Impulse (1990 Film)
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''Impulse'' is a 1990 American
neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...
film directed by
Sondra Locke Sandra Louise Anderson (née Smith; May 28, 1944 – November 3, 2018), professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. An alumna of Middle Tennessee State University, Locke broke into regional show business with ass ...
, and starring
Theresa Russell Theresa Lynn Russell ( Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her Theresa Russell filmography, filmography includes over 50 feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent film, independent a ...
, Jeff Fahey, and
George Dzundza George Dzundza ( ; born July 19, 1945) is a retired American actor. He is known for his varied work in film and on television, including '' The Deer Hunter'' (1978), '' Skokie'' (1981), '' No Way Out'' (1987), '' The Beast'' (1988), '' Impulse'' ...
. It follows a female police officer who works as an undercover
prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
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 Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. A veteran writer of many of her own hits, as well as those for numerous other artists, she began her career in 1966 as ...
called "Everybody Needs Someone".


Plot

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
officer Lottie Mason works
vice squad Vice Squad are an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Bristol. The band was formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. The songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Bond) was a founding member of the b ...
as a decoy
prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
. She is faced with various problems in her career, including being sexually harassed by her superior, Lieutenant Joe Morgan. However, she finds her
sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a rol ...
s 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 Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
, 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 An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
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

Caryn James of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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." The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''s Michael Wilmington gave the film a middling review, though he conceded: " t isfrosty-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 Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most i ...
did in that other tough-lady-in-distress thriller, '' Blue Steel''."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
championed the film, praising Russell's performance and Locke's direction, comparing it to
Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson made a notable contribution to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, an ...
's ''
Pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for Misdirection (magic ...
(1959).


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. In January 2013, the film was released on
DVD-R DVD recordable and DVD rewritable are a collection of optical disc formats that can be written to by a DVD recorder and by computers using a DVD writer. The "recordable" discs are write-once read-many (WORM) media, where as "rewritable" discs a ...
by the
Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
.


References


Sources

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External links

* * * {{Authority control 1990 films 1990 thriller films American neo-noir films American thriller films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Sondra Locke Films scored by Michel Colombier Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Warner Bros. films 1990s American films English-language thriller films