Resident Evil 7 review "Welcome to the family, son!"

Right, well.....I decided to be brave (not often I admit!) and to play a rather scary game, which came out earlier this year and that game is part of a very well known survival horror franchise known as Resident Evil.  So, yep I manned up and bought the game and have just finished it, so this review will be on Resident Evil 7.

So, is it that scary????  And is it that good????  Well brace let's ourselves and take a look....

And yep I will say a bit about the plot (but not too much!) so the usual warning is coming up...

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD (BUT NOT TOO MANY!!)

STORY 

Well, the story follows Ethan Winters, who receives an email message from his wife, Mia, who disappeared three years ago and Ethan follows her trail to a derelict plantation in Louisiana.  Ethan then makes his way into a seemingly abandoned house and eventually finds Mia imprisoned in the basement.  Mia then tries to lead Ethan out of the house but she suddenly turns violent and tries to kill him and he manages to subdue her briefly, however she soon comes back to life and cuts off his hand with a chainsaw.  Ethan then desparately tries to leave the house but is knocked out by another man, Jack Baker, who drags him and Mia to another house.


At the house, Ethan comes around to find that his hand has been stapled back on and has been strapped into a chair as he is surrouned by the Baker family (of which Jack is the head) alongside Jack are his wife, Marguerite, his son, Lucas and daughter, Zoe and an elderly woman in a wheelchair.  Jack subjects Ethan to torture as he force feeds him food that has gone off but they are interrupted by someone outside, so all they go off to investigate.  This let's Ethan break free of his bonds and he tries to find his way out, however he is soon attacked again by Jack, who it turns out has regenerative abilities that prevent him from being killed.

Ethan eventually manages to escape the house and makes it to a trailer where he is called by Zoe, who tells him that she, Mia and her family have been infected by a virus but they can be cured by a special serum.  So, its from here that Ethan must try and find a way to locate the serum ingredients to make it and also defeat the demented Baker family and save Mia and also find out just what's behind all this.  Is it the Baker family who are to blame??? Or is there something else sinister at foot here????

THOUGHTS

Well after the Resident Evil series had just started to undergo a certain identity crisis with Resident Evil 6, which was a very mixed game and a bit of curate's egg, Resident Evil 7 firmly sees the series back on track.  And I think it would be no exaggeration to say that this is by far the scariest RE game yet, as it get's back to the real roots of the series survival horror where the player is thrown into a situation where they must explore a creaky old house and watch out for the creepy horrors that might be just round the next corner.  So, suffice to say this game really delivers when it comes to jump scares and it certainly got me a dozen times or so throughout playing it!

GAMEPLAY 

As for the gameplay itself unlike the other games in the series, RE7 takes on a first person perspective and it really helps enhance the horror aspect and ramps up the fear factor for the player.  The gameplay mechanics despite the perspective change are not entirely dissimilar to the previous games as the player still has access to a number of weapons and they have an inventory menu system from which you access items, weapons and other accessories.  You also have access to various storage boxes that spread out through the game and save rooms where you save your progress via the use of a tape recorder.  

Some of the new gameplay aspects however include the use of video tapes, which are used to playback footage of previous events, which will act as a clue to certain puzzles in the game and these sections are playable. Other new aspects include certain puzzles where you need to acquire items that have to be examined under a spotlight against a picture, which will give access to secret passages.  The player can also use item such as psychostimulants that allow Ethan's senses to be enhanced that will enable him to see items in the dark that can be picked up. 

As for the game's weapons well they are still pretty varied and the player can hold four weapons at once for instant access (using the PS4 controller's D-Pad) and the weapons include handguns, shotguns, flamethrowers, grenade launchers and of course magnums.  There are also melee weapons that include knives, chainsaws and ammo can also be picked up by breaking boxes or finding them lying around certain areas.

In regards to the game's enemies well your main ones are of course the Baker family (namely Jack, Marguerite and Lucas) but there are also monsters such as the "molded" which are very creepy walking piles of bacteria with claws.  And next to the Baker's themselves, its the molded, who are bound to give you the biggest jump scares given the way they silently creep around corridors, you are sure to find yourself screaming out loud when you first see one!  There are also mutated flying insects that attack you and you encounter them while you are seeking out Marguerite.

As for the Baker family however its Jack and Marguerite that will give you the biggest scares, as there are several sections in the game where Jack will repeatedly attack Ethan and go after him to kill him off.  Marguerite however is arguably the scariest thing in the whole game as she really is truly creepy and she reminds me of the junkie female character that appeared in Breaking Bad season 2 (the one that said "I ain't not skank!" shortly before killing her lover!).  And there is one sequence in the game, which I won't say too much about but it involves Mia hiding from an enraged Marguerite, who tries to seek her out and when she does...let's just say a change of underwear might be needed!

GRAPHICS 

As for the game's graphics....well what can you say???  RE7 looks stunning from its creepy character models of the Bakers right down to the mega creepy "molded" but its the game's environments is where it really stands out.  The visuals of the environments are just incredible as some are super rich with detail (some of which could prove a bit nauseating!) and you could great effects from puddles of water, to dankly candle lit areas as well as the yucky black goo surrounded the molded where ever they go.  Overall its just an incredible visual experience although a fair degree of it is in the dark, which means your character's flashlight is never far away(!) but this isn't much of a negative in itself as it just adds to the tense and scary atmosphere.

VOICE ACTING AND MUSIC

As for the voice acting, well its great and it features an excellent cast who deliver great performances for their characters with Todd Soley providing a solid performance as the main character, Ethan Winters.  Katie O'Hagan also does very well with her role as Mia, Ethan's wife, who went missing for three years but on the word of an email, Ethan soon finds her and things take a bad turn from there!  Jack Brand also stands out very well as Jack Baker, the demented head of the Baker household, who is infected by a virus (as are his family) that brings him special regenerative abilities, so basically he won't stay dead!  Brand himself also delivers the game's most notable line "Welcome to the family, son!" when Jack first announces himself as he knocks out Ethan.   

Other cast members also include Sara Coates, who sends a shiver down your spine as does the voice of the scary Marguerite, who's most notable scene is where we see the video tape footage of Mia trying to hide from her.  Jesse Pimentel is excellent as Lucas Baker, who's character is a bit annoying but his performance is still very good as Lucas provides something of a comic relief for the game.  And last of all is Giselle Gilbert who voices Zoe Baker, the odd one out in the Baker family, who wants to actually try and help Ethan and Mia.

As for the music, well it was composed by five different composers although the chief one is probably Akiyuki Morimoto.  Regardless of that composers though, the score itself is very good and pretty chilling also as it perfectly fits the tone of the game and these guys know how to write horror music for video games, so your in safe hands with this one.

FLAWS

As for the flaws....well....yeah Resident Evil 7 still has some worth mentioning.

I think for starters that the game's graphics can be just a bit too dark at times as you spend a fair bit of time wandering around in dark corridors and it sure adds to the creepiness but it can also occassionally hinder your visual awareness of certain areas.  In fact you will find that Ethan certainly engages his flashlight more often than not throughout this game.  There are of course sections that are better lit than others depending where you are but I think there are at times too many darkened areas.

Another issue was to do with the sparsity of ammo in the game as there are some sections where you have barely enough ammo to fight off the Bakers or hoards of molded that come at you.  The best idea is to try and conserve your ammo where and when possible but there are definitely moments where you wish there was a bit more to hand than there is.

You could also argue that the game's ending was a bit of a letdown and it left a gaping plothole with one specific character, who just suddenly vanished out the story without appearing again (yep Lucas and I won't say anymore than that!).  So, the story finished leaving you a bit disappointed with the lack of resolution in reagrds to that character.

Then there is the issue of the mixed level of boss difficulty in the game as it certainly does feel mixed with Jack being pretty tough to take down (as he appears more than once!) and Marguerite is also not entirely easy.  However the final boss (I won't say who!) is somewhat a fair bit easier than either Jack or Marguerite and it leaves you feeling "Is that it???!  I was expecting something tougher!".

The game also suffers from a lack of variety in its enemies as you pretty much only get the Bakers, the molded and those pesky bugs during the Marguerite sections of the game....and that's it!  So, yeah the game is a bit of a letdown in that department however the enemies that are in it do their job very well and do get you jumping out of your skin at times.  

I also felt that certain sections of the game really dragged and there are times where you are aimlessly wandering corridors looking for clues or items to unlock doors to get you onto the next part of the game.  So, in this respect it would be better if they were able to tighten up the gameplay in that respect and that's where the horror survival element of wandering creepy dark corridors can threaten to defeat itself and become a bore. 

And last of all I would say that the single player campaign is perhaps a little on the short side as it only took me three days of off and on sessions to get through this one and I've seen myself play Resident Evil games that have taken me weeks to do!  However the final gameplay tally time for me was 12 hours, which gameplay wise isn't too bad these days and there are single player games that are much shorter than that.

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up Resident Evil 7 is one of the best games in the series and it really sees the franchise get back on form after the disappointingly mixed Resident Evil 6, which couldn't make up its mind if it was an action game or a horror game.  But with RE7 we get straight up unmitigated horror and for me it is also by far and a way the SCARIEST of all the RE games with its creepy main antagonists and if you don't brick it the first time you see one of the "molded" then you have nerves of steel!

It is also helped along with its stunning visuals, creepy soundtrack and excellent voice acting, which all just add to the experience of what is easily one of the best games of 2017 so far.  And if you are brave enough and are a fan of the Rezy evil series then I strongly recommend you give it a go.

Right, that's it for now and I'll be back soon with another post soon.

Till then its ciao for now and don't have nightmares!               

The Dark Knight Rises - Revisited Part 3 "The fire rises!"

Right, this is the first time I have done this on my blog and that is revisit a post for the THIRD time!  Yep, I have decided once again to give The Dark Knight Rises YET another look!  I will add in a few more extra points here and there on the flaws side and maybe just the odd thing or two more but I won't go overboard given that its already a mega long post as it is! 

So, let's give this un a look again for the 4th time (yep, including the original look!) 

And as usual....

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So starting with the plot summary, the film begins 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight, and in the opening scene, we see a masked terrorist named Bane (Tom Hardy) who is being held in the custody of the FBI while being transported on a plane.  The plane however is intercepted by Bane's men who then kill the agents and Bane captures a Russian nuclear physicist onboard the plane Dr Pavel (Aalon Abutbul) who he takes with him.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne (Bale) after Batman has been outcast as a wanted criminal (as he took the rap for the death of Harvey Dent), now lives a reclusive life in his manor, and has left the outside world behind him.  Bane however soon infiltrates Gotham city, and manages to lure Comissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) into the sewers, who is following up a lead to an abduction, in the sewers Gordon narrowly escapes, but is shot, and sent to hospital.  One of Gordon's men, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levit) approaches Wayne at his manor, and he admits he knows of his identity as Batman, and pleads that he make his return to Gotham to help the brewing troubles.

Wayne soon after starts to set things in motion to make his return as the dark knight, and along the way he get's a little help from the saucy Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a cat burglar, who is an associate of Bane's, who ultimaltey betrays Batman to him.  Bane soon captures Batman and beats him (breaking his back in the process!) and then sends him off to a prison, where no man is said to have escaped from (only one child managed to escape the prison, which is rumoured to have been Bane himself).  Bane himself turns out to be a member of the League of Shadows, which Wayne himself was trained as, but Bane was banished from the group years ago.

In the meantime with Batman out of the way, Bane has full reign to destroy Gotham, with the city's police force trapped underground, and by releasing its criminals from the prisons, and sitting in judgment on the rich, wealthy and the affluent in the city, who are all sentenced to death or exile (which turns out to be the same thing!) at the hands of Dr Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy) the criminal lawyer, also released from Gotham's prisons.

In the meantime Wayne while in the prison, receives help from a prisoner (Tom Conti) to fix his back.  After this Wayne trains and builds up his fitness again, and tries his best to escape from the prison, by climbing the inner prison wall (with a rope tied round his waist) he tries to jump to reach a ledge but misses and falls, which he tries again and fails.  With the TV footage show in the prison of Gotham being torn apart by Bane's war of terror, Wayne grows more determined to escape, and the former jail doctor, tells Wayne the child who escaped did so by not using a rope, but by climbing out.  Wayne tries the climb again, this time without the rope, he escapes successfully and makes his way back to Gotham.

Once back in Gotham, Wayne meets up with Selina again and tells her he needs her help to get to Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) who can help him deactivate the city's reactor core, which has now been turned into a bomb, which Bane intends to detonate and destroy the city.  Wayne soon dons his cape and makes his entrance as Batman, he saves Gordon from death by exile (walking out on the frozen surface of the river) and Blake, and he frees the police from underground, and tells them to make an assault on Bane's men.  And as the police force storm an assault on Bane's men, Batman confronts Bane on the streets of Gotham in their final encounter, which leads into the film's dramatic climax.......  

THOUGHTS

The Dark Knight Rises on repeated viewing still for me remains the most underrated of the three Nolan films as it has been given a bit of a licking by fans since its release, however for all its faults I still prefer it over The Dark Knight, which I think itself is overrated (an unpopular opinion no doubt!).  

The film even it leaves quite a gap, it still does pick up the events well enough from the end of The Dark Knight, by moving forward 8 years, and it makes a nice shift in tone to see Bruce Wayne, as no longer being a show off billionaire in the public eye, but instead becoming a recluse.  And Wayne no longer feels at this point Gotham needs Batman, due to the massive cut down in crime (at the start of the film that is) due to the Dent act (imposed by the late Harvey Dent).  So, instead we get Bruce as a wounded animal and then we get a truly formidable enemy in Bane, who poses a terrifying threat to Gotham.  And here again Nolan makes good use of the menacing tone he sets throughout the film, which rarely ever lets up.    

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

In terms of the performances things are also pretty good here, and there is a fine cast on display.

So, to start with the film's star, Christian Bale, who I have to say always has done a better job as Bruce Wayne, than he has as Batman, mainly due to the fact as Batman, I don't really like the way he overuses the husky voice to conceal Wayne's identity which reaches fever pitch in how stupid it sounds in this movie!  And despite that it might be the right thing to do in order to conceal his identity, it just sounds silly, and I'm surprised he doesn't keep coughing up while he does it!  And there are some scenes such as the one where Batman talks to Catwoman using his raspy voice, yet she knows who he is, so why bother do it?!!! 

Regardless of that though I always liked Bale's take on Bruce Wayne, in the previous two films he played him as a suave superifical billionaire playboy on the surface, and in this film he's become an emotionally wounded man, who chooses to live in hiding, but deep down he still really cares about Gotham, and has a strong moral character, who does all he can to fight the evil in his city.  Bale also always plays Wayne with a dry sense of humour and he is always very understated in his delivery, which is one of Bale's main strengths as an actor. 

Bale also has some good moments with Hathaway one such scene is after Batman and Catwoman first meet in a fight with Bane's thugs they flee afterwards in Batman's nifty new flying vehicle, the Bat, and Catwoman says "My mother told me about getting in cars with strange men" and Batman says "This is no car!".  And later they talk up on the rooftops where for once someone pulls the vanshing act on Batman, as he turns away and looks back to see that Catwoman has gone, Batman says "So that's what that feels like!".

Bale has another good scene where he turns up out of the blue back in Gotham later on as Batman and rescues Blake from being killed and says to him after "If you're going to go it alone, wear a mask" and Blake says he's not afraid to show his face and Batman says "Its not about you, its about protecting the people you care about".

Another great scene is where Batman faces off Bane as he returns to Gothman, as a full scale assault on Bane's men is under way by the cops and Bane says "So you came back to die with your city!" and Batman coldly says "No!  I came back here to stop you!".

Then there is the unintentionally funny scene (for me anyway!) where Batman kicks Bane's ass when he returns to Gotham and he kicks him through a doorway into city hall where Miranda is.  And Batman then repeatedly punches Bane and yells at him "WHERE'S THE TRIGGER???!!! WHERE IS IT????!!  YOU WOULD NEVER GIVE IT TO AN ORDINARY CITIZEN!!  WHERE IS IT???!!!".  Then he leans in on Bane, who struggling for breath with two of his mask tubes dislodged and says "Tell me where it is....then you have my permission to die!".  

And lastly Bruce as Batman subliminaly reveals to Gordon who Batman really is when he tells Gordon "A hero can be anyone.  Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hand't ended" before he takes off in the Bat, leaving Gordon stunned and to say to himself "Bruce Wayne??".              

Ann Hathaway is also excellent in her role as Catwoman/Selina Kyle, and she plays her perfectly with the right combination of sexiness and toughness, and she conveys her character's moral ambiguities really well, as Catwoman has always been a morally gray character.

However as the film progresses we see that Batman starts to get under Catwoman's skin, in order to make her see that there is more to her than just a thief looking after herself, and she provides a welcome change in tone to Batman's rather dreary one note delivery.  And yep she looks pretty fine in that cat outfit (not to mention that great scene where she leans forward on the bat bike! Pervy I know, sorry!).   

Hathaway also enjoys some onscreen chemistry with Bale especially in their first scene together where Selina has broken into Bruce's safe who reveals to her is supposed to be "uncrackable".  And Selina, who was putting on a frightened little girl act suddenly drops it and says "Oopps!  Nobody told me it was uncrackable!" and then "Look you wouldn't beat up a woman anymore than I would a cripple" and she proceeds to knock away Bruce's cane and he falls to the floor and she says "Of course, sometimes exceptions have to be made!".   

Hathaway provides a few amusing moments in the film, one of them being when she is arrested and is taken to prison, and she is escorted through the cells, and one of the prisoners ogles her, and she says "do you want to hold hands" and she breaks a prisoner's hand as she grab his hand and does a somersault!  Also another good scene is where she has a drink with the congressman in a bar, which is invaded by the police, and he is shot in the leg, and she tells him "Keep pressure on that sweetie" and walks off with the congressman lying on the floor in pain saying "Call me???".

Hathaway also has a good scene with Bale when Selina (dressed as Catwoman) finally drops her pretence and pleads for Bruce (in Batman outfit) to come with her "Come with me.  Save yourself.  You don't owe these people anymore.  You've given them everything!".  Batman simply looks at her for a moment then says quietly "Not everything...not yet" and he leaves Catwoman alone to think over his words.   

Then there is the scene where Bane (SPOILER!!!) is about to kill Batman with a shotgun and he says "We both know I have to kill you now.  You'll just have to imagine the fire!" but then Bane is suddenly blasted away by the powerful guns from the Bat bike, operated by Catwoman.  And Catwoman getting off the bike says to Batman "About the whole no guns thing... I'm not sure I feel as strongly about it as you do!".

And lastly there is the scene where Batman decides to get rid of the bomb by towing it out across the bay using the Bat (or Batwing maybe???) and tying a cable to the bomb.  So, Catwoman says to Batman in the scene "You could have gone anywhere, but you came back!" and Batman tells her "So did you" and Catwoman says "Well then I guess we're both suckers!" and she kisses him. 

Tom Hardy does an excellent job as the main baddie, Bane, the big muscly terrorist, and former member of the league of shadows, who wears a specially designed oxygen mask, that keeps pumping gas into his body to relieve the pain he feels, as a result of his time in the unescapable prison.  My one criticism though of his performance is the way his voice is treated via the oxygen mask, at times you can't really make out what he's saying, as it sounds literally like he has put his hand over his mouth while he talks!

But once you watch the Blu-ray disc you can put on the subtitles to make out what the hell he's saying! ;-)  Hardy himself built up his body and added an extra 30 pounds of weight on for the part and it certainly does show, as he makes for an effective and intimidating figure, who is a far cry from the mindless Bane we saw in Batman and Robin.  And with his height and size, Bane makes a very dangerous foe with his intelligence and physical strength.

Hardy as Bane get's some memorable lines of dialogue such as his first scene where he announces himself very effectively when he is being held captive on the plane by the FBI and as the agent tries to interrogate a masked man, Bane says "Perhaps he is wondering why someone would shoot a man, before throwing him out of a plane".  The agent then asks Bane regarding his mask "If I pull that off will you die?" and Bane replies "It would be extremely painful" and the agent says "You're a big guy!" and Bane says "For you!".  So, the agent then asks "OK, so what's the next step of your masterplan??!" and Bane says "Crashing this plane!" and suddenly men outside blast their way into the plane and Bane says "With no survivors!" and takes out the agent. 

And later in the scene when Bane makes his escape and he stops one of his men from leaving with him he's "No they expect one of us in the wreckage, brother!" and the man asks if they have started the fire and Bane replies "Yes, the fire rises!".  Then as Bane grabs hold on Dr Pavel, who is terrified, Bane tells him "Now now, Doctor, this is not the time for fear...that comes later!" and he hits a detonator that causes the plane cabin to drop away as they are hoisted away on a rope that is tied to another plane.   

And one of Hardy's most chilling moments comes when he confronts John Daggett, who buys out Wayne enterprises, and Daggett says to him "I'm in charge!" and Bane says to "Do you FEEL in charge?" which sends a shiver down Dagget's spine, as he realises he hasn't gone long to live with Bane in this frame of mind.  And Bane tells Dagget "I'm Gotham's reckoning.  Here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on!" and Daggett looks horrified and says "You're pure evil!" and Bane says "I'm NECESSARY evil!" and breaks Dagget's neck (off-screen).  

And then there is the great scene where Bane fights with Batman in the sewers and says "I will show you where I have made my home while preparing to bring justice.  Then I will break you!".  And as Batman shakily get's up from his beating Bane says "Ah yes!  I was wondering what would break first!  You're spirit?" and he grabs Batman and hoists high above his head "Or your body?!" and he slams Batman against his knee, breaking Batman's back in the process.

And lastly there is the moment where Bane stands in the tunnels of the stadium before a Gotham football game and listens to the young lad sing the national anthem and Bane says "What a lovely lovely voice!  Let the games begin!" and he detonates a bomb which takes out almost the entire grounds of the football pitch!     

Then this is followed by the chilling moment where Bane brings Dr Pavel out infront of him to the remains of the football pitch and he holds a mic headset to him, which is connected to the speaker system around the stadium.  So, Bane says to Pavel "Identify yourself to the world" and he holds the mic to Pavel, who says "Dr Leonid Pavel, nuclear physicist" and Bane asks of the bomb next to them "And what is this?" and Pavel says "Its a fully primed neutron bomb, with a blast radius of six miles".  Bane then asks him "And who is capable of disarming such a device" and Pavel says "Only me" and Bane says "Only you.  Thank you, Doctor!" then he proceeds to break Pavel's neck much to the horror of the crowd.

And later after Bane has captured Bruce and taken him to his prison he tells Bruce of his intentions to destroy Gotham "We will destroy Gotham and then, when it is done and Gotham is ashes, then you have my permission to die!".
  
And then there is Marion Cotillard who is excellent as Miranda Tate, a wealthy investor who becomes romantically involved with Wayne and later reveals a dark secret.  Marion was previously cast in Inception (Nolan's previous film), and she continues to do well here.

AND THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IS A SPOILER!!!

And Cottilard's best scene is where she reveals herself to be the daughter of Ras Al Ghul, Talia and she stabs Bruce in his side with a knife.  And she tells him her background and that Bane was her protector and as Batman says to her of Ra's Al Ghul "He was trying to kill millions of innocent people!" and Talia says "'Innocent' is a strong word to throw around Gotham, Bruce. I honor my father by finishing his work. Vengeance against the man who killed him is simply a reward for my patience... ".  Then Talia says "I honour my father by finishing his work.  You see its the slow knife that takes its time, the knife that waits years without forgetting, then slips quietly between the bones... that's the knife that cuts deepest!". 

Jospeh Gordon-Levit as John Blake, the young cop who plays his part in trying to save Gotham from Bane, is not too bad although I think he is one of the weaker cast members as he doesn't really make a big impact in the film.

Regardless though Gordon-Levit has some good moments as well such as the scene where  Blake visits Bruce at his mansion and tells him he knows that he is Batman.  So he says to Bruce "I don't know why you took the fall for Dent's murder, but I'm still a believer in the Batman.  Maybe you should get out and get some fresh air and check out the details, those details might need your help".     
Then there is the scene where Batman rescues Blake near the end by beating up Bane's thugs and he leaves one of them groaning and Blake says "You missed a spot!" and Batman kicks the thug unconscious. Batman then gives Blake a device and tells him "Count to three and throw" and Blake throws the device toward the debris where the police officers are trapped and it causes a small explosion.  So, Blake calls out to Batman "No offence but have you got anything bigger in that belt???!" and all of a sudden Batman appears in the "Bat" and uses the Bat's canons to blast a big hole in the debris.  

And in the next moment, Batman tells Blake "What now?" and Batman says "All out assault on Bane...but you need to get the people you care about across the bridge" and Blake asks "Why?" and Batman says "In case we fail.  Lead an exodus across the bridge.  Save as many as you can".  So, as Batman is about go, Blake says "Thank you" and Batman says "Don't thank me yet" and Blake says "Well, I might not get a chance later".

On the regular supporting cast things are as fine as ever, with Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the man who is behind Wayne's Batman tech gear, and as ever he provides a witty performance like he did in the previous films.  Freeman provides one or two moments of humour, one of which is where Bruce meets up with Fox for the first time in years and he says at the end of their meeting "normally at this point you ask me for an unusual request", and Bruce replies "not this time", and Fox says "well let me show you some stuff anyway!".

Gary Oldman is once again excellent too as Comissioner Gordon, who over the space of the three films has come a long way from being one of the few good cops in Gotham, to rising to be the comissioner who plays a vital part in fighting the city's crime.

And Oldman also has some good moments such as the scene where he is in hospital and meets with Blake and tells him he wants him on his team as a detective, and he says "You're a detective now, son, you don't get to believe in coincidence anymore!".

Then there is the scene where Gordon and Blake watch Bane read out Gordon's letter telling the truth behind Harvey Dent's downfall.  So, Gordon defends his actions to Blake and says "There's a point, far out there when the structures fail you, and the rules aren't weapons anymore, they're... shackles letting the bad guy get ahead. One day... you may face such a moment of crisis. And in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did, to plunge their hands into the filth so that you can keep yours clean!".  Blake however looks at Gordon and says to him "Your hands look plenty filthy to me, Commissioner".
 
And also later on when he tries to persuade deputy commissioner Peter Foley to join him in the fight against Bane and he says to him "Bane has got Gotham's balls in a vice, that's not a deal.  You think he's given control of that bomb to one of 'the people'?! You think this is part of some revolution? There's one man with his finger on the button and that's Bane!".  

Michael Caine does another good turn as Alfred, Wayne's trusted butler, who by this time has grown more and more concerned for his master's fate, which allows Caine to emote a bit more than in the previous films.  Caine's best comes when he tries to persuade and shake Bruce out of his seclusion by saying to him "I never wanted you to come back to Gotham, as there was nothing here for you except pain and suffering and I always more for you than that.  And I still do".

And lastly there is the scene where Alfred steadies himself to leave Bruce just after he returns to his role as Batman, as Alfred is no longer prepared to help him again.

So, in the scene Bruce asks Alfred to pass something onto Lucius and Alfred says "I'll get this to Mr. Fox, but no more. I've sewn you up, I've set your bones, but I won't bury you. I've buried enough members of the Wayne family!".  Alfred then tells Bruce of the letter that Rachel, his former girlfriend wrote him (in The Dark Knight) before she died and Alfred says "What if, before she died, she wrote a letter saying she chose Harvey Dent over you? And what if, to spare your pain, I burnt that letter?".  This angers Bruce who says "How dare you use Rachel to try and stop me!" and Alfred says "I am using the truth, Master Wayne. Maybe it's time we all stop trying to outsmart the truth and let it have its day. I'm sorry".

Alfred finishes the scene by saying "I know what this means...." and Bruce asks "What does it mean, Alfred??" and Alfred says emotionally "It means your hatred... and it also means losing someone that I have cared for since I first heard his cries echo through this house. But it might also mean saving your life. And that is more important".  Bruce however looks at Alfred with cold anger and simply says "Goodbye, Alfred" and walks off.    

Of the new cast members perhaps maybe only Matthew Modine is the real weak link in the chain as the deputy Comissioner Foley, but his performance is by no means bad, its just next to the rest of the cast he isn't quite as strong as the others are in their respective roles.  

Although Modine has a good moment where Foley chases Batman on the streets in his bat mobile after he makes his first return to Gotham.  And Foley in his police car, shouts into his radio "Call everyone in - every car patrol, beat cop, off-duty, too! Pull 'em in, close every street! Now!" and he says to Blake "I'm gonna do what Gordon never could" and Blake asks "What's that?" and Foley says "I'm gonna take down the Batman!".  

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC 

And finally I will get onto the direction and Christopher Nolan does an excellent job here in his last film of the trilogy of Batman films, and he keeps the pace relatively tight and he handles the films intense action scenes confidently as always.  Nolan also expertly keeps the film's tension and sense of unease going right throughout the movie pretty well and that's to his credit as a filmmaker that its something he's really good at sustaining (just watch Dunkirk!).   

By the way: I keep seeing some unecessary bitching about the choreography of Nolan's fight scenes in The Dark Knight Rises and I personally think there's not that much wrong with it myself.  Yeah, OK in Batman Begins, the choreography was too tightly zoomed in so it was hard to make, who was fighting who and what was really going on, but in TDKR its not that bad. 

As for the music, Hans Zimmer provides the score, which for me is easily the best of the scores for Nolan's Batman films, and his score is superb throughout, as its suitably dark and menacing, and has many terrific passsages, particularly the cues used in the fight scenes and also the first scene of the film with Bane when he escapes from the plane at the beginning.    

FLAWS (Warning: this section is pretty extensive and also contains some spoilers!!)

Right OK so now onto the re-extended flaws section.... OK its a bit unfair to extend this section in a way but I thought I would pick out some more plot holes as The Dark Knight Rises has it fair share as well as highlight its other flaws which were already mentioned in my last reviews of the film.

OK so for starters the film is a just a bit too long, as it clocks in at 2 hours and 44 minutes, which is just a bit excessive in length, and you feel it could have benefited from a little bit of trimming and its length does tend to drag it down a bit particularly in the first half.

And another issue I have with the film is about Bane, as it really isn't explained well at all why he wears the mask, the film hints at during his times in prison he developed a skin disease of some kind, and the doctors operated to save him by creating the mask, although you also see him being assaulted by many prisoners, so maybe he sustained serious head injuries as well.  Who knows???  In the comics books of course, the origins of Bane's mask are a bit different, as in prison he is forced to be a test subject for the Batman villain, Hugo Strange, who pumps him full of venomous gas, which Bane later becomes addicted to, hence wearing the mask, and also attributes to his muscular form.

It also makes you wonder just how does Bane eat????  Perhaps the mask provides him the necessary nutrients to keep him alive.  And I also found it a bit strange how long it took for Batman to finally dislodge one of Bane's tubes on his mask in the fight scene at the end and not in their first fight scene where he doesn't even come close to doing it despite how many times he punches Bane in the face or even headbutts him!  
 
Another problem is the relatively short screen time of Batman himself, as you'd be lucky if you end up with more than 20-30 minutes of actual bat screen time, which is disappointing when you think about it, especially as he is the central character!  And as Batman there are only really a few sequences where he appears (when he first makes his appearance in Gotham, then when he fights Bane and is captured and lastly when he returns to Gotham) and that's about it, but if you are somewhat adverse to Bale's take on the raspy voiced Batman then maybe that's not such a bad thing after all!

Another thing that seems very silly was the idea that the child of Ras Al Ghul could actually make the climb out of the prison, especially in the scene where you see the young girl (or boy) make the climb and that dangerous jump that Bruce makes as well.  But when you look at how small the girl (boy) is and the distance she/he has to jump, it just seems a bit improbable that she/he could even attempt it never mind actually make it!

And further to the previous point why aren't there are any guards at the prison where Bruce is held???  I mean just in case anyone ACTUALLY manages to escape from the prison!  Even if the prison is supposed to be escape proof there was already one person that apparently escaped it before so why isn't possible someone else could as well!

Not only that during the sequence where Bruce get's himself fit again in prison and he makes several failed attempts to climb out the prison (all with the rope) I'm amazed during the one attempt where he slips and falls down that the impact of the rope against his body doesn't put his back out again or do even worse damage to him!  Its also great how the prisoner was able to neatly punch a protruding vertebrae in Bruce's back correctly back into place and that's all it took for Bruce's back to be righted again!  Yep that simple surely.    
 
Then there is the whole idea of Bane telling the people of Gotham that one of them has the detonator to the bomb that will go off and eventually destroy the city.  Yep, that is pure cack.  How can the people even expect to believe that Bane would give them that responsibility when we know there is no way Bane would give them that power in the first place!  And it remains one of the plot holes in the story which actually insults the intelligence of the audience and even Gordon points it out by saying "This is bullshit!  Bane would never do that!".  Ah well, that's villains for you, they lull you into a false sense of insecurity when in fact things are actually even worse than you thought.

(Update) However...to be fair to the last point, Bane did say that the detonator belongs to "one of you!" pointing to the audience and he was referring to a citizen of Gotham and yes to be fair, Miranda who had the detonator all along, is also a citizen (which she later points out in her reveal scene when she has the detonator in hand).

It also doesn't make much sense as to why Bane and Talia want to destroy Gotham in the first place as they say its to honour Ra's Al Ghul's work.  However surely they are both hypocrites as when Bane arrives in Gotham he talks about punishing the corrupt and wealthy and how Gotham is crime ridden YET this guy willingly releases all the criminals from prison!!  And that is what doesn't make sense.  How can they make Gotham safer or any less corrupt BY releasing its criminals!  That is just plain stupid!  Talia also later says that "innocent is a strong word to throw around Gotham, Bruce" but she fails to see that there are alot of innocent people in Gotham at the same time!  So are we to believe that all the hard working people of the city, the kids at school, people who are just trying to raise families are not innocent and deserve to die???  She may see it as casualties of war but again all it does is highlight this film's total lack of logic.

I also figured why did Miranda and Bane decide to detonate the bomb in Gotham with them STILL IN THE CITY???  I guess we just have to accept that they are extremist nutters who are willing to blow themselve up in the process anyway.  Still, its a bit stupid to think that they would have no preservation for their own lives and blow themselves up amidst the Gotham population, but I guess it is a mirror to the crazy terrorists we have in real life.   

And then there is the question of just why does Bruce Wayne need a cane???  Did he have some unseen accident off screen during the interim years of the events between Dark Knight and this film???  And not only that it omits just how Bruce got that support device that fits around his leg to improve his movement as this scene just appears out of nowhere with no real explanation either!  And this highlights again there are just too many moments in the film that don't really add up properly and just leave you guessing.  

My next issue with the film is why oh why would Gordon decide to send ALL the cops in Gotham down the tunnels to smoke out Bane when surely he should have had the sense to leave a few cops up above just in case!  But instead its almost like Bane gambled that Gordon would have been so brash to have done this in the first place and decided to trap them all.  But in this case it just seems a bit too neat and predetermined for it to be true.

Then there is the silly scene where Gordon and a few other cops are forced to walk the iced over river as punishment by Scarecrow, who calls it "death by exile!" and earlier in the film just one guy went through the ice.  But...this time there are about five guys out there!  Now surely the combined weight of the men would cause the ice to break faster and not only that when Batman turns up and saves them, he gives Gordon a flare to light up a trail of petrol that runs all the way up a tower building and shows the Batman symbol! 

Now, two things....first how DIDN'T that flare cause the ice to also break and send the men all under water???!!  Second...how in the hell could Batman actually somehow manage to create a petrol trail and shape it into the form of the Bat signal in the first place???!!  That one really got me as surely it would be virtually impossible to do (I'd imagine that sequence was CGI but I might be wrong!) but then again as they say on the Youtube channel "How it should have ended" its because...I'm BATMAN!!! 

And lastly the film's ending it has to be said is pretty confusing and it makes wonder just what the hell is going on with Bruce Wayne???  And will he ever come back to Gotham as Batman???  Because at the end of the film (SPOILER!!!!) we clearly see Bruce has gone off with Selina abroad to some cafe, which just so happens to be the very same cafe that Alfred is at as well who shares a glance with him to reassure him he's ok.

And roughly at the same time we find out that Blake is of course "Robin" and all of a sudden he is given the co-ordinates to the bat cave.  Now....does this mean that Blake will start being Robin or will he be a temporary stand-in as Batman for Bruce Wayne???  Now according to the comic books it was said that Bruce Wayne did have some people stand in for him as Batman so that might make sense but in the case of this movie it left things totally hanging in such a confusing way its hard to know just what would happen next!  So it is a somewhat frustrating and vague ending.   

Anyway that's me done with the flaws.....at last lol!    

SUM UP

Sooo that's it (finally and hopefully the last time) for my relook at The Dark Knight Rises, which is still a very intense, foreboding and at times exciting action film which also has some great action scenes.  Granted it has its problems which I've highlighted as above but despite these it remains my second favourite of the Nolan Batman films behind Batman Begins and infront of the overrated Dark Knight (sorry just my opinion!).

And five years on its still a pretty fine film worth checking out.  

Anyway that's it for now and I will be back soon with another review.

Till the next un its ciao for now!   

Unlawful entry "How do I get a psycho cop off my back???!"

Right its time for a new post and this one is a review of a film back in the early 1990's and its the psychological thriller, Unlawful Entry starring Ray Liotta as a somewhat unhinged police officer and how he befriends a married couple and well...things all go badly (OK plot summed up right there!).

Anyway, so after 25 years how is this film nowadays???  Well let's take a look and find out.

And yes the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY 

OK, so I was being a tad frivilous about the plot in my intro, so here is a bit more thorough look at the story, which begins with a couple, Michael and Karen Carr (Kurt Russell and Madeline Stowe) who live in an upscale apartment in Los Angeles, who's house is broken into by an intruder one night.  The intruder struggles with Michael as he get's free, he goes for Karen and holds a knife to her throat and takes her out the back door and pushes her into their swimming pool as he escapes.

Not long after, the Carrs call the police and two officers are sent to their house, Pete Davis (Ray Liotta) and his partner, Roy Cole (Roger E. Mosley) and Pete seems taken by them, particularly by Karen.  The following day while Michael is out on business, Karen is awaiting for the police to come around but they don't, so Michael suggests Karen call the station to speak to one of the officers they spoke to.  Not long after, Pete shows up at their home and organises the speedy installation of a state of the art security system and as a mark of gratitude, Michael and Karen invite Pete to dinner.  After the dinner, Michael tells Pete that he would like to get revenge on the intruder, which prompts Pete to ask Michael if he would to do a ride-along with his partner, Roy, which Michael accepts.

On the night of the ride-along, Michael is taken along several stops by Pete and Roy and at the end of the night Peter drops Roy off the station and tells Michael he has one more errand to run.  Pete then takes Michael to a hideout where he has found the intruder that broke into the Carrs home, named Ernie Pike (Johnny Ray McGhee).  Pete gives Michael the chance to get his revenge by giving him his nightstick to beat Pike with but Michael refuses, so Pete viciously beats up Pike instead, much to Michael's alarm.  On returning home, Michael tells Karen about the night and that he is now concerned that Pete might be mentally unhinged and he tells Karen he no longer wants Pete around them.

The following morning, Pete shows up at the Carrs house and explains to Karen that things got ugly as Pike allegedly resisted him and Michael didn't take so well but he Pete further explains that he now restrains perps with all its takes after he was once shot in the chest when arresting a suspect.  Karen however says she is glad that Pete got the intruder and Pete leaves her with Karen now feeling more reassured.

However, on the opening night of a new club, of which Michael is a co-investor, Pete shows up and Michael warns Pete to stay away from him and Karen and that he is a sick guy and he suggest seek help.  Pete however does neither and instead starts to make things difficult for Michael as he has a clamp put on his car and cancels his credit cards.  Pete even goes as far as to bust in on Michael and Karen's bedroom while they have sex, as Pete claims he was responding to their alarm, which went off shortly before.  Michael furiously tells Pete to get out and the following day goes to the police to file a formal complaint against Pete.

Michael's lawyer, Roger (Ken Lerner) advises him to try and bribe Pete to back off trying to destroy Michael's business reputation.  Michael then meets Pete and offers him $5,000 to walk away but Pete refuses the money and instead tells him that Karen doesn't feel safe with him (as Pete talked with Karen earlier after he did a talk for the school that Karen teaches at) and she needs to feel better protected.  Michael furiously warns Pete to stay away from Karen, prompting Pete to punch him in the stomach and point a gun at his head, threatening to kill Michael, Pete then let's him go and drives off.

Michael then approaches, Roy at his apartment for help, who is initially reluctant but in the end he invites Michael in so they can talk.  Roy later gives an ultimatum to Pete to back off the Carrs or else he will go upstairs and tell them what has been going on.  Later that night though, Pete and Roy chase a drug dealer on the streets, Leon (Dino Anello) back to his apartment where they arrest him.  However, Pete takes his chance to shoot Roy dead and kill Leon to make it look like Roy shot the dealer in the line of duty.  

And its from here Michael turns up the heat on Michael and has him arrested for drug charges after the police discover a supply of cocaine at his house and he is put in jail.  This allows for Pete to move in on a distraught and vulnerable Karen, so he can replace Michael as her partner.  And its from here that Michael must try and find a way to get out of jail and save Karen from Pete's madness.....

THOUGHTS

"Unlawful entry" might be a somewhat cliched thriller in some ways but it is still a pretty entertaining and gripping movie and it was yet another film that capitalised on the concept of the "blank" from hell as there were already a couple of films that year of the same type with Single white female feautring the "roommate" from hell and "The hand that rocks the cradle" the "nanny" from hell.  So here we get the ultimate cop from hell in the seemingly charming and likeable Pete, who really has a dark side you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section will contain spoilers and strong language!)

As for the performances well they are pretty good overall as the film's strong cast all do themselves justice in their roles.

And to start off, Kurt Russell is excellent as Michael Carr, who befriends Pete after an intruder breaks into Michael and Karen's house, however its not long before Michael's friendship with Pete turns sour, as Pete's mental instability soon comes apparent.

Kurt has his share of good moments in the film that include the scene where Michael admits to Pete that he would like to get revenge over the intruder that broke into his house.  So, Michael tells Pete "I tell you, I wouldn't mind one more shot at that son of a bitch!" and Pete reacts surprised saying "Really?" and Michael says "Hell yeah!  I'd like to kick the shit out of him!".  Pete says "I'm sure you would?" and Michael says "Wouldn't you?" and Pete says "Oh, I already know what I would do.  I'm just wondering about a nice civilised guy like you".  And Michael then says "After what he did to Karen, I think all the rules are out the window. I'd rip his fucking heart out!" and Pete smiles and says "Michael, you're a scary guy!".

Then there is the scene where Michael returns home after his ride-along with Pete, which ends on a rather ugly note with Pete brutally beating up the intruder that broke into the Carr's house.  And Michael tells Karen "I went with the guys on a few calls. Got to watch them be cops. We dropped Roy off and Pete had a little surprise for me. The guy who broke in here".  Karen then reacts surprised "He caught him?" and Michael tells her "He did a little more than that" and Karen asks "The guy's in jail?" and Michael says "Hospital, more likely.  I mean he really beat the living shit out of this guy, which is what I was supposed to do".  And Michael tells Karen "Pete was showing off for me. He had it all set up, so I could be the big man and nail the guy".  Michael, however clearly unsettled by the night stands silently for a moment as Karen asks if he is alright and Michael says "I think our cop friend is a little too tightly wound, that's all".

Another good scene from Kurt is where Michael at his new club, tells Pete to leave him and Karen alone and not to come around anymore, which Pete doesn't want to seem to listen to.  So, in the scene Michael tells Pete straight up "Pete.  I would like to get something straight here.  I'd like you to leave".  However Pete instead insists that he should go on trying to protect them both as there are more criminals out there and they are now a target for them.  So, Pete says "A friend would be thanking me" but Michael tells him "I'm not your friend. I'm nothing to you. You got that? I think you're a sick guy, Pete! I don't want you around me or my wife!".

So, as Karen suddenly appears, she catches the tail end of their argument and Michael has to tell her he will be with her in a minute.  However then Pete gives Michael a look and says "What are you gonna do?  Call the cops?" and Michael furiously says "Get the fuck out!" and Pete says "Lower your voice" but Michael shouts "FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOU!!!".  Pete however confidentially says to him of his business investor nearby "The pigeon's watching.  I hope he doesn't fly away on you!" and he leaves.

Another noteworthy scene is when Michael and Karen have sex in their bedroom not long after their house alarm went off but they are suddenly interrupted by Pete, who enters their room and shines his torch at them before suddenly leaving the room.

So, in the scene Michael furiously get's dressed and storms down the stairs and yells at Pete "Just what the fuck do you think are you doing???!" and Pete, who by now is at the front door says "I was responding to your alarm, Michael".  However, Michael is in no mood to listen and he shouts "Bullshit!  You tripped it yourself!" and Pete asks "What?" and Michael says "And the credit cards and the boot on my car.  You did that, didn't you??!".  And as Roy turns up at the front door and asks what is going on, Pete tells Roy it was a false alarm and Michael says angrily "False alarm my ass!!".  So, Pete looks up at Michael and says "I'm as embarrassed about this as you are" but Michael enraged yells at him "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!" so Pete looks apologetically at Karen instead, who appears on the stair and says "I'm very sorry, Mrs Carr" before leaving.

So, Michael furiously runs up the stairs and says "This son of a bitch is crazy!" so he runs into the bedroom and dials the phone to talk to his lawyer, Roger. So, as Michael get's through to Roger he says "Yeah, Roger. It's Michael. I'm sorry, I know it's late. How do I get a psycho cop off my back?!!".

Then there is the scene where Michael confronts Karen over her meeting up with Pete for a coffee, not long after Michael tries to bribe Pete, which ends badly with Pete threatening to kill him.  So, Michael confronts Karen at her school and asks her "What is going?  With you and Pete?" and Karen says "What are you accusing me of?  We had a cup of coffee, for Christ sakes!" and Michael says "That must have been one hot cup of coffee!".  Karen however insists "If you think anything else happened then your crazy!" and Michael says "Am I?  He just put a gun to my head" and Karen shocked asks "What?" and Michael again says "Yeah, he just put a fucking gun to my head!  He wants you.  He thinks you want him".  Karen then responds surprised "I swear he didn't get any of those ideas from me!" but Michael says "Well, he didn't pull them out of the air, Karen!  So, what is it? You get off on leading him on? Talking to him about us? About our marriage? Jesus! I told you he's dangerous. What's it gonna take? Me in a body bag?!!".

Last of all is the scene where Michael has been arrested and put in jail for drug charges, as Pete has framed Michael to get him out of the way so he can have Karen all for himself.  So, in the scene Michael lies in his prison cell and is visited by Pete, who gloats at him for his predicament.  So, Pete says to Michael "I want you to know that she's gonna be taken care of. I know what Karen needs. And isn't it her happiness that we both want?  If you could find us, why don't you look us up? I'd love to have you over for a barbecue".  And Michael all the time sits silently, rage boiling inside him and he finally looks Pete dead in the eye and tells him "If you go near her....I'll kill you!" and Pete suddenly grins and pretends to be scared and says to him "So, long, Mikey!". 

Ray Liotta next is great in his role as Pete Davis, the troubled cop, who at first appears charming and befriends the Carr's but its not long before start to turn ugly as it some becomes evident that Pete is a psychopath in the making.  

And Ray has plenty of good scenes that include the one where Pete takes Michael out on a ride-along with his partner, Roy and at the end of the night after Pete drops off Roy, he takes Michael to a hideout where he finds the intruder that broke into their house.

So, in the scene Pete grabs the intruder, Ernie Pike and slams him against the passenger window where Michael is sitting in Pete's car.  And Pete says "Michael!  Meet Ernie Pike!  Come out and ID this piece of shit!" and Michael get's out the car in surprise, he says "You got him!  That's him!" and Pete then says to Pike "Did you hear that?  You've just been made!  You've just been made scumbag!".  And as Pike apologises to Michael, Pete smacks him and says "Fuck off!  He doesn't want to hear you're sorry.  He wants to kick your ass!  Guess what scumbag?!  I'm gonna let him!".  So, Pete turns to Michael and says "Right, let's go!" and Michael, stunned, asks "Are you serious?" and Pete says "Yeah!  You said you wanted to rip his fuckin heart out, didn't you?!".  Then all of a sudden, Michael feels unsettled as the reality of the situation hits him and he nervously smiles and says "But, I mean that was....just talking...".

Pete then grabs Pike by the throat and leads him toward Michael and he passes his nightstick to him but Michael says "Come on, Pete.  You got him.  Nice going, just take him in" but Pete won't back off and says "He put a knife to Karen's throat. Are you going to let him get away with that? Come on! Hit the motherfucker!  Hit him!  Hit him!" but Michael refuses "Hey, no.  I'm not doing this!" and he throws down the nightstick.  However as Michael does so, Pike manages to run off but not for long as Pete throws his nightstick, which hits Pike in the back and Pete runs up and starts to mercilessly beat Pike, shouting "Motherfucker!" but Michael, shocked shouts "Pete!  Pete!!  Jesus, that's enough!!" and Pete stops and looks up at Michael with a scary glare.

Then there is the scene where Pete turns up at Michael's new club at the opening night and the two of them have a drink but Michael tells him he wants Pete to leave him and Karen alone.  So, in the scene Pete toasts a drink to Michael "Here's to your club, Michael" and Michael says "Pete.  I want to get something straight here.  I want you to leave" and Pete, surprised says "Michael, what is with you tonight? Why did you even invite me here?!".  However, Michael firmly tells Pete "Telling you and inviting you are two completely different things!" and Pete says "Is it because you were up late last night?".  And Michael asks "How did you know that?" and Pete tells him "I drove past your house on patrol and saw your lights were on. You went to bed after three" but Michael insists "You don't have to protect us now.  You caught him!".  However Pete goes on to say "One guy's caught and you think that's it?  You saw how much evil shit there is out there. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to protect you and Karen?!".  Michael now starts to get angry and says "Goddamit, you listen to me, cos I'm telling you, leave us alone!".

Pete then says to Michael "Nobody expects you to be me, I'm a cop. I make my living tackling guys like Pike. You don't. You needn't be ashamed!" and Michael asks him "You think that's what this about?" and Pete says "Yeah. I bet you had one hell of a night last night when you got home. Juices flowing and everything. A friend would be thanking me!".  But Michael tells him he's not his friend and he thinks he is a sick guy just as Karen comes over to speak to Michael and he tells her to give him a minute.  So, as Karen leaves, Pete angrily taunts Michael saying "What are you gonna do?  Call the cops?" and Michael furiously says "Get the fuck out!" and Pete says quietly "Lower your voice!" but Michael is in no mood and yells louder "FUCK YOU!  FUCK YOU!!".  And Pete leans in on Michael says "The pigeon's watching.  I hope he doesn't fly away on you!".

Another good scene from Ray is when Michael meets up with Pete in the LA hills and attempts to bribe him so that he will back off putting pressure on him with his business partners.  However, Pete is not listening to him and instead says "I used to work these hills. I knew this lady. She was out walking her little poodle. A coyote comes charging out, snatches up the poodle and takes off. All we ever found of that little doggy was its diamond-studded leash. When Karen first met you, she thought you were different than her gambling father....".  And Michael suddenly reacts surprised, saying "What?" and Pete continues "It's interesting how people follow patterns. She doesn't feel safe with you either, Michael. Karen needs to feel protected when those coyotes come charging out of the brush".  Michael however now is furious again and he angrily says "Listen. You stay the fuck away from her...!" then Pete suddenly punches Michael in the gut, who goes down coughing.  And Pete stands over him and says "Assaulting a police officer??  A nice civilised man like you, Michael?!" and Michael gasping says "What are you gonna do?? Arrest me?" and Pete says "Arrest you?" and takes out his gun and points it at Michael's cheek and says "...I could kill you!" and he let's him go and drives off.

Then there is the scene where (SPOILER!!!!) Pete and Roy chase a drug dealer, Leon, back to his apartment where Roy frisks him and meanwhile that happens, Pete closes the doors and windows, puts his gloves on and takes out a sidearm from his leg. Then Pete aims the gun at Roy and shoots him in the chest and he then gives Leon the gun and says to him "Take the gun...." and Leon, hysterical shouts "I don't want the gun!!" but Pete firmly says "Take the gun....!  Go!" and Leon takes it and runs but then Pete grabs Roy's gun and shoots Leon in the back, who falls down dead.  And Pete looks coldly at Leon and says "You killed my partner, Leon" and he turns and sits down and looks at Roy, who is lying on the floor, dying from his wounds and Pete coldly says to him "You're not goin upstairs to talk to anyone!" and Roy not long after passes away.

Then we have the moment where Michael is put in jail for drug possession after Pete had set him up and Pete visits Michael in jail as he taunts him about being with Karen.  So, Pete says to Michael "Having trouble making bail, Mike? Money's a little tight, huh? Karen's really upset. You really shouldn't have done this to her. She's all alone now. But don't worry, not for long. I want you to know
that she's gonna be taken care of. I know what Karen needs. And isn't it her happiness that we both want? Hmm? If you could find us, why don't you look us up? I'd love to have you over for a barbecue".  And the whole time, Michael has been sitting silently in anger and he finally says to Pete "You go near her....I'll kill you!" and Pete smiles and pretends to be scared and says to him "So long, Mikey.  You look good in blue!".

And last of all is the scene where Pete and Michael have their climactic fight scene as they struggle with each other at Michael and Karen's home and Pete takes the upper hand by hitting Michael in the face with a frying pan.  Then the phone rings and Pete answers it as it is the security firm that installed the system in the Carr's house,  And Pete pretends to Michael and says "Thank you for calling. I was swinging a golf club and it went though the... It went through the patio window. It's OK. There's glass everywhere, but it's OK. Yeah, the password's pyramid....".  However there is a beat then Pete says on the phone ""No. No, I did not change the password!" and Michael suddenly tells him "I did!".  So, Pete furiously puts the phone down and asks "What's the password?!" and Michael says to him "Figure it out, asshole....seven letters!  Fuck you!" and he laughs and Pete now filled with rage says "This is gonna cost you, Michael!".

Madeline Stowe next up is also very good as Karen, Michael's wife, who Pete ends up falling for and his obsession with her grows as the film goes on.

And Madeline has some good scenes also that include the one where Michael comes home from his ride-along with Pete, clearly shaken up by Pete's psychotic display as he viciously beat up the intruder that broke into the Carr's home.

So, in the scene Karen asks Michael "Are you sure you're OK? What's the matter?" and Michael says to her "Just I think our cop friend is a little too tightly wound that's all" and Karen asks him "Don't you think you are overracting a little bit?" and Michael says "Not really".  Karen then says to Michael "You're upset and I understand, but shouldn't we give him the benefit of the doubt? Maybe he got rough, but you're acting like Pete's the criminal" and Michael looks at her and says "Am I? I was there, Karen. I saw it. I don't care what you think. We stay away from this guy".  Karen then becomes annoyed and asks "You don't care what I think?! Fine.  I won't bother thinking!" and Michael says "Knock it off" and Karen then yells "No, YOU knock it off!  I'm sorry, but I don't share your new found sympathy for the man who broke in here and put a goddamn knife to my throat, Michael!".

Then there is the scene where Karen and Pete go for a beer at a local cop bar at lunchtime after Pete gives a talk to the kids at Karen's school and they discuss Karen's background.  And Pete asks in the scene "How did you and Michael get together?" and Karen says "I was a waitress in his first club" and Pete, surprised asks "Really? You were a waitress?" and Karen says "It was my first job".  Karen the continues with her story "It was the first job I ever had. The first one I needed. We were kind of well off. My father, as it turned out, had sort of gambling problems. And I, umm... People started coming over and taking our cars in the night. It was kind of a scary time".  And Pete then asks her "Did Michael take you away from all that?" and Karen says "Things always came real easy to Michael".  Pete then asks a more personal question "Is that why you married him?" and Karen looks a little taken aback and says "I married him because I fell in love with him.  This is....I hardly know you and we're talking like this".

And last of all is the scene where Karen and Pete proceed to akwardly make out, as by this time (SPOILER!) Pete has murdered Karen's friend and fellow(ess) teacher, Penny and Karen had earlier unwittingly discovered her dead body and tried to hide her fear from Pete that she knew.  So, in the scene as they make out, Karen feels for Pete's gun, which he has stuck in the back of his trousers and she finally grabs it and points it at Pete.

So, Karen in the scene shouts at Pete "Get out!" and Pete asks "What are you doing?" and Karen shouts "You're a sick fucking brutal asshole!  GET OUT!!".  Pete then walks slowly toward her and says "You're not gonna kill me..." and Karen says "I swear I'll kill you!" and Pete continues to advance "You know this is right" he says and Karen yells "STAY AWAY!!!".  And as Pete advances, Karen nervously pulls the trigger but nothing happens, so Pete says "Do it again!" and Karen pulls the trigger again and again and its clearly empty, so Pete hits her saying "You reall think I'd give you a loaded gun, huh?!".

Roger E. Mosley is also pretty good in the film as Roy, Pete's friend and fellow police officer, who ends up his realising that his partner also has a screw loose and it ends up costing him.

I will for time only mention two of Roger's scenes, the first where Michael approaches Roy at his apartment and asks for his help but Roy at first is relcutant.  So, Michael says to Roy "Office Cole. Your partner, I went to him.  I tried to work things out" and Roy smiles and says "Didn't you know enough to stay away from him?  He's playing you.  Every time you react, it just get's worse".  So, Michael says "So, its cops on one side and everyone else on the other?" and Roy looks at him and says "Yeah.  That's it!".  Michael then tells Roy "He threatened to kill me last night. How should I react to that? If anybody knows this guy is coming apart, it's got to be you. Come on, man. The guy's after my wife. I don't know where else to go".  Roy however decides to just go into his apartment and close the door, but a moment later he opens it again and says to Michael "Come on in".

And lastly there is the scene where Pete and Roy go for a jog together where Roy warns Pete to back off Michael and Karen, especially Karen, who Pete believes he is better for her than Michael is.

So, in the scene as the two of them jog together, Pete says "He doesn't understand. I'm better for her than he is. He doesn't love her. He can't take care of her the way that I can. She needs it!".  Roy however tries to dissaude Pete and says "What the hell are you going on about? She's never gonna be yours. You listen to me! Nothing... Nothing is ever going to happen between you and her. She is some fantasy in your head!".  Pete then says "You don't know what you're talking about!" and Roy says "I don't huh?  You tell me what you were doing with him the other night. Tell me you didn't stick a gun in his face!" and Pete tries to play his actions down and says "I was just playing with him!".

Roy then angrily says "I'm not playing with you! You've got to back off this madness! You've got to put in for stress leave and see a doctor and get your head straight!".  Pete then asks "Or?" and Roy says "Or I will go upstairs and tell them exactly what is going on with you. Understand?!" and Pete surprised says "You'd do that?" and Roy answers "You goddamn right!".  Roy then grabs Pete firmly by the arm and says to him "And if you don't do it in the next 24 hours, that is EXACTLY what I will do!! Now, you go have coffee with a shrink and it will be all right. You'll see!" and he pats Pete on the back and starts off his run again leaving Pete alone to think over what has been said.

Ken Lerner next is also pretty good as Roger, Michael's lawyer, who helps him out to a certain
extent with Michael's problems with Pete.

Ken has a couple of scenes worth mentioning such as the one where Roger suggests to Michael that he try and bribe Pete to make him back off as Pete is pressuring Michael's business reputation.  And Ken tells Michael "Your friend, Officer Davis, called Lurie and asked him lots of questions. How well does he know you? Has he done business with you before? Lurie's pulling his people out. He thinks you're under investigation" and Michael angrily says of Pete "This fucker is ruining me!".  Roger then suggests to Michael "You know what this is? Some kind of cop scam. This putz is just supplementing his lousy income. Pay him off".  And Michael looks incredulously at Roger and says "Roger, as my lawyer, you are advising me to bribe a police officer???" and Roger says "No. I'm advising you to donate to the son of a bitch's favorite charity!".

And lastly there is the scene where Roger meets with Michael while he is being held in prison for the drug charges (set up by Pete).  And Roger says to Michael "I don't think they'll set bail too high. It's not like you're a professional dope dealer" and Michael bemused asks "Professional??" and Roger says "They dredged half a pound of cocaine out of your house. So, I'd say we've got a problem" and Michael tells his problem is real simple in that Pete wants him out the way so he can have Karen.

Roger then says to Michael "Look. This is way over my head. I got in touch with Sam Gershon. He's the best criminal attorney I know. He'll represent you at your hearing".  Michael then tells Roger "You guys need to talk to Roy Cole. Davis' partner, Officer Roy Cole. He told me that if anything else happened, he'd help me out".  Roger takes a moment then tells Michael "Cole's dead. In the line of duty, in a shoot-out. I talked to his captain" and Michael realises that Pete must have killed Roy and says to himself "Then he wont stop until he kills me".  Michael then looks at Roger and says "Get me out of here, Roger" and Roger says "I will.  Its all in hand" and Michael firmly says "No, you listen to me.  Just get me out of here!".

And last of all is Deborah Offner as Penny, Karen's friend, who is also a teacher at Karen's school, who has a thing for Pete although her affections would never be returned of course!

And Debbie's most notable scene is where Karen sets it up for Pete to give a talk to the kids at school, which he does so and Karen and Penny stand up the back of the classroom watching him.  And Penny, clearly into Pete, observes him walk over to a kid in the class who asks to see his handcuffs and she says quietly to Karen "Do you think I can get him to use those on me??".

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

Finally moving onto the director, Jonathan Kaplan does a fine job here with the film as he keeps the tension and suspense going well throughout as you get more and more engrossed in watching the Carr's predicament and Pete's descent into craziness.  Kaplan also was known for having already directed the acclaimed drama, The Accused starring Jodie Foster, who played a rape victim, so this is a strong follow up film to that one although Kaplan's career in films took something of a downturn after this.

As for the music, well its a bit of a surprise this one as it was scored by James Horner but it sounds nothing like a typical Horner scorner as you could imagine as it is a bit more restrained in its use of orchestrations and instead makes use of bass, piano and even some synths.  Regardless of that, it is still a pretty good score and it suits the menacing tone of the film very well and shows once again that Horner was one of the best composers of his generation, who regularly produced good work.

FLAWS

As for flaws....yes, Unlawful Entry ain't perfect.

And to kick off, one of the things that bugged me was to do with the whole idea of Michael and Karen even befriending Pete in the first place as a police officer coming to their house, to later follow it up with Pete neatly arranging for the swift installation of a state-of-the-art security system into their house.  It just seemed to be ridiculously convenient and pat for the purpose of the film that Pete would be so accessible as a friend to well to-do LA couples!  Not only that of course they invite him to dinner and Pete takes Michael along for the ride-along at night.  It just doesn't smack of reality in a any way to me and seems pretty daft that a police officer would even get embroiled with a couple to that extent in the first place!

The film is also guilty in its use of the typical thriller cliches such as Pete using his powers as a police officer to stop pretty women for speeding, such as the one in the film, who he later hooks up with her for sex, only to then throw her out the car when he realises he wants to be with Karen instead but can't be.  And in that scene Pete tells her "My only problem is with sleazy lowlife whores like you!" and he throws her out the car, its a pretty contrived scene in itself.

Then there is of course the whole thing of the dead fake-out of Pete where (SPOILER!!) in their struggle near the end, Michael punches Pete down a flight of stairs and he lands heavily on his side, going limp, and Michael prods at him with Pete's gun, and Pete looks dead only to spring up alive a few moments later!  Its a cliche that's been done to death in so many thriller films and its a pretty obvious one here.

Another cliche is also of course the whole fake-out of Pete pretending to go away from the Carr house when he turns up at the locked door with Penny inside, she is reluctant to let him in, so he leaves some groceries for her to pick up later.  So, Penny does the usual thing of opening the door to take them in only for Pete to suddenly grab her and well...you know the rest!

I also thought it was pretty vague as to what Michael's job actually was in the film also but from what I gather, he was some sort of property developer as he would invest in doing up new clubs, however this is never explicitly stated in the film.  And this is something of a bugbear for me in films where character's parts are poorly written in certain areas and their background of Michael's profession is certainly a bit ropey here.

And last of all I'd say it was also pretty silly how Roger, Michael's lawyer, was willing to sell his house just to bail him out of jail.  I mean the guy is a pretty understanding lawyer is all I'm going to say!  Michael of course had extenuating circumstances with his arrest and jail time but even so, Roger is going homeless for this guy and doing it rather willingly!  You would think as a lawyer he would have a spare 250 grand behind him somewhere! ;-)

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So to sum up, Unlawful Entry after 25 years, is still a gripping and entertaining thriller that is well worth checking out, especially for the performances of the three leads, who are all strong, particularly Ray Liotta, who is great as the unhined cop from hell, who stalks the LA couple.  Its a film that of course is guilty of some thriller cliches and is pretty far fetched at times but if you can put that aside then there is still plenty to enjoy here in what is a pretty solid thriller.

Right, so that's it for now and I'll return soon with another post.

Till then its bye for now!  

A Few Good Men (Revisited) "You have to ask me nicely!"

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