The main reason why you should watch Impulse, a solid and intriguing cop thriller, is Theresa Russell. She’s one of those actresses who effortlessly draw you in, usually portraying complex and troubled characters. Here, he’s joined by quite a cast, a perfect early nineties B-movie crew. I’m not saying that George Dzundza and Jeff Fahey are B-movie actors; it’s just that they’re perfectly suited for these types of movies. They’re usually flawed, either overly simplistic or too complicated. This one’s of the latter category. We will be following Lottie Mason, a feisty LAPD cop currently working undercover for the Vice squad. She’s using her good looks by pretending to be a prostitute in sting operations. However, one night, she will take her assignment too far and end up in the middle of a huge clusterfuck.
Clusterfuck involving drug kingpins, crooked cops, romance, and a big trial, now in jeopardy. The opening scene instantly tells you what you’re about to watch. I want you to picture it in your mind. It’s the late eighties in Los Angeles, late at night after it’s been raining. The neon signs near a motel reflect on the wet concrete, and a smoking hot blonde in a mini skirt is standing next to the road. Now that’s how you start a movie. Too bad Sondra Locke directed just four movies, because I think she had a lot of potential. Impulse features not only that juicy eighties crime atmosphere but also excellent cinematography. With these two boxes ticked off, you can simply immerse yourself in a cozy and entertaining hour and a half.
The characters were well written, but again, the movie was trying to take on too much in too little time. George Dzundza’s misogynistic Lt. Joe Morgan was the epitome of the attitude toward women in the force. Assistant district attorney Stan Harris, played by Jeff Fahey, is the good guy, but even he is not too good. After witnessing Morgan sexually harassing Lottie, he does nothing. Something that would probably happen in real life at that point in time. Of course, the star of the show is Theresa Russell as troubled and vulnerable Lottie Mason. Ever since I saw her in Black Widow, I was fascinated by her. I think her marriage to Nicolas Roeg, a controversial director, prevented her from making more of these crime thrillers.
Crime thrillers in which she excelled, like the one we’re talking about today. While we’re on the subject of Lottie, I want you to pay attention to something. Notice just how easy and believable she made her feel. And what happened here in reality was a classic gender swap. Instead of a troubled vice male detective working undercover, we have a female one. She smokes, casually sleeps with men, and she’s a total badass. A cool badass who can handle herself in any situation. And she’s not too squeamish about blowing the brains out of the guys trying to kill her. And another thing, pay attention to her clothes. She probably had one or two good outfits in the whole movie. And this is coming from someone who’s a huge eighties fan.
I think that the costumography should’ve been much, much better. The same can be said about the pacing, which was a bit slower. To counter that issue, we have the above-mentioned atmosphere and an excellent cast. Still, this is a fair warning to all of those who are expecting a classic eighties action thriller. Just tone down your expectations and prepare to immerse yourself in this quite intriguing story. And if you want action, there are many movies, both from the eighties and early nineties, that you can watch. Hell, I keep thinking I’ve watched all the good movies from that period, and I just keep uncovering hidden gems. Like this one.
I kept going back and forth, trying to figure out if Impulse is a neo-noir movie. In the end, the mood, characters, and setting prevailed, and I have to say that Impulse is a neo-noir movie. The ending and that big mid-point twist could’ve been handled better, but it’s okay. It’s not like that spoils the entire movie.
Director: Sondra Locke
Writers: John DeMarco, Leigh Chapman
Cast: Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, George Dzundza, Alan Rosenberg, Nicholas Mele, Lynne Thigpen
Fun Facts: Director of the movie Impulse, Sondra Locke, was in a long-term relationship with Clint Eastwood after starring alongside him in a couple of movies. This is how she convinced Warner Bros to get a three-movie deal. After the failure of Ratboy and the underwhelming performance of Impulse, the deal was scrapped.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099832/
