JONATHAN KAPLAN DIRECTS RAY LIOTTA IN 'UNLAWFUL ENTRY'

Ray Liotta in UNLAWFUL ENTRY Year: 1992 Rating: ***1/2

Some former student directors of low-budget movie-producing icon Roger Corman, no matter how big they got, still held onto an economic style liken to the straightforward simplicity of an old school marquee b-movie, and Jonathan Kaplan was one of the A-students...

Although his best (or most well known) movies came after "graduation" with vehicles such as the cult teen angst rebellion classic, OVER THE EDGE, and then guiding Jodie Foster's first Oscar-winning role in the more conventional THE ACCUSED and later on, using the actor from fellow Cormon crony Jonathan Demme (who directed Foster's second big win) for his risque road journey SOMETHING WILD...

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry with Kurt Russell

Enter GOODFELLAS' then-newly-famous Ray Liotta  in the somewhat mainstream exploitation flick UNLAWFUL ENTRY (the main theme sounding strangely like the romantic and/or reposeful theme from STAR WARS)...

He's a bad cop's bad cop (to Roger E. Mosley's good one) whose best scenes are when he's initially a helpful "to protect and serve" friend with a down-to-earth yuppie-leaning couple robbed during an opening sequence that has all the low-budget horror/suspense elements that this attempts, more or less successfully, to rise above...

Sherrie Rose in Unlawful Entry with Ray Liotta

The inevitable turning-point happens long enough (despite Russell realizing something's up long before his wife) so there's not that snowballed weight when a movie must drive-down its plot, and quick...

The table-turning second act takes its time — with Russell fighting back (mostly alone) against a now truly formidable Liotta; their anti-chemistry's liken to a dark and shady Film Noir, the crime B-pics of their day...

Tarantino trunk shot with Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry with Kurt Russell

But it's the wicked charm Liotta continues showering the gorgeous, understanding teacher-wife with, and how, at the same time, he looks down on her passive husband like he did Jeff Daniels in the aforementioned SOMETHING WILD , wielding his sinister blue-eyed glare, sans the proverbial little-mustache that some actors force into antagonistic roles...

He's creepy and evil, but cool. At times you might just root for the poor guy. And that's Roger Corman 101: his signature brand's a cinematic tattoo that cannot be (and doesn't need to be) removed. 

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Madeline Stowe in Unlawful Entry

Madeline Stowe in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta facing Madeline Stowe poolside in Unlawful Entry

Suburban Shot of Ray Liotta and Kurt Russell pal around at first in Unlawful Entry

Sherrie Rose Unlawful Entry Sherrie Rose with Ray Liotta Unlawful Entry Girl in Jeep

Kurt Russell Ray Liotta Unlawful Entry Kurt Russell Unlawful Entry Ray Liotta

Our friend Harry Northup played the cult-iconic bad cop in Kaplan's OVER THE EDGE

Ray Liotta in a Western genre post as the heavy's heavy cop in Unlawful Entry

Sherrie Rose in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Jonathan Kaplan's Over The Edge reunion with Andy Romano and Harry Northup in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Unlawful Entry with Roger E. Mosley, Kurt Russell and Ray Liotta

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry

Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry with Kurt Russell

Ruby Salazar in UNLAWFUL ENTRY with Kurt Russell

Ruby Salazar in UNLAWFUL ENTRY with Kurt Russell

Ruby Salazar in UNLAWFUL ENTRY with Kurt Russell

Ray Liotta in UNLAWFUL ENTRY with Kurt Russell

Ray Liotta in UNLAWFUL ENTRY with Kurt Russell

Ray Liotta in UNLAWFUL ENTRY doing his "Shnook" pose from Goodfellas