Fatale Begierde

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.

I've heard people who took in a viewing of this movie say it was slow. I didn't feel it was slow. There was scenes that didn't directly deal with the main plot, but I liked that because we get to know what kind of people these are and just not some vaguely sketched characters. It's here the movie works because it lines you up and scares you in real world fashion. The reality to the proceeding give it the urban horror feel and not something made up that we could never identify with or seeing happening in our real lives.

The cast carries this out efficiently while if I had any complaint about the movie it would be Kurt Russell in the smaller role as the husband. I really like Kurt Russell and unfortunately there isn't a lot for him to bite into as the real star of this movie is Ray Liotta. Who I feel bad for lately since he hasn't been able to escape this sort of psycho role, but there's no denying that he's good at it and he is largely what makes Unlawful Entry rank amongst the best of the urban psycho dramas. The story might be predictable in spots, but good performances and great atmosphere go a long way.

Unlawful Entry is by no means a great film; not even by genre standards, but it still stands out as a more than adequate example of the genre, and aptly portrays the basic thriller tradition. Next to thrillers from the same period; films like Basic Instinct, Unlawful Entry may seem a little tame, but as it puts the focus on its trio of central characters, the film becomes more interesting than it would have if experienced director Jonathan Kaplan had tried for more action and sex scenes. The film portrays the frightening idea of someone 'above the law' abusing their power for their own means, and does this through police officer Pete Davis. The action centres on married couple Michael and Karen Carr, who call the police one night after a thief breaks in and holds the wife to knife point. However, it turns out that they've actually made things worse for themselves as the officer sent to the house takes a liking to Karen, and thus makes it his business to infiltrate their relationship and try to take Michael's wife for himself...

It has to be said that the film doesn't offer much in the way of surprises, as the plot is purely formulaic and can be likened to any number of similar films, but somehow the familiarity of the plot gives it something of a relaxed feel, and while experienced movie watchers will feel that they've seen it all before, the film is carried off with enough panache to see it through. Unlawful Entry relies a lot on its actors, and the three at the centre of the story manage to deliver worthwhile performances. Kurt Russell gets toned down in his role as the unlucky husband, while Madeleine Stowe doesn't get to do any heavyweight acting, but at least looks nice. The pair doesn't really have any chemistry together, which is a shame and brings the piece down - but this is offset by a conniving Ray Liotta, who manages to get under the skin despite looking a bit like David Hasselhoff. The film is always interested, but never really intriguing; although the plot does work well and the ending is fitting in context. Overall, this is not great or a must see film; but its decent enough and I don't regret watching it.

"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.