"Don't worry. If it's anything serious I'll come back for my driver."
Michael (Kurt Russell) and Karen (Madeleine Stowe) are spending another evening home in their suburban L.A. abode when Karen hears a noise downstairs and goes to tell Michael about it. Michael, believing his wife to be a drama queen, grabs a golf club, makes wise, and then goes downstairs to investigate. While investigating he notices the sunroof window is opened confirming that his home has indeed been unlawfully entered. He screams for Karen to call the police but local crack head, Ernie Pike, jumps out of the closet and begins to tussle with Michael. Ernie manages to grab both a chef’s knife and Karen’s throat, and backs out into the night throwing Karen into the pool leaving her a frail and broken person for the rest of the movie.
Enter Officer Roy and Officer Pete (Ray Liotta). Karen comes downstairs drying off from her night swim and receives the big stare down from Officer Pete, who is immediately smitten with her. The next day when both the security company and the police fail to do a follow up, it’s Officer Pete who makes things happen, setting up the security codes and eating Michael’s famous BBQ. Pete and Michael bro down a bit and Michael confesses how he’d love to rip that crack head’s heart out. Pete consoles Michael by offering him a ride along in the squad car the next day.
They go cruising and Michael enjoys playing cop for the night. At the end of the shift Pete tells Michael he has a surprise for him. He drives out to some secluded place where crack head Ernie Pike is living. He holds Ernie and offers him up for Michael to make good on his wish. Reality sets in for Michael and he pleads with Pete to let him go. Pete says no way and beats and humiliates Ernie leaving Michael a shaken man much like his wife. When Michael gets home he tells Karen they can no longer communicate with Pete but Karen’s having none of it. She tells Michael he couldn’t understand. It wasn’t him that was pushed into the pool.
Michael’s attempts to rid himself of Officer Pete are futile for Pete seems to turn up everywhere they go terrorizing Michael. One intimate evening Pete sets off the house alarms and enters the home interrupting the couple in full on softcore action. This is all Michael can take. He tries filing a complaint and even tries bribing Pete but just ends up with a gun in his face. Throughout these events it's become apparent to all that Pete’s true desire is to have Kate, leaving everyone equally creeped out.
From here Pete goes off the deep end. He kills his partner after he threatens to report him and sets up a home invasion on Michael’s house after he’d planted drugs there landing Michael in jail.
Love makes a man do crazy things and Pete is a crazy man in love.
With Michael in jail Karen is a sitting duck. Pete enters the house in a manner which could also be considered unlawful, and makes a fabulous gourmet dinner of mushrooms and parsley. He tells Karen it’s time they stop pretending and start their new lives together. Freaked out, Karen tries to slip out of the house but discovers the dead body of her best friend in the closet, leaving her helpless and trapped.
Michael makes bail and races home with his lawyer, running several stop lights prompting the police to chase him down while Karen stalls by putting on a sexy ankle length skirt. Eventually Karen reveals herself to just be a “cock tease” and Pete attempts to force himself on her. Luckily our hero returns home in time to set off all the alarms causing overall panic and chaos. They all begin to fight three stooges style and Pete eventually takes Michael hostage and says he’ll kill him if Karen does not leave with him. Karen responds by smashing Pete in the face with a moon rock sending him tumbling down the stairs.
Is he really dead? Is it safe to creep within inches of his motionless body out the door? Of course not! Pete rises once again and an armed Michael blasts him into oblivion, grabs the cat, and hugs his wife. Roll Credits. Game Over!
"Unlawful Entry" Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
