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.
