Unlawful Entry

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Unlawful Entry

R

1992

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Happily married Michael (Kurt Russell) and Karen Carr (Madeleine Stowe) call the police after a failed robbery. Officer Pete Davis (Ray Liotta) arrives and helps arrange the installation of a new security system. The grateful Carrs have Pete to dinner and strike up a friendship. Pete invites Michael to ride with him during a night's patrol and gives him the chance to beat up the burglar. Michael refuses and tells the disturbed cop to stay away, but Pete begins stalking the terrified couple.

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Critics Consensus

Unlawful Entry may not depict a particularly novel or believable situation, but tense direction and a roundly committed cast make it easy to get caught up in the moment.

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Jo Berry

Empire Magazine

Apr 9, 2008

4/5

A wonderfully nasty turn from Liotta, along with a novel treatment of familiar plotlines, elevates Kaplan's effort into the 'must see' category.

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

Apr 9, 2008

Although it exists primarily to send an audience into a bloodthirsty frenzy and has major credibility problems in the bargain, Unlawful Entry is still a very effective victimization thriller.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Apr 9, 2008

Neither Lewis Colick's script nor Jonathan Kaplan's direction is quite as streamlined as it could be, but you certainly get a run for your money.

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Russell Rhodes

Birmingham Mail

Dec 14, 2023

Formula but fun.

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Bob Shelton

Birmingham Post

Dec 14, 2023

Well told, if not altogether plausible, Unlawful Entry should give thriller-lovers a pleasant jolt of anxiety.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jun 30, 2022

3.5/5

Easily among the best in its ’90s-stalker subgenre, "Unlawful Entry" finds a way to give people exactly what they want from such a thriller and a sense of understanding its players that they might not expect.

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Joe F

@TwinkletoesMcGee Aug 23, 2026

Ray’s evolves into a real despicable bastard. Only fitting that the woman of his desire is named Karen. Kurt and the supporting cast does well and the battle at the end is well executed. I think they could have cut it down some. There were some slow parts. I also think they could have gone into a bit more into Ray’s instability since everyone thinks he is a model cop. Worth the watch.

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Jovana M

@J_loves_movies Aug 3, 2026

Great super tense thriller! Liotta's character was unbearable, what a pest

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Michael A

@Kinich61 Jul 14, 2026

Very good for this type of movie. I don't understand some of the low reviews.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone May 9, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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mohammed M.

@9mr_0 Feb 15, 2026

الفلم حلو . المخرج ابدع في اخراج الفلم رغم ان القصه متوقعة و واضحة . عرف المخرج كيف يخلي الفلم إثارة نفسي يحافظ على التوتر والضغط النفسي طول الفيلم. تمثيل مايكل دوغلاس ممتاز ويعطي حضور قوي، والشخصيات الثانية أداؤها جيد ويضيفون توازن للأحداث ويخلّون القصة تمشي بسلاسة. القصة واضحة وبسيطة، الأحداث تمشي بخط متسق ومنطقي، والحوارات مباشرة وسهلة الفهم، وطريقة السرد تحافظ على المتعه في المشاهدة الفلم بدون تعقيد . الإخراج ممتاز في خلق جو مشبوه ومتوتر، التصوير يستخدم الزوايا والإضاءة بشكل ذكي ليزيد شعور الاثارة في الفلم ، والموسيقى تضيف توتر مستمر وتحافظ على إيقاع الأحداث بدون ما تكون مزعجة أو مبالغ فيها. باختصار: فيلم ممتع للإثارة والتوتر النفسي، شخصياته متجانسة، وأسلوب السرد سلس وواضح، مع إخراج وتصوير وموسيقى تخدم جو الفيلم بشكل ممتاز.

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Alain E

@AlainE Mar 13, 2025

Definitely watchable. In my opinion Kurt Russel doesn’t look very likable in this film. The late Ray Liotta on the other hand is believable as a psychopath. Madeleine Stowe contributes to this movie as much as the fat cat; just an accessory.

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Jonathan Kaplan

Director

Kurt Russell

Michael Carr

Ray Liotta

Officer Pete Davis

Madeleine Stowe

Karen Carr

Roger E. Mosley

Officer Roy Cole

Ken Lerner

Roger Graham

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Synopsis

Happily married Michael (Kurt Russell) and Karen Carr (Madeleine Stowe) call the police after a failed robbery. Officer Pete Davis (Ray Liotta) arrives and helps arrange the installation of a new security system. The grateful Carrs have Pete to dinner and strike up a friendship. Pete invites Michael to ride with him during a night's patrol and gives him the chance to beat up the burglar. Michael refuses and tells the disturbed cop to stay away, but Pete begins stalking the terrified couple.

Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Producer: Charles Gordon, Joseph Newton Cohen
Screenwriter: George Putnam, John Katchmer, Lewis Colick
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Largo Entertainment, JVC Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $55.9M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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