IMPULSE is a forgotten masterpiece that William Shatner made during a low point of his career in the 1970s when he was either restricted to trashy B-movies or television guest appearances.
I am amazed at the amount of negativity displayed by other reviewers towards this film. It is obvious that they are comparing Shatner's role in this film to his typecast role as Captain James T. Kirk rather than judging both the film and Shatner's performance in their own rights.
Shatner puts in perhaps the best performance of his career (outside of his role as Captain Kirk of course) as a psychotic killer tormented by memories of his childhood when he killed a soldier with a samurai sword after the soldier attacked and attempted to rape his mother. Shatner transforms from being a seemingly charming harmless middle-aged man to a psychotic killer in a scene and then back to being charming again in the next scene. Over the years, many have criticised Shatner's acting as being ham and over-the-top just to name a few negative words. But, his performance here is simply tremendous. I can't think of an actor who could have played the part of Matt Stone better than him. The constant sucking of one of his fingers at various points in the film is just one of the ways that Shatner demonstrates Stone's unbalanced mind.
The film creates genuine suspense through the use of flashbacks and atmosphere, as well as the incredible tension that seems to persist in many scenes. In one scene, tension arises when Stone has problems trying to kill one of his victims (who happens to be played by Harold Sakata, best known as Oddjob in Goldfinger). And at the same time, the disapproving daughter (whose name is Tina) of one of Stone's love conquests is witnessing this murder taking place from the back of Stone's car! One of the other very tense scenes of the film is where Stone is chasing Tina through a cemetery after she witnesses him committing another murder later on in the film. Tension is also created throughout various other scenes in the film, particularly after the scene where Tina witnesses Stone kill the character played by Harold Sakata. Tina is faced with a situation where no one will believe her when she tells them about the murder. The tension arises from various attempts by Tina to expose Stone, particularly the scene in the car where she complains of being cold and asks Stone to close the car window (only to find that the window that was meant to be broken has surprisingly been repaired).
The film offers many opportunities for character development, in particular the character of Tina, a young girl who misses her deceased father and fears that Stone is trying to take his place in the eyes of her mother, Ann.
The variety of 1970s polyester costumes worn by Shatner seem to be one aspect that makes the film catch attention, in particular the assorted multi-coloured shirts with large collars.
Admittedly, the film does have some cheesy scenes and dialogue, but this has the effect of making the more disturbing scenes even more disturbing than they already are.
The ending is so predictable that one can predict it even half way through, but this doesn't make it any less disturbing to watch. I won't give the ending away but I think those reading this review who have never seen the film will get an idea of what I mean.
For other fans of William Shatner who would like to see him in a good film outside of his Captain Kirk role, I also recommend THE INTRUDER, a masterpiece directed by Roger Corman that Shatner made in his pre-Kirk days.
This forgotten masterpiece certainly deserves more recognition. The UK DVD is a standard release that has no extras, not even a trailer. A special edition DVD with a documentary with or commentary by Shatner certainly would be great.
I rate this film 10 out of 10 for excellent acting, photography, plot, suspense and tension.
I am amazed at the amount of negativity displayed by other reviewers towards this film. It is obvious that they are comparing Shatner's role in this film to his typecast role as Captain James T. Kirk rather than judging both the film and Shatner's performance in their own rights.
Shatner puts in perhaps the best performance of his career (outside of his role as Captain Kirk of course) as a psychotic killer tormented by memories of his childhood when he killed a soldier with a samurai sword after the soldier attacked and attempted to rape his mother. Shatner transforms from being a seemingly charming harmless middle-aged man to a psychotic killer in a scene and then back to being charming again in the next scene. Over the years, many have criticised Shatner's acting as being ham and over-the-top just to name a few negative words. But, his performance here is simply tremendous. I can't think of an actor who could have played the part of Matt Stone better than him. The constant sucking of one of his fingers at various points in the film is just one of the ways that Shatner demonstrates Stone's unbalanced mind.
The film creates genuine suspense through the use of flashbacks and atmosphere, as well as the incredible tension that seems to persist in many scenes. In one scene, tension arises when Stone has problems trying to kill one of his victims (who happens to be played by Harold Sakata, best known as Oddjob in Goldfinger). And at the same time, the disapproving daughter (whose name is Tina) of one of Stone's love conquests is witnessing this murder taking place from the back of Stone's car! One of the other very tense scenes of the film is where Stone is chasing Tina through a cemetery after she witnesses him committing another murder later on in the film. Tension is also created throughout various other scenes in the film, particularly after the scene where Tina witnesses Stone kill the character played by Harold Sakata. Tina is faced with a situation where no one will believe her when she tells them about the murder. The tension arises from various attempts by Tina to expose Stone, particularly the scene in the car where she complains of being cold and asks Stone to close the car window (only to find that the window that was meant to be broken has surprisingly been repaired).
The film offers many opportunities for character development, in particular the character of Tina, a young girl who misses her deceased father and fears that Stone is trying to take his place in the eyes of her mother, Ann.
The variety of 1970s polyester costumes worn by Shatner seem to be one aspect that makes the film catch attention, in particular the assorted multi-coloured shirts with large collars.
Admittedly, the film does have some cheesy scenes and dialogue, but this has the effect of making the more disturbing scenes even more disturbing than they already are.
The ending is so predictable that one can predict it even half way through, but this doesn't make it any less disturbing to watch. I won't give the ending away but I think those reading this review who have never seen the film will get an idea of what I mean.
For other fans of William Shatner who would like to see him in a good film outside of his Captain Kirk role, I also recommend THE INTRUDER, a masterpiece directed by Roger Corman that Shatner made in his pre-Kirk days.
This forgotten masterpiece certainly deserves more recognition. The UK DVD is a standard release that has no extras, not even a trailer. A special edition DVD with a documentary with or commentary by Shatner certainly would be great.
I rate this film 10 out of 10 for excellent acting, photography, plot, suspense and tension.