But Liotta isn't as he seems. He brings Russell out for a 'ride along' in the patrol car, offering the vengeful husband a chance to wreak his revenge on the intruder. Russell declines, but is suspicious of Liotta's motives; now the menacing cop turns his attentions on Stowe, all the while setting out to ruin her husband.

Kaplan's aim is to question our acceptance of the police - what happens when the boys in blue turn against the very people they are sworn to protect? It's a frightening scenario, but thankfully Unlawful Entry is too flawed to be real.

The creepy Liotta magically escapes detection by his superiors, comes and goes at will in the Carr's house, and offs his partner in the most suspicious of circumstances without anybody in the police force batting an eyelid.

However, this film is effective as entertainment - Liotta, in particular, is memorable as the sicko psychopath. And if you've ever imagined the forces of authority ganging up against you, this is the movie to watch. Sweet dreams.

TORA San Takes a Vacation (TVB Pearl, 9.30pm), sees the itinerant peddler Tora San (Kiyoshi Atsumi) bonding with his nephew on vacation. Directed by Yoji Yamada, and screened theatrically in Hong Kong, Tora-San is a successful film franchise (over 20 made) which seems to go down well at the box office here. Not a patch on Unlawful Entry, though.

Jerry Seinfeld takes to the stage after Tora-San (Seinfeld, TVB Pearl, 11.55 pm), providing his own distinctly American, Generation X brand of humour. Last week's show was all about whether to get illegal cable installed - not very funny for those who wait for Wharf Cable to inch its way around the territory.

Tonight's comedy is set around a queue in a Chinese restaurant. I'm told Seinfeld is an acquired taste, but it looks like a 1990s version of Rhoda. The jury is out. The verdict should be determined by how Jerry manages to negotiate his way around a Chinese restaurant without tripping off any bad-taste minefields.

OVER on STAR, Oprah is starting out on a two-part investigation on The Oprah Winfrey Show (STAR Plus, 3.30pm and midnight). The issue under the spotlight: 'Are Talk Shows Bad?' Yes, you can look forward to an hour of navel-gazing with Oprah - perhaps she'll even burst into tears, confess to having smoked crack cocaine, or some more of the antics she's been up to recently to pull her show back up in the ratings. Oprah, it seems, is being challenged in America by talk show newcomer Ricki Lake (the fat girl from John Waters' Cry-Baby, now drastically slimmed down). Ricki hosts shows with titles like: 'Girlfriend, I slept with your man and I'll do it again'. Hot stuff! Today, Phil Donahue drags in disgruntled members of Roseanne's family for a low-down, dirt-diggin' episode on the sitcom star in his show Donahue (STAR Plus, 12 midday). Given that she has accused most of them of heinous deeds including sexual abuse, this should be fun.

FINALLY, I'm not a domestic goddess. But, like most people, I can follow a recipe. It's hard, therefore, to get over the fact that Martin Yan never gives one out. That he never specifies quantities; never gives cooking times or temperatures. Search for his show Yan Can Cook (not hard to find, it airs on ATV and STAR Plus throughout the day), and you won't find anything more precise than 'a pinch', 'a couple' or 'one or two'.

So, in short, is it possible to cook a dish following this most cheesy of TV chefs? Has anyone out there ever had any success in trying to replicate his results? Us kitchen novices need to know.