Impulse (1990) User Reviews

There's just one reason to watch "Impulse"

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 25 December 2003]

Fairly interesting movie about an undercover policewoman which unfortunately gets muddled. As the story tries to cover too much ground that in the end leaves everyone watching confused and unconcerned about what it's trying to tell them.

Trying to mix big time drug dealers and protected witnesses who the DA is trying to get to testify against their former associates, the mob, with an obsessive and corrupt police officer. Together with an undercover policewoman who has enough problems outside as well as inside the police department doesn't jell together in this very complicated and confusing movie.

Besides all the negative things one can say about the movie "Impulse" the one very positive thing about the film is the appearance and acting of it's beautiful and talented star Teresa Russell. Teresa makes you, in many cases, forget the plot holes and inconsistencies of the movie just by watching her whenever she's on the screen.

Crackling good police yarn...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 18 August 2007]

A female undercover cop, overworked, exhausted and ready for a break, gets seduced one night into a short walk on the wild side, but it may prove to be her undoing. Well-directed cop thriller isn't a blockbuster, nor is it capable of really expanding its perimeters on the basis of a slight budget, but filmmaker Sondra Locke gets fine performances from her cast, particularly Theresa Russell, exuding palpable street-glamor in the lead, and handsome George Dzundza as her lieutenant. I have never been an admirer of creepy-eyed Jeff Fahey's work (he always seems hyped up for little purpose), but he isn't too distracting here. Little-seen picture is perfect late-night TV fodder; nothing overly substantial or imaginative, but tightly-wound and involving. **1/2 from ****

Lots of intrigue here, but movie is painfully slow.

[ipswich-2 · 6/10 · 23 April 2000]

Intriguing but slow moving thriller about an undercover woman vice cop who yields to the temptation of sex and money. Theresa Russell, who reminds me of a younger Kathleen Turner, provides a very capable performance as a woman who lets her undercover identity take over from her. Fine acting by the cast all around, but the turgid pace of the entire movie puts a dampener on it all. Watch it if you have the patience.

Much Too Slow Developing

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 13 September 2013]

"Lottie Mason" (Theresa Russell) is a vice cop who works during the night as an undercover prostitute. Her boss, "Lt. Joe Morgan" (George Dzundza) is corrupt and makes life as tough as possible for her because she won't sleep with him. Meanwhile, the Assistant District Attorney, "Stan" (Jeff Fahey) is trying to make a case against a dangerous drug dealer named "Tony Peron" (Shawn Elliott) and needs an attractive undercover agent to entice a witness to testify against him. Naturally, Lottie agrees to do the job. Now, rather than revealing the entire plot I will just say that things begin to go haywire soon afterward. As far as the overall film is concerned I thought Theresa Russell looked absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, I felt that the relationship between her and "Stan" lacked chemistry. Along with that, I also thought that the first half of the film was much too slow developing and didn't really start to pick up any steam until the final 30 minutes or so. In short, it wasn't a bad movie but given the talent available it certainly could have been better. I give it an average rating.

Yada, yada, yada.

[=G= · 5/10 · 8 May 2001]

In "Impulse" a female undercover cop (Russell) stings johns, gets involved with a drug bust, and...yada yada yada. A typical and ordinary Hollywood crime genre product with Russell and Fahey sharing the spotlight, "Impulse" is a par flick, shot entirely in and around L.A., with the usual ugly bad guys, macho cops, chases, shootouts, etc. with the emphasis on drama over action. Nothing new here. Best enjoyed with your favorite beverage and munchies.

Fantastic, underrated...

[ebert_jr · 8/10 · 21 November 2001]

Why can't all movies have the mood of films like this? What do I mean about mood? I'm talking about the feeling that you are somehow thrust into the world created by the film's story...you are there, witness to the action and the drama. Other films that exhibit this charactersitc are 'body heat', 'hot spot', and various other film noir and independent films. I'm not saying this film is either, but it has the spirit of films like that.

Russell carries the film with a very gritty performance that is just incredible to behold. She is completely believable as the sexy cool, street smart but soft spoken cop. I really, really like the way she totally immersed herself into this character. She was totally convincing! To me, anyway. I liked how she didn't have to say anything at all in certain scenes yet her facial expressions said so much about what she was thinking. Her character is really the hub that the story spins around. True, some elements of the film rely too much on the standard, stock and trade cop related drama and action film, but the parts that don't really elevate this film above the status quo.

I can' recommend this film enough. The ending let me down a little but overall, wow...what an unusual, surprisingly good film. Russell is simply heavenly in this role. Who directed it is perhaps even more of a surprise.

A Sexy Hot...but Reserved Policewoman!

[chakotay-70770 · 10/10 · 11 January 2020]

Theresa Russell portrays a remarkable policewoman with style! Though she is sexy and hot in her undercover roles, she's also reserved in her private life. She's nobody's playmate...even if that's how she appears on assignments.

Many viewers have never watched this movie yet....though it's been around since 1990. Why are the networks reluctant to include this film more often in their schedules? There's plenty trash on the air, and yet a sparkling gem like this movie rarely sees the light...

Instead of leaving you breathless and trying to keep track of all the twists and turns, this story gives you breathing-space to savour and digest each scene. What a refreshing change! Aside from the main story-line, some scenes are educational for both men and women. How so?

Well, the behaviour of some men disgusts Theresa Russell, and her response is eloquent enough. Yet she responds warmly if some man treats her respectfully, gently and politely. Theresa Russell's character can discern between a gentleman and a lout, which would go down well with female viewers, no doubt. On the other hand, male viewers can re-assess how to really win a woman's heart...the right way!

Loving your job too much.

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 17 May 2008]

After 'Ratboy (1986)', Sondra Locke would hone down her directorial skills with the vastly overlooked cop thriller 'Impulse'. The voluptuously headstrong Theresa Russell (who doesn't get enough recognition as it is) proves the talent she bestows, as the film asks for a vividly intriguing performance. And she provides a breakaway one as an undercover cop of the Vice squad. Not forgetting Jeff Fahey's outstandingly low-key turn in what could be seen as a breakthrough performance as an assistant district attorney. Along with Locke's moodily terse and measured direction that just takes you into that smoking film-noir ambiance; Russell and Fahey's performances are also the potent backbone to the appeal of the film. Where the film has its share of flaws comes mainly from the dramatically cluttered material, as it's story-bound rather than action-filled. It follows Russell's character as she pins perverts and drug peddlers, but soon she becomes so attached with the power play of the job that the impulsive fantasy of losing control and experiencing criminal temptation becomes overwhelming. The choice is there, and her repressed emotions are starting to crack and anxiety creeps in. Another element thrown into the mixture is the growing affection between Russell and Fahey's characters. This leads onto a complex (and where it hit's a bump is the somewhat implausible developments infesting its way within this) web of psychological, harrowing and heart-racing avenues, plus intensely raw thrills. Characters are actually well-rounded and show what makes them tick with some brooding shades showing. The technical side is professionally catered for with Michel Colombier's seductively sizzling, but at times jarring music score, sullen lighting tinges evoke presence, relaxed pacing and it's gorgeously shot with the Los Angeles backdrop painting a lasting mark. The support cast features capable turns by George Dzundza, Alan Rosenberg, Shawn Elliott and Eli Danker. A really surprisingly tight, mature and stylish thriller by Sandra Locke, but its Theresa Russell's powerfully stimulating performance that stays with you.

One of the Best Thrillers of the 90's

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 27 December 2006]

In Los Angeles, Detective Lottie Mason (Theresa Russell) works undercover as a whore on the streets or a junkie with the vice-squad leaded by the corrupt Lt. Joe Morgan giving support and arresting clients and drug dealers. She is also having sessions with a police psychologist for evaluation because she killed a criminal. She also has troubled relationships and high debts with her credit card. When she works with the District Attorney Stan (Jeff Fahey), they feel attracted for each other and have an affair. After an assignment where she was almost killed, she has a flat tire while driving home. She goes to a bar to kill time while her car is fixed. Completely upset, she meets the charming criminal Tony Perón (Shawn Elliott) that Stan is chasing, but unknown for her, and he offers a huge amount for her to go to his place. While in his fancy house, she regrets and tries to find a meas of escape. But she witnesses the execution of Tony, and she anonymously calls the police. In the house, she finds a key of a locker where there is a bag with one million dollars that Tony stole from drug dealers. While the police search the unknown woman, Lottie lives a dilemma about what to do with the money.

I have just watched "Impulse" at least five times so far, and in my opinion it is one of the best thrillers of the 90's. The good story has a great direction of Sondra Locke, the characters are very well developed, and Theresa Russell is amazingly beautiful and sexy and has one of her best performances. The ambivalent conclusion is perfect, and the viewer can only guess the destination of the money. Unfortunately this movie is totally underrated in IMDb, misguiding the readers. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Tentação Perigosa" ("Dangerous Temptation")

A Walk on the Wild Side

[mgtbltp · 9/10 · 25 February 2016]

Directed by Sondra Locke this is a gritty story of an Los Angeles femme fatale vice cop Lottie Mason (Theresa Russell) and her "Walk On The Wild Side" of cusp of Noir. It is a dance with with death, love, power and temptation. It's probably one of the Last of the Warner Brothers Noirs.

A piano riff dissolves the blackness into an elevated view of a sleazy Hollywood, hot sheet motel block, at the corner of Las Palmas and Sunset Blvd., one of those all look alike City of Angels low profile strips. Time the late '80s, Madonna is in vogue. The scene is accented by wet pavement reflecting neon. A long ringletted blonde "angel" is strutting her stuff in tight gold Lamé snakeskins, but this celestial Femme Fatale has clipped wings. She's trolling the midnight drift, a lure with hooks. Lonely sad losers cruise the mainstem scoping the fast skirts that will get them a shot at 20 minutes of ecstasy. The opening title sequence displays the workings of the vice stakeout with the excellent noir-ish stylistic cinematography of Dean Semler. The piano riff repeats and become a leitmotif for Lottie's darkside.

Impulse is set strictly in Squaresville, it's a story of the world of hard working cops doing their everyday busts. Lottie's night in and night out tolling the low company is affecting her personal life. Her various Vice assignments, i.e., impersonating a streetwalker, a junkie, a B-girl hooker, a drug dealer has her visiting the division PR office and the psychiatrist/counselor on a regular basis for an hour session mandated by Internal Affairs. They want to know if having to lie and deceive on a regular basis is affecting her job. Her Doctor, Dr. Gardner seems more interested in her personal life her debts and her love life. Lottie when questioned about her torpedoed relationships states that she's only been with cops and she rattles off squads, Vice, Homicide, and Bunco rather than names. Gardener asks about Lottie's quasi-stalker encounter with Lt. Joe Morgan (George Dzundza) an ex boyfriend that she didn't report. Lottie says it's because he'd say she encouraged it. But Lottie makes a confession that she is mainlining on the power of her femininity while staring at her reflection in the window in a great sequence:

Another assignment has Lottie going undercover as a heroin junkie in a shooting gallery, this combined with a second storyline concerning a 2 year old case, a witness protection program witness and a double cross drug deal in NYC brings a District Attorney named Stan (Jeff Fahey) into Lottie's world. Stan is attracted to her and they have an affair though Lottie is still a bit standoffish a bit gun-shy.

After an adrenaline rush chase down a high-rise and shootout with two drug trafficking perps in a grocery, Lottie is on stressed and on edge, Stan tries to comfort her but she wants him to back off and give her space. She takes off in her Camaro to unwind. She gets a flat tire drives into a service station and while the tire is changed drops into the bar across the street and into Noirsville.

At the bar she's picked up by Tony Peron (Shawn Elliott) who is coincidentally and unbeknownst to Lottie, the drug dealer partner of the man Stan has in witness protection. He asks her if there was anything in the world she could do what would it be. Lottie tells him "I'd get on a plane and go somewhere I'd never been". Tony pulls out a deck of hundred dollar bills and counts off ten, Lottie tells him she wants to go "first class". Tony adds another five, but tells her that first she'll have to go to his house. On impulse Lottie picks up the dough and follows him out to his Beverly Estates house.

When Tony gets her to his place he begins to get busy with it. Lottie holds him off telling him she wants to freshen up. Tony tells her to use the upstairs bedroom bath. Lottie has second thoughts as she stands by vertical blinds in a nice sequence. Afterwards while washing her face she hears two gunshots, and peering down the stairway spots Tony dead on the tile floor. The shooter is actively searching the house. Since her gun was confiscated after the recent shooting Lottie scrambles to hide from the killer.

The shooter leaves the house and Lottie checks out Tony popped twice in the head. She goes through his clothes finding a locker key in his jacket. She wipes down all the surfaces she touched calls the cops disguising her voice and splits. At the airport the next day she opens the locker and finds a suitcase with close to a million dollars.

Sondra Locke did a wonderful job at directing this little Neo Noir gem. The writing by John DeMarco and Leigh Chapman, is competent and consequently the characters are very well developed. This is Theresa Russell's best performance. The rest of the cast are Jeff Fahey as Stan, George Dzundza as Lt. Joe Morgan, Lynne Thigpen as Dr. Gardner, and Shawn Elliott as Tony Peron. The music by Michel Colombier is great along with the various pieces that comprise the soundtrack. Again I can't say enough about the Noir stylistic cinematography which is excellent.

Entertaining but contrived cop thriller

[lor_ · 10 May 2023]

My review was written in April 1990 after a Midtown Manhattan screening.

Theresa Russell gives a solid performance in Sondra Locke's well-directed film noir "Impulse", but script deficiencies make this a weak box office entry.

The third major cop film this year with a prominent woman's role (after Jamie Lee Curtis in "Blue Steel" and Laurie Metcalf's supporting part in "Internal Affairs"), "Impulse" continues the prevailing themes (since "Sea of Lover") of paranoia and insecure, self-divided characters among the men and women in blue.

Russell is cast as a beautiful undercover cop whose life is going nowhere, hence the title. She would like to break out of her rt and act on impulse like one of the prostitute or druggie personas she routinely adopts in her work.

Along with her sexist boss George Dzundza, she's assigned to work with young assistant district attorney Jef Fahey to find missing witness Shawn Elliott in an important gangster case. Elliott has $900,000 stolen in a Colombian drug deal, and there's only three weeks to find him before Fahey begins the trial. Complicating matters is Fahey' other key witness, Eli Danker, who is antsy and afraid to testify without Elliott's corroboration.

Scripters John De Marco and Leigh Chapman keep the pot boiling and flesh out the three main characters adequately until a crucial scene 55 minutes into the pic. On her way home after a tough assignment, Rusell gets a flat tire and impulsively goes to a bar and is picked up by none other than Elliott (whose mug she hasn't been shown by her superiors).

Key plot element that he lets herself go with this guy is believable and well-developed, but all other details here ring false. The contrived script has Dzundza pointedly taking away her gun (it's not police issue) in the immediately previous scene since, scripting backward, she can't have one in the scene that follows. Her not knowing what Elliott looks like is a ridiculous but equally necessary gimmick.

Elliott is murdered while Russell freshens up at his pad. She covers up the evidence, afraid of being accused of the killing, but phones in a tip that the murder has taken place.

Film never recovers from the rapid piling-on of coincidences here, a basic misunderstanding of the premise that Russell's character is free to act randomly but that her screen universe must remain logical and consistent.

Just like the Kevin Costner thriller "No Way Out" (in which Dzundza also co-starred), some suspense is generated by an identikit drawing of the mystery woman who witnessed Elliott's murder -the viewer recognizes it as Russell but Dzundza and Fahey take longer to tumble to the fact.

Next twist is pretty good: Fahey has Russell pose as the mystery witness in order to flush out Elliott's killer, but by this time he knows that she is the witness (but didn't see the killer's face, yet another hokey contivance). Revelation of the killer's identity is a nice surprise that plays fair with the audience.

Russell and Fahey have some interesting exchanges that expose their characters, but there are too many prefacing sentiments, with "What if I told you that..." yielding unintentionally risible results. Sharpest writing comes in a scene of Fahey and his partner Alan Rosenberg talking about women and relationships in terms from real estate-"curb appeal" and "depreciating".

Director Locke, in her second feature after "Ratboy", gets high marks for the visceral, swift nature of her violent stagings. She also manages an impressively tactile sex scene that involves Russell and Fahey.

Russell is terrific in suggesting her character's insecurities after several failed romances, and pic benefits from a smooth performance by Lynne Thigpen as her shrink. Fahey, soon to be seen co-starring in Clint Eastwood's "White Hunter, Black Heart", is a handsome, effective foil, and Dzundza almost makes one believe his ambiguously corrupt persona.

Aussie lenser Dean Semler maintains a murky look befitting the protagonists' dark motives. Michael Colombier's moody score is a plus.