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
When Michael and Karen Carr’s home is robbed, the couple strike up a friendship with duty officer Pete Davis. But the disturbed cop develops an intense fixation on Karen, and his idea of friendship soon turns into a dangerous obsession, making him 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
6.3 / 10
Community rating
When Michael and Karen Carr’s home is robbed, the couple strike up a friendship with duty officer Pete Davis. But the disturbed cop develops an intense fixation on Karen, and his idea of friendship soon turns into a dangerous obsession, making him 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
Mystery · 1994
Detective Kyle Bodine falls for Rachel Munro who is trapped in a violent marriage. After she shoots her husband, Kyle relucantly agrees to help hide the body, but his partner is showing an unusual flair for finding clues.
Harper
Mystery · 1966
Harper is a cynical private eye in the best tradition of Bogart. He even has Bogie's Baby hiring him to find her missing husband, getting involved along the way with an assortment of unsavory characters and an illegal-alien smuggling ring.
Righteous Kill
Crime · 2008
Two veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?
Neighborhood Watch
Thriller · 2025
When a mentally ill young man thinks he witnesses an abduction and the police refuse to believe him, he reluctantly turns to his next door neighbor – a bitter, retired security guard – to help him find the missing woman.
Jennifer Eight
Crime · 1992
John Berlin, a big-city cop from LA moves to a small-town police force and immediately finds himself investigating a murder. Using theories rejected by his colleagues, Berlin meets a young blind woman named Helena, whom he is attracted to. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose—and only John knows it.
2 Days in the Valley
Comedy · 1996
In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
Crime · 2010
Brad has committed murder and barricaded himself inside his house. With the help of his friends and neighbours, the cops piece together the strange tale of how this nice young man arrived at such a dark place.
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.
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.
Ricochet
Crime · 1991
An attorney is terrorized by the criminal he put away years ago when he was a cop.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Jonathan Kaplan
Written by
Lewis Colick · John Katchmer · George Putnam
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.