The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
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Unlawful Entry
Thriller · Mystery · 1992
Happily married Michael and Karen Carr call the police after Karen is held at knife point during a failed robbery attempt in their home. Before long, one of the responding officers, Officer Pete Davis, helps arrange the installation of a new security system, taking extra interest in the couple's case. As a result, the grateful Carrs invite him to stay for dinner and they strike up an unexpected friendship. However, as the lonely policeman develops an intense fixation on Karen, his take on friendship develops into a dangerous obsession soon becoming the Carrs' worst nightmare.
Movie details
Unlawful Entry
“A man obsessed will do anything for love... A cop obsessed can get away with it.”
1992 Thriller · Mystery 1h 52m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.2 / 10
Community rating
Happily married Michael and Karen Carr call the police after Karen is held at knife point during a failed robbery attempt in their home. Before long, one of the responding officers, Officer Pete Davis, helps arrange the installation of a new security system, taking extra interest in the couple's case. As a result, the grateful Carrs invite him to stay for dinner and they strike up an unexpected friendship. However, as the lonely policeman develops an intense fixation on Karen, his take on friendship develops into a dangerous obsession soon becoming the Carrs' worst nightmare.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Unlawful Entry?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
China Moon
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2 Days in the Valley
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Black Bag
Drama · 2025
When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband – also a legendary agent – faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.
Farewell, My Lovely
Crime · 1975
Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled with seductress Helen Grayle and discovers a web of dark secrets that are better left hidden.
Black and Blue
Action · 2019
Rookie cop Alicia West, an Army veteran, inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.
Lethal Weapon
Action · 1987
A veteran cop and an unstable detective become partners who must put their differences aside in order to bring down a heroin-smuggling ring run by ex-Special Forces.
Cellular
Action · 2004
A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. She claims to have been kidnapped – and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.
10 to Midnight
Crime · 1983
Warren Stacy, an office equipment repairman, begins murdering women after they reject his advances. To minimize the evidence, Stacy always kills while naked, wearing nothing but gloves, and further evades the law with his strong alibis. Veteran detective Leo Kessler is convinced of Stacy's guilt and begins using questionable methods to catch him.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Jonathan Kaplan
Written by
George Putnam · Lewis Colick · John Katchmer
Kurt Russell
Michael Carr
Ray Liotta
Officer Pete Davis
Madeleine Stowe
Karen Carr
Roger E. Mosley
Officer Roy Cole
Ken Lerner
Roger Graham
Deborah Offner
Penny, Karen's Friend
Johnny Ray McGhee
Ernie Pike
Court is in session
Put Unlawful Entry on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.