On U List of Movie Reviews
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Unlawful Entry (1992)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
11/03, 7/15, 5/22
7/15:
Unlawful Entry is a believable thriller about a police officer who abuses his position of power.
When somebody is as helpless as Michael Carr, there's not much he can do about the situation. Apart from
Goodfellas,
Officer Pete Davis is my favorite Ray Liotta performance although he has been unfortunately typecast during the rest of his career
due to the famous psychotic look he always sports.
In the film, Pete starts being nice, resourceful, and helpful, going out of his way. Then, he has a moment that
seems both rational and irrational because Carr was literally asking for it. Finally, all bets are off, and there's no
telling what Pete will do even he's been calm the entire time. That's why Ray Liotta plays a very believable character.
Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe are both excellent thespians and make their situation as real as possible. I like the fact
that the writers made him a highly articulate, cerebral everyman which feels refreshing. He has a way of putting
words together that sound lucid and educated.
There are a couple of complaints. One, Madeleine Stowe's character is Karen which evokes memories of Lorraine Bracco
from Goodfellas. I wish she had a different name. Two, notice how Pete set up the double
murder by firing the gun
at his partner and then the drug dealer. It'll never work because the shooter has no gunpowder residue on his hands and
forearms. A simple forensic analysis will conclude neither shot the gun which makes Pete the only suspect.
All in all, Unlawful Entry is one of the best thrillers from the 90's with an underrated performance by Ray Liotta.
5/22:
What a surprise that Ray Liotta suddenly died at age 67, and one film I thought of that he gave a top five performance is
Unlawful Entry.
In a way, it's Something Wild all over again. Instead of Jeff Daniels and Melanie
Griffith, it's Kurt Russell and
Madeleine Stowe having their own thing. Then, out of nowhere, Ray Liotta appears and steals the show effortlessly.
He's effective, and the story is believable given the huge amount of power that cops have over the citizens.
What's particularly nice is how intelligent Kurt Russell's character is. He speaks well and thinks rationally. Sure, his wife
may not believe him at first, but she will soon when Officer Pete Davis keeps encroaching their territory. That alone should
give her a pause despite his infinite supply of charisma. Then again, it's the genius of Ray Liotta's acting.
All in all, it's too bad about Ray Liotta, and he was a gifted actor.