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Impulse is neither as bad nor as cheesy as other reviewers believe it to be. It's true that William Shatner wears some of the ugliest clothing of all time, but it's also true that his acting is--wait for it--actually pretty good, and not particularly over-the-top. The development of his character's psychosis is well presented in the black and white pre-credits sequence (which features H.G. Lewis regular William Kerwin), and nicely (if obviously) echoed during the film's conclusion. Shatner manages to convey his own fear and disgust with himself even while he continues to kill. The rest of the cast--including Ruth Roman--don't embarrass themselves either.

What faults the film does have are primarily the responsibility of low budget Florida director William Grefe, who consistently fails to display much talent or imagination with poorly established scenes and unimaginative set ups. Lewis Perle's score is naggingly aggressive and lets the film down at every turn. Overall, Impulse is an enjoyable low budget thriller that would be better regarded if people didn't like to obsess about the acting proclivities of a certain Captain James T. Kirk--an actor who has proven, in films ranging from 1961's The Intruder to 1999's Free Enterprise, that he actually can act.

I attended my one and only Star Trek convention in Chicago, in 1974. The whole cast was there except William Shatner. Could it have been that he had to fly down to Florida to make Impulse? Might I have done something, even at age 13, to stop him?

This is as funny and terrible as everyone says and more so.

Shatner is often unfairly teased; but in this case, he brought it on himself. Seeming to view the character as infantile, Shatner lumbers through a series of reactions as garish as his wardrobe. Could he have needed the money? Was Bill Grefe just too much fun to hang out with? Grefe claims he talked Shatner into making the film upon a chance Airport meeting.

Surprisingly the rest of the cast is pretty good(!). Ruth Roman acts like She is holding court at an upscale dinner theater. Jennifer Bishop maintains her dignity despite being victimized by Grefe's signature shot; a close up of the rump. Yet it is Kim Nichols as the explosive Tina who walks off with the film.

You cannot die having not seen "Impulse."

I watched this movie the other night on TV just because it was so bad! This movie was hilarious...and it wasn't supposed to be. A chase scene through a working carwash? Shatner's hair and loud 70's shirts took the cake. Sometimes the lighting was inadequate. The dialog was horrible. I loved the pinky in the mouth. Very Dr. Evil like!

I recommend this for a bunch of friends who want to get together and laugh. I wonder if MST 3000 ever did a spoof on this one.

Who remembers the Star Trek episode when the transporter malfunctioned, and another Captain Kirk appeared? Well, in this movie, it's all about it. Only this time, he's traumatized by an act of defense trying to protect his mother from an abusive boyfriend. He stabbed him to death with a sword. Years later, he strangled his mother. He spends time in jail. Meets a karate expert. Then he later killed him. His character is a killer conman. Finds a lonely, wealthy woman, kills her, then find another one.

Only this time, she has a daughter who really dislike him. So she goes all the way to stop him by any means.

It's very silly, and William Shatner play it well. A rainy day romp.

2 out of 5 stars.

IMPULSE is the story about a psychotic sociopath that seduces women and then kills them for their money. The film begins with a flashback where you learn how this evil pattern was developed and the film ends with, thank goodness, his demise.

William Grefe directed this terrible film. The fact that the film is bad isn't surprising considering that Grefe has directed such masterpieces as DEATH CURSE OF TARTU, STING OF DEATH and WILD REBELS. The trademark of Grefe's directing is cheap--cheap sets, cheap filming, cheap acting and cheap EVERYTHING!! While not as prolific as such terrible film directors as Hershell Gordon Lewis, Al Adamson, Ed Wood, Larry Buchanan and Ray Dennis Steckler, Grefe is their equal! Now this did not mean that IMPULSE had to be a truly horrible film. Grefe might have gotten lucky and produced a mediocre film had it not been for two "actors" that conspired to make this film truly dreadful as well as a script written by lemurs. The first bad actor is the obnoxious little actress that played the obnoxious little girl (Kim Nicholas). Her character is truly hateful and her acting, if you can call it that, is strictly wretched. A better director and writing might have been able to salvage this, but Grefe was not up to the task. While bad, her acting at least is understandable--after all, she was young and not a professional (in fact, Grefe rarely used professional actors due to costs). However, much more egregious is the job done by William Shatner--who manages to do an even worse job acting than the girl! You'd think having his many prior credits would have helped him to hone his craft, however, it was a serious liability having him in the film in any form--let alone in the lead! I assume the bulk of the problem was that Shatner was the professional and had more experience in the industry than all the others put together. Because of this, I am pretty sure Grefe was helpless in suggesting to Shatner how he should be acting--an important job for any director, but one that is impossible in this instance. Shatner just did what Shatner can do best if allowed--overact shamelessly.

So how bad is Shatner? Jaw-droppingly bad--that's how!! During parts of the film, he's just fine. However, whenever he is supposed to show any emotion, he mugs so horribly and acts like he's being eaten by internal parasites--writhing and bugging his eyes like he's in severe pain!! The worst scenes are with Shatner and the girl as it almost looks like they are having a contest to see who can over-emote the worst! It was also pretty funny seeing Shatner sucking on his pinkie like Dr. Evil as well as wearing a very effeminate striped muscle shirt on one scene. It's all so bad that you can't help but laugh--especially because he is the great William Shatner! I would venture to say that this might just be the worst performance by an established actor that I have ever seen--and I have seen more films that probably 99% of the IMDb readers. It's even so bad that it manages to be worse that his overacting in the final episode of the original STAR TREK series, "Turnabout Intruder", where Shatner plays a woman with severe PMS! As for the rest of the cast, they did okay.

Ruth Roman (a real honest to goodness professional) came off okay as a horny and nosy lady. Harold Sakata, oddly, appeared in the film--though he seemed really out of place. This actor was the same guy who played 'Odd Job' in GOLDFINGER and he was a strange choice to play Shatner's old cell mate from prison. It was also interesting that they seemed to imply that they were possibly lovers in prison and Sakata was the dominant "man" in this relationship. It's just too weird seeing this 300 pound Japanese-Hawaiian man as Shatner's bunk-mate! The only one who did a good job was Jennifer Bishop. Not only does she deserve kudos for her decent acting but also for managing to keep a straight face when Shatner and Nicholas were acting like idiots.

Overall, it's a horrible film that bad film lovers like me will love. Show it to your friends and have a big laugh. Just don't show it to STAR TREK zombies who can't laugh at Shatner or admit that he's not the greatest actor to have ever graced the screen--they just won't get it.

William Shatner's Impulse (1974) is classic Shatner. He mugs, grimaces and sweats in front of the camera. Wearing those funky 70's threads and heavy sideburns and poofy comb over, Shatner's the man! But he's also a homicidal nut job. He over acts like a mother in this one. If you're a fan of the camera mugging, paycheck collecting, hammy over the top Shatner, you've struck the mother lode with this one. Impulse has to be the ultimate Shatner film. You'll never find him acting like this in one film. Seems like the director had Shatner pour all of his acting talents into the role of Matt Stone, the psychotic gigolo with pedophile tendencies.

Highly recommended for William Shatner fans!

If Shatner wasn't playing the role, this movie would have stunk like a week old pair of socks.

In the past, the two William Shatner movies that I've trotted out to demonstrate what an effective actor he can be are "The Intruder" ('62), in which he plays a white supremacist, and "Incubus" ('66), the only film ever made in Esperanto. Hoping for another Shatner "I" film to add to this arsenal, I threw "Impulse" ('74) into the ol' DVD player, but I'm afraid I've gone to the well once too often, as this picture finds everyone's favorite spacetrucker in full blowhard mode, overemoting with a vengeance and giving full rein to the trademarked "Shatnerian" acting tics. Here, Shat plays Matt Stone, who we first meet as a young boy in the act of killing his mother's lover, a la Norman Bates. Flash forward 30 years, and Matt has grown into a handsome, smooth-talking con artist with an unfortunate tendency to murder his lady friends in a frothing rage. In this film, a mature but still attractive Ruth Roman, as well as a mother-and-daughter household, come into Matt's/Shat's sphere of influence. In the picture's action highlight, an old acquaintance of Stone's, played by a pipe-smoking, badly dubbed Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, has a mano a mano with our seedy psycho inside a deserted car wash. I know this all sounds pretty cool to read about, but trust me, the film is often dull and something of a labor to sit through. Only those with a deep and abiding love of Shatner in full "E Plebnista" histrionic mode (and indeed, his Matt Stone will often remind many of the evil Capt. Kirk from the old "Enemy Within" episode, right down to the scratches on his face!) should sign on here. I must admit that Bill is always fun to watch, even when sporting some truly awful '70s fashions, as he does here (dig that red trousers and tank top combo!), at the same time owning that this film is a hopelessly muddled affair. I'm giving it 5 stars because Shatner is so fascinating for me to look at when he overdoes it, but those with zero tolerance for his thesping charms will have a tough time here. To quote one of his old commercials, "Promise."

A troubled man in his early 40s (William Shatner) meets a lovely widow in Tampa (Jennifer Bishop), but her young daughter becomes increasingly suspicious of him.

Shot in August, 1972, but not released until 1974, "Impulse" is a psychological drama with bits of romance and crime thrills. The murders are along the lines of any Columbo TV movie, but don't expect a detective investigation. The focus is on the disturbed protagonist (or is it antagonist?) with the filmmaking being subdued, like "Haunts," which came out a couple of years later. Some would call the storytelling bland or dull while critics might complain about Shatner's slightly hammy acting here and there. The slasher "Nightmare" from 1981 was obviously influenced by it, but this ain't no conventional slasher.

Despite the somewhat glum proceedings, the early 70's milieu is entertaining with colorful outfits akin to The Brady Bunch. Meanwhile the flick scores well on the feminine front with winsome Jennifer Bishop as Ann, Marcy Lafferty as the brunette hotel clerk, and a couple of notable peripherals. Marcy and Shatner married the year after shooting and were a couple for over 23 years. You'll see her in bit parts throughout the 70s/early 80s, including some Shatner productions, like "Kingdom of the Spiders" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

The movie was filmed in 15 days with Shatner only working 10 of 'em. The notable car wash sequence was done in a single night wherein Asian heavy Harold Sakata (Pete) almost got hanged for real when the supporting rig broke.

Sure, this is a low-budget flick from the 70s but, like "Haunts" and "Nightmare," it leaves you thinking about people who were psychologically damaged in their youth, which unsurprisingly leads to negative repercussions down the line.

It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Tampa, Florida.

GRADE: B-

This is one of the most deliriously hilarious movies I have ever seen. William Shatner, yes, THE William Shatner as an evil, psychotic male hooker. Oh, and he has a pimp named "Karate Pete", too. There really aren't too many words to describe this film. Let me give you my own reactions. I laughed so hard at some scenes that I had to rewind them so I could hear the dialogue. And even upon re-watching them, it was a struggle not to urinate in my pants I was in such an uproar. I hadn't planned on getting drunk that night, but this film basically forced me to drink. It is a powerful film, no doubt about it. I wish Shatner had played more psychos, its a revelation in overracting. I recently won a copy on ebay ($4.99), and I sleep better at night now, knowing that this film is mere feet away from me at all times. An absolute classic in bad cinema!

"Impulse" is a must see for any fan of B moviedom! During a low point in his career, Shatner gives a stellar performance as Matt a psychotic killer. He begins his killing ways as a child when he sees his mother, in their home, being raped by a soldier (played by William Kerwin) and plunges a Samurai sword into him. The film then flashes forward to 1974 Florida where he kills his current lover, then comes into a small town and wins the heart of a widow, but not her disapproving young daughter. The daughter is wise to his motives after she witnesses Shatner kill Harold Sakata in a car wash, but no one will believe her until the bloody climax of the film. Think Shatner's acting was tacky in his Star Trek hey day? He goes over the top in this cheapy thriller. And yes, dig his groovy duds! Everything from polyester zig zag print shirts to striped tank top and white pimp suit complete with hat! Cheesy scenes, dialogue and plot make this drive in delight a movie to seek out. Hard to find, it is slowly making it's way to DVD. This would have made an excellent MST3K episode! Fun for all!

Honestly, I don't think this movie is all that bad. Shatner is a clown, but he's a clown who always goes all-in and isn't (or at least wasn't back in the 70's) shy about jumping into edgy roles. I bet a lot of the folks bashing him for this film actually like Star Trek so what can you say about that? I never liked that stupid show. The basic plot of Impulse has been used many times before: a stranger charms his way into a family missing a parent and every one loves him or her except one person who figures out he/she is a stinker and no one wants to believe that person. Personally, I think the film does a much better job of fleshing out the bad guy's psychopathy than most of these sorts of films and the character of "Tina" (the one who catches onto the scam) is also better developed and more entertaining than most. The other characters are cardboard. Not a masterpiece by any means, but better than what a lot of the reviewers on here are stating and worth a watch even if you need to question why anyone with any brains would hand over $10K in CASH to an "investor". Like a stock broker can't cash a check?

For fans of "so bad they're good" films, this is one of the funniest out there, and an embarrassment for William Shatner. He overacts and makes many funny faces as he plays a psychotic 1970's gigolo who cons women and takes their money, also periodically being seized with the urge to murder them after suffering a childhood trauma. It's hilarious seeing Shatner wearing many different various types of mod '70s attire in this, and at one point he emerges wearing a pimp's hat and later a sleeveless muscle shirt. Not a good film, but entertaining and unintentionally funny stuff. Look out for an appearance of GOLDFINGER's Harold Sakata ("Oddjob" himself) as a thug named "Karate Pete" as he attempts to deliver dialogue while he shakes down Shatner's character. **1/2 out of ****

This is a genuine, hilarious little shocker! William Shatner plays a swindling conman, a total ladies man and a deranged psychopath all rolled up into the character of Matthew Stone. See him run around in the most outrageously flashy outfits. See him loose control and spontaneously kill people. See him act like an idiot. See him pick up hitchhiking little girls and run over dogs. He's so on top of his game here, that he lost it. Over the edge, and he's clearly having a great time at it. And best of all, "Impulse" features a handful of terrific, long drawn-out murder sequences. Occasionally weird camera angles, strange flashback sequences, goofy voice-overs and a funkadelic soundtrack to boot. All's pretty nuts about this flick. Can't figure out if this is a genius work of '70s shock & schlock cinema or just bad-to-the-bone filmmaking myself. Either way, worth checking out for obscure trash connoiseurs.

If there can be such a thing as overhyping the badness (read unintentional hilarity) quotient of a film, then the reviews I've come across of this one on the Internet are guilty of doing just that; it's not that I didn't find William Shatner's inflating hairline, outrageous clothes sense and, especially, his uncontrolled facial expressions comical…but I wasn't exactly laughing out loud either – let alone rolling about on the floor stamping my fist in hysterics! I'm not saying I was really expecting that kind of a response but, at any rate, I was let down by the film even in this department so that little remains for me but to bemoan the loss of 90 minutes from my life and try to forget this viewing ever happened!

Sure, Shatner is hardly the ne plus ultra in psychopathically menacing and irresistibly handsome characters: seeing him threaten an obese woman for no reason at a park (while dressed in an unflatteringly sleeveless shirt), break out in tears after committing his first murder (as an adult), decked out in a completely white get-up with an over-sized fedora hat to match, slip his little finger into his mouth every time he recalls his childhood trauma (shown in black-and-white during the prologue) and boyishly jump up and down (as if his bladder's about to burst) in anticipation of being shown the safe is, admittedly, a source of amusement…but that hardly excuses the dullness of the rest of the picture.

The chase in a car wash between Shatner and ex-partner Harold "Oddjob" Sakata (here playing Karate Pete!) was a nice try but even that sequence is clumsily executed and needlessly protracted. The worst part of it is that the three female leads – Ruth Roman, Jennifer Bishop and Kim Nicholas – claim a good share of the film's running time when they are merely boring caricatures; unfortunately, the director even contrives to waste the opportunity of the only two promising female encounters Shatner has in the movie – the sultry belly-dancer at the start and the flirtatious hotel receptionist!

I just saw this film and I had to write a review as quick as I could!

All I can say is WOW! William Shatner shines, as does his wardrobe, in this great piece of cinematic film-making!!!

This film has everything. A car chase through a car wash that rivals the one in THE FRENCH CONNECTION!!! Menacing acting by Mr. Shatner that rivals Malcolm McDowell's work in CLOCKWORK ORANGE!!! And the greatest wardrobe in any film since DOLEMITE!!!

Shatner chews the scenery like a well done steak!

But heed this warning: If you are partial to balloons...LOOK AWAY!!!

See it... and then see it again!!

This film needs to be on DVD!!!

Well, most people would probably go into this film with low expectations; but I was actually hoping for something decent from Impulse, not because of anything suggesting it would be good; but simply because I often enjoy stories of murderers and savvy children; with the likes of The Stepfather, Julie Darling and Michael Winner's masterpiece Scream for Help being good examples of films like this one that I have enjoyed. Impulse certainly had the potential to sit alongside the aforementioned films on a list of enjoyable flicks of this nature; but unfortunately, something just doesn't work and most things about this film are a disappointment. The plot focuses on Matt Stone, a conman who makes a living through seducing lonely women and having them lose all their savings by way of 'investing' in his inheritance scheme. Stone is a broken man, owing to an incident involving his mother and a boyfriend of hers, which we see at the start of the film. Problems start for Stone when the irritating daughter of his latest victim begins to become suspicious of what he's doing with her mother...

Impulse stars William Shatner, who, of course, is most famous for his role in the popular series Star Trek. I was never a fan of Star Trek, but I do like Shatner's work on cult films such as Kingdom of the Spiders and, more importantly, The Intruder; which mean he should be well cut out for a role like this. He actually does rather well in the lead role; giving it just the right amount of sleaze to work. The rest of the cast isn't bad either (with one or two exceptions...e.g. Oddjob), but the film falls short on numerous other areas, which masks the decent performance. The film is actually rather boring, which is quite a shock considering the plot and the fact that Shatner gets seen in a range of ridiculous outfits. It's really pretty standard fare; The Stepfather had a lot to set itself apart from just the central plot, whereas this film doesn't have much at all. It all boils down to the sort of conclusion you would expect too, like the rest of the film; there aren't many surprises. This isn't a complete disaster; it has its moments, but I cant really recommend that anyone goes out of their way to find it.

I cannot help but to think of the evil Captain Kirk in the Star Trek TOS: Mirror, Mirror. I'm sorry but that is what runs through my mind seeing this film. If you want to see a good slasher film with William Shatner the I recommend Visiting Hours (1982) - that is a good movie to me!

Yes I love Bill Shatner but I could not sit though Impulse. It's just too lame and awful for me to sit an 1 1/2 hours forcing myself to watch it. I wish I could but life is too short for that and there are other great films to watch - including one's with The Shat!

Yes the film is funny - because it's hard to see Bill in this role. But it's just not "him" so I have problems with watching it. And the fact the film is just overall bad no matter who played the role of Matt Stone.

The film gets one extra point from me just for The Shat! 2/10