Unlawful Entry

Play trailer

Unlawful Entry

R

1992

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Jo Berry

Empire Magazine

04/09/2008

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.

Go to Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

04/09/2008

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.

Go to Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

04/09/2008

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.

Go to Full Review

Russell Rhodes

Birmingham Mail

12/14/2023

Formula but fun.

Go to Full Review

Bob Shelton

Birmingham Post

12/14/2023

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

Go to Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

06/30/2022

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jovana M

@J_loves_movies Aug 3

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

See more

Michael A

@Kinich61 Jul 14

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

See more

thiago S

@Thiagostone May 9

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

See more

mohammed M.

@9mr_0 Feb 15

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.

See more

Alain E

@AlainE 03/13/2025

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.

See more

Jeff Z

@Jdunn 10/30/2024

Seen this, Man it's really been 32 years!?!? Time really does fly and Madeleine Stowe is absolutely gorgeous

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Sleeping With the Enemy

24%

60%

Sleeping With the Enemy

Watchlist

Hear No Evil

20%

34%

Hear No Evil

Watchlist

Jennifer Eight

36%

39%

Jennifer Eight

Watchlist

Under Suspicion

25%

57%

Under Suspicion

Watchlist

The Good Son

26%

54%

The Good Son

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Good Son

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Total Recall: The 10 Most Corrupt Cops in Movies

2006 Toronto Film Festival Uncovers Full Slate

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings