Impulse (1990 film)

Last updated
Impulse
Impulse90poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sondra Locke
Screenplay by Leigh Chapman
Story byJohn DeMarco
Produced by Albert S. Ruddy
Andre Morgan
Starring
Cinematography Dean Semler
Edited byJohn W. Wheeler
Music by Michel Colombier
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • April 6, 1990 (1990-04-06)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million [1]
Box office$2.4 million [2]

Impulse is a 1990 American neo-noir [3] film directed by Sondra Locke, and starring Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, and George Dzundza. It follows a female police officer who works as an undercover prostitute in Los Angeles, who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. The film also features a power ballad by singer Kim Carnes called "Everybody Needs Someone".

Contents

Plot

LAPD officer Lottie Mason works vice squad as a decoy prostitute. She is faced with various problems in her career, including being sexually harassed by her superior, Lieutenant Joe Morgan. However, she finds her sting operations thrilling, often fantasizing about "losing control." Stan Harris, a detective in the department, begins to romance Lottie. The two eventually go on a date together and become intimate.

After a sting operation ends with Lottie killing a drug dealer and two of his thugs, she heads home, rattled, and suffers a tire blowout en route. She pulls into a gas station to have a serviceman replace the tire and has a drink at a bar across the street while waiting. There, she is approached by mobster Tony Perón, a key witness in the pending trial of kingpin Luna; Tony fled New York City and went into hiding in Los Angeles. Unaware of his identity, Lottie coyly pretends to be a prostitute, introducing herself using the pseudonym "Carla". Tony asks Lottie to accompany him back to a mansion in Beverly Hills, to which she agrees. Excusing herself to the mansion's bathroom, Lottie comes to her senses about the seriousness of the situation and prepares to leave, only to hear gunshots ring out. She hides as a killer wanders through the home before leaving. When she returns downstairs, Lottie finds Tony's dead body. Lottie wipes away her fingerprints in the bathroom and phones 911, disguising her voice. In Tony's pocket, she finds an airport locker key and takes it with her. Police—Stan among them—later arrive at the crime scene.

Curious, Lottie drives to the airport to access the locker and is shocked to find a suitcase inside with $1 million in hundred-dollar bills. She leaves the suitcase in the locker and returns home, only to find coverage of Tony's murder on national news. Stan and other law enforcement interview witnesses at the bar who saw Tony leave with Lottie, and a forensic sketch is created. Lottie returns to the airport and absconds with the suitcase, which she hides in her apartment, unsure of what to do with it.

Lottie visits Stan and spends the night at his house, during which the two have sex. In the morning, Lottie attempts to confess to him what happened, but is unable to. While studying the sketch and 911 audio tapes, Stan begins to suspect Lottie may be "Carla". That night, he returns home drunk and confronts Lottie, believing that she killed Tony. Lottie explains what occurred, but Stan remains feeling angry and betrayed. The next day, Stan visits the district attorney with a plan to set up Tony's killer: As part of the plot, a local newscaster announces a false "new development" in the case, parading footage of a sunglasses-clad Lottie, who proclaims that she can identify the killer.

That night, Lottie stakes out in an abandoned house, waiting for the killer. A stranger arrives, but leaves when police close in. They eventually stop the man, who claims he is innocent and was paid $50 by someone to deliver Lottie flowers. Stan and the other detectives rush back to the house, where the killer has descended upon the scene, murdering the surveilling officer outside. When the killer—revealed to be a man named Vic Dimarjian—enters the house, Lottie shoots him to death. Before dying, Vic admits he killed Tony to prevent himself from having to testify against Luna.

Lottie resigns from the LAPD and decides to take a vacation. Morgan, suspicious that Lottie has Tony's missing money from a drug killing in New York, is abrasive to her as she leaves the department. He follows her to the airport and confronts her as she opens the airport locker. Forcing her into a bathroom, Morgan grows enraged after finding the suitcase full of baseball cards. Stan later arrives and incapacitates Morgan before giving Lottie the keys to his car, where he reveals he has stored Tony's money in the trunk. Lottie goes to retrieve the cash but decides against it. She returns inside to the airport bar, where she insists that Stan turn it in to authorities before joining him for a drink.

Cast

Release

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 33% of nine critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. [4]

Caryn James of The New York Times called the film "amazingly pedestrian," concluding that, "after a harrowing failed drug buy, Lottie does lose control and steps into the role she has been playing. But instead of using that psychological twist to create something resembling a character, Impulse treats it as another piece in the jerry-built plot." [5]

The Los Angeles Times 's Michael Wilmington gave the film a middling review, though he conceded: "[it is] frosty-cool on top and hot underneath, full of sleek surfaces and nervous undercurrents. At times it succeeds. Director Sondra Locke uses a clean, uncluttered style. She doesn’t get swept away in action-movie froufrou and preposterous plot twists the way Kathryn Bigelow did in that other tough-lady-in-distress thriller, Blue Steel ." [6]

Roger Ebert championed the film, praising Russell's performance and Locke's direction, comparing it to Robert Bresson's Pickpocket (1959). [7]

Home media

The film was not a success at the box office, though it performed better on home video when released in the fall of 1990. [8] In January 2013, the film was released on DVD-R by the Warner Archive Collection. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosanna Arquette</span> American actress (born 1959)

Rosanna Lisa Arquette is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film The Executioner's Song (1982) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Her other film roles include After Hours, The Big Blue (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Crash (1996). She also directed the documentary Searching for Debra Winger (2002) and starred in the ABC sitcom What About Brian? from 2006 to 2007.

<i>Sons of the Desert</i> 1933 film by William A. Seiter

Sons of the Desert is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. Directed by William A. Seiter, it was released in the United States on December 29, 1933. In the United Kingdom, the film was originally released under the title Fraternally Yours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sondra Locke</span> American actress (1944–2018)

Sandra Louise Anderson, professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director.

<i>Sudden Impact</i> 1983 film by Clint Eastwood

Sudden Impact is a 1983 American neo-noir action thriller film, the fourth in the Dirty Harry series, directed, produced by and starring Clint Eastwood and co-starring Sondra Locke. The film tells the story of a gang rape victim (Locke) who decides to seek revenge on her rapists 10 years after the attack by killing them one by one. Inspector Callahan (Eastwood), famous for his unconventional and often brutal crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with tracking down the serial killer.

<i>Scoop</i> (2006 film) 2006 film

Scoop is a 2006 romantic crime comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Ian McShane and Allen himself. It was released in the United States by Focus Features on July 28, 2006. The film follows an American journalist and a magician being guided by the spirit of a reporter to investigate a British aristocrat who might be a serial killer. Scoop received mixed reviews from critics regarding its humor, but was a box-office success, grossing $39 million against a $4 million budget.

<i>Ratboy</i> 1986 film by Sondra Locke

Ratboy is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by and starring Sondra Locke. The make-up effects were designed by Rick Baker. The film's scenario is at times comic or serious, and one of its peculiarities is that there never is any explanation for Ratboy's origin and existence as a human-rat hybrid.

<i>Anamorph</i> (film) 2007 American film

Anamorph is a 2007 independent psychological thriller film directed by Henry S. Miller and starring Willem Dafoe. Dafoe plays a seasoned detective named Stan Aubray, who notices that a case he has been assigned to bears a striking similarity to a previous case of his. The film is based on the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.

<i>Bronco Billy</i> 1980 film by Clint Eastwood

Bronco Billy is a 1980 American Western comedy-drama film starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke. It was directed by Eastwood and written by Dennis Hackin.

<i>Angel</i> (1984 film) 1984 American film directed by Tom DeSimone

Angel is a 1984 American exploitation thriller film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neil, written by O'Neil and Joseph Michael Cala, and starring Donna Wilkes, Cliff Gorman, Susan Tyrrell, Dick Shawn, and Rory Calhoun. Its plot follows a teenage prostitute in Los Angeles who faces danger when a serial killer begins stalking and murdering young prostitutes.

<i>The Concrete Blonde</i> 1994 novel by Michael Connelly

The Concrete Blonde is the third novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, featuring the Los Angeles detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. It was published in 1994.

<i>The Nest</i> (1988 film) 1988 American film

The Nest is a 1988 American science-fiction horror film directed by Terence H. Winkless in his directorial debut. Based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Eli Cantor, the film's screenplay was written by Robert King. The film was produced by Julie Corman and stars Robert Lansing, Lisa Langlois, Franc Luz, and Terri Treas.

<i>Cover Me Babe</i> 1970 America film

Cover Me Babe is a 1970 drama film about a young filmmaker who is hypercritical about everything including his own work. Almost really doesn't care to get a studio contract. The film was directed by Noel Black, and stars Robert Forster and Sondra Locke. The title song was written by Fred Karlin and Randy Newman, and performed by Bread. A second song by Bread also appeared on the soundtrack.

<i>Lady in Cement</i> 1968 film by Gordon Douglas

Lady in Cement is a 1968 American neo-noir mystery crime comedy thriller film directed by Gordon Douglas, based on the 1961 novel The Lady in Cement by Marvin H. Albert. The film stars Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker, Richard Conte, Martin Gabel, Lainie Kazan, and Pat Henry.

<i>Hustle</i> (1975 film) 1975 film by Robert Aldrich

Hustle is a 1975 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Robert Aldrich, and starring Burt Reynolds and Catherine Deneuve.

Coins in the Fountain is a 1990 American made-for-television romantic comedy film based on the 1952 novel Coins in the Fountain by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as Three Coins in the Fountain. It was directed by Tony Wharmby and written by Lindsay Harrison. Filming took place in Rome and other parts of Italy during the summer of 1990. The film originally premiered on CBS on September 28, 1990.

<i>The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter</i> (film) 1968 film

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is a 1968 American film adaptation of the 1940 novel of the same name by Carson McCullers. It was directed by Robert Ellis Miller. It stars Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke, who both earned Academy Award nominations for their performances. The film updates the novel's small-town Southern setting from the Depression era to the contemporary 1960s. The film is recognized by the American Film Institute in AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated.

<i>The Grasshopper</i> (1970 film) 1970 film by Jerry Paris

The Grasshopper is a 1970 drama film directed by Jerry Paris. It stars Jacqueline Bisset, Jim Brown, Joseph Cotten and Christopher Stone. Penny Marshall appears in a very small role.

Clint Eastwood has had numerous casual and serious relationships of varying length and intensity over his life, many of which overlapped. He has eight known children by six women, only half of whom were contemporaneously acknowledged. Eastwood refuses to confirm his exact number of offspring, and there have been wide discrepancies in the media regarding the number. His biographer, Patrick McGilligan, has stated on camera that Eastwood's total number of children is indeterminate and that "one was when he was still in high school."

<i>Killer Workout</i> 1987 American film

Killer Workout is a 1987 American slasher film written and directed by David A. Prior, and starring Marcia Karr, David James Campbell, Fritz Matthews, Ted Prior, and Teresa Van der Woude. The story revolves around a Los Angeles fitness club owned by Rhonda Johnson, whose twin sister burned in a tanning salon five years ago. Detective Morgan begins to investigate the gym, after several of its members are brutally murdered by an unknown attacker.

<i>The Golden Glove</i> 2019 film

The Golden Glove is a 2019 internationally co-produced horror drama film directed by Fatih Akin. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of Heinz Strunk's eponymous novel and tells the story of the German serial killer Fritz Honka who murdered four women between 1970 and 1975 and hid their body parts in his apartment. The Golden Glove is named after the pub in the red-light district of Hamburg where the disfigured alcoholic Honka met his victims. The Golden Glove is the first film by Fatih Akin to receive an 18 rating in Germany.

References

  1. "Impulse". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  2. "Impulse". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  3. Silver & Ursini 1999, p. 361.
  4. "Impulse". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 19, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. James, Caryn (April 6, 1990). "Review/Film;An Officer Becomes The Other". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 3, 2021.
  6. Wilmington, Michael (April 6, 1990). "A Flirt With Danger, Suspense in 'Impulse'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on April 10, 2022.
  7. "Impulse". Chicago Sun-Times . April 20, 1990. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013.
  8. "VIDEO RENTALS : 'Born' Can't Pass High-Revving 'Daisy'". Los Angeles Times . September 27, 1990. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013.
  9. Barrett, Michael (January 11, 2013). "'Impulse' (1990)". PopMatters . Archived from the original on April 10, 2022.

Sources