Secret Pulsion

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 came across a VHS copy of this movie by mistake several years ago, at has become one of my most treasured possessions! As far as I'm concerned, everyone should own a copy of this great film!!! Starring William Shatner as the killer and Ruth Roman of THE BABY(1974, another classic B movie!) as the rich widow this movie has everything going for it. The clothes, the slow-speed car chase through the car wash, the editing, the opening graphics, the still shots of Shatner, the acting from Shatner is so "intense", tears of laughter still stream down my cheeks each time I watch it! (I've seen it at least 50 times, and will watch it at least 100 more times, if I can help it!) I only wish it would be released on DVD!

"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!

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.

After finally finding a copy, I was afraid I would be disappointed when seeing this, following all the great things I had read about the non-stop unintentional hilarity/stupidity. Luckily, my fear proved baseless. This movie is as stupid and hilarious as described; in fact, in may even be more so. I have never seen a performance as hilarious as Shatner's in this movie - not even in a comedy. We get to see him threaten a park balloon vendor with bodily harm, followed by an informative diatribe about the contents of a commercial hot dog. And that isn't even when Shatner goes really crazy! The only thing we don't see Shatner do is lip-sync a famous song in spoken word; maybe that's just part of some long-lost footage. Every scene with Harold Sakata is hilarious, as well. He just seems to show up randomly in the middle of the movie, as if the director found him wandering around town and then wrote in a part for him on the spot. And Ruth Roman's performance reminded me of an Elizabeth Taylor diamond commercial on acid. If this movie ever does make it to DVD, my greatest wish would be for an informative "making of" featurette, but alas, my wish is for naught, for I know Shatner would just as soon bury this one as talk about it openly. I'd really love to know what went on when filming this, as I have a hunch that the backstory would be highly amusing. As it is, I exhort you to lie, cheat, or steal to find a copy of this. You will not regret it!!

Recent Update: I was right! Shatner mentions the making of the movie in his autobiography by describing how he saved Sakata's life while filming Sakata's hanging sequence. The support underneath Sakata malfunctioned during the scene, so Shatner had to hold Sakata up with his bare hands to keep him from choking - actually breaking one of his thumbs. A true gentleman.