Plot: What’s it about?
Michael Carr (Kurt Russell) and his wife Karen (Madeline Stowe) have had some success in life, complete with a nice home in a good neighborhood. But as they soon discover, even their home isn’t always safe, when a burglar breaks into their house. Michael hears some strange noises from his office, so he grabs his golf club and goes to take a closer look. Karen is soon pounced by the intruder however, who leaps out of a closet and pulls Karen away from Michael. Soon however, the intruder makes a run for the hills and right after, the young couple phone the police, who send out an officer to make a report. That officer is Pete Davis (Ray Liotta), who turns out to be a very nice guy, offering them tips and suggestions about home security and the like. He soon helps them choose and install a home security system and begins to stop by at times, to check in and see how things have went for them. This seems friendly at first, but as time passes and the visits become more frequent, Michael starts to think something could amiss with Davis, who seems to have taken a strong interest in Karen. But is Davis some kind of psychopath with an obsession, or is Michael just being paranoid and jealous?
I’ve seen a lot of suburban paranoia movies and in truth, I can never get enough of them. I like flicks like The ‘Burbs, Breakdown, and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, and the like, where people’s perfect lives are shattered, in either comical or tragic fashion. This volume in the urban paranoia series, Unlawful Entry uses the guise of a thriller and in the end, is a more than competent motion picture. The three leads were well cast and give good performances, the premise is a genre jackpot, and the direction is always solid, never too flashy at all. I don’t think many would claim this to be a great movie, but it is very entertaining and well made, at least in my book. I’m always impressed with Ray Liotta’s turn here, as well as the work of Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe, who complete the core cast members. I think the pace hits just as it should, taking us from a vision of safety down a tense path of suspense, toward a climatic finale that delivers the goods. I am very pleased with the treatment Fox has given the flick and as such, I am giving this release a very strong recommendation, as a rental or purchase.
It isn’t often he’s given a prominent role to work with, but when he gets the chance, Ray Liotta can hammer home the winning run. Liotta has played a lot of smaller roles, but always shown excellent potential and when he can step up in a bigger part, he never falters. I think he handles dramatic roles better than any other sort, but he seems to fare well in all genres, to be honest. In this case, Liotta is able to steal every scene he is in, thanks to his eerie and memorable performance as the cop from everyone’s nightmares. I think these kind of roles suit Liotta to be perfection and of course, it’s always great to see him such efforts. But in the end, I think Liotta is a much underrated performer and as always – he’ll be missed.
Video: How does it look?
The film is over three decades old and has seen the light of day on virtually every format from VHS to LaserDisc to DVD. Shout released a Blu-ray of this a few years ago and now we’re arrived at the 4K version. I was thrilled with this presentation, as it allows the film to shine and once again, Fox ensures the finest home video edition to date, very impressive indeed. This is a pretty dark film in terms of visuals, but this transfer never slips in the least. As such, we’re able to see razor sharp black levels at all times, while detail is never overexposed or lost either. The colors look good also, very bright and effective, while flesh tones remain natural and warm. It’s a modest improvement over the previously-released Blu-ray and light years ahead of the first DVD release from Fox.
Audio: How does it sound?
What started out as a Dolby Digital 4.0 mix on the DVD has now evolved into a DTS HD Master Audio mix that makes for a very good experience in the end, with a good amount of surround use, though not as much as more dedicated, more recent efforts would provide. The tense atmosphere is well created and executed in these mixes, while the musical score sound excellent, just amazing at times I think. The dialogue is clean and crisp also, no problems to report at all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – The real draw here however, is an audio commentary track with director Jonathan Kaplan, who offers an interesting session. Kaplan often just describes the on screen action and little else, but some information can be withdrawn here and there. In other words, it isn’t the best session I’ve heard, but I am still pleased it was included.
- Unrestrained Realism – We get a pretty frank and candid conversation with the film’s director, Jonathan Kaplan, as he cites his roots, the desire to do a Fatal Attraaction-type film as well as his rapport with composer James Horner.
- Too Tightly Wound – Director of photography Jamie Anderson discusses his approach to the film, both in and around Los Angeles.
- Symphonic Intruder: Inside the Thriller Scores of James Horner – Pretty Much that. If you’re a fan of the composer, this one is for you.
- Vintage Making-Of Featurette – Back in the days before DVD and “Making of Featuettes…” we have this, which is about as vintage as they come, though some behind the scenes footage is included.
- T.V. Spots – Two shorts for the film are included.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
This one didn’t win any awards, but it’s a good movie. I can recall seeing it in theaters when it came out. Kurt Russell, both then and now, is one of the most consistent actors working and it also gave Ray Liotta and Madeline Stowe a chance to flex their acting chops. Shout’s new 4K offering improves upon their Blu-ray from years ago, giving us a bit better visuals though the same supplements and audio mix are included.
