CRADLE and SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, and it's a proved ticket to a successful thriller.Now herein lies the dilemma. Create a disturbing story that actually bothers to bring some true menace into its main characters while never going so far as to look ridiculous, or throw any semblance to reality, amp up the shock factor, and make this cop so extreme -- an ultra bad variation of every other super-villain that's hit cinemas since the silent age.The producers, and directors, chose the latter. Thus is the resulting film -- badly made, with actors trying their darnedest to make heads or tails in roles that they've essayed before, and nothing much amounting to even less.
Very average but Liotta is convincing
posted on 03 May 2009this film for the most part has pretty typical COp CLiche Hollywood stories.Kurt Russell is just not Convincing at all.MadeLeine Stowe really doesn't add anything aside from her beauty.but Ray Liotta despite being Scum through out this film is the only reasong to watch it.