Impulse [DVD]

Given the title and DVD cover art (it shows stars Tim Matheson and Meg Tilly sort of looking up each others noses) for the film Impulse (1984), one might assume this to be a romantic thriller of sorts but it's really a sinister little piece of celluloid that asks the audience to imagine a place where people suddenly started acted on their impulses, doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted...directed by Graham Baker (Omen III: The Final Conflict, Alien Nation), the film stars Tim `Otter' Matheson (Animal House, Fletch), who also did the voice for Jonny Quest in the 1964 television cartoon series among other things, along with Meg Tilly (Psycho II, The Big Chill). Also appearing is Hume Cronyn (Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat), John Karlen (Trilogy of Terror), Claude Earl Jones (Used Cars, Evilspeak, Bride of Re-Animator), Lorinne Vozoff (Chaos Theory), and Bill Paxton, prior to his breakout role in John Hughes 1985 film Weird Science as the smarmy antagonistic brother Chet Donnelly.The story begins in what looks like a small, Californian town with shots of various animals acting peculiar, followed by a rather minor earthquake...you see, animals possess sensitivities much greater than that of humans, therefore imminent natural phenomenon can cause strange behavior in said animals...we then cut to establishing scenes in some major metropolitan city featuring both Matheson and Tilly, one showing Matheson's character, named Stuart, operating on a patient in a surgery room, the other showing Tilly's character, named Jenny, practicing ballet. Turns out the two are a couple, and after a disturbing phone call from Jenny's mother (Vozoff), one that ends with mom doing something completely unpredictable, the couple takes a trip to Jenny's small hometown, the same place that recently had the earthquake, where Stuart gets to meet the family, including Jenny's father Bob (Karlen), and her brother Eddie (Paxton), along with the local doctor named Carr, played by Cronyn. There's a bit of mystery behind the recent injury suffered by Jenny's mother, but this is soon overshadowed by strange behavior among some of the residents of the small town in that their actions seem to be those of impulse, with no regards for the consequences, including old men urinating in the streets, petty theft, actions based on uncontrolled rage, and public displays of lustful affection. Soon these relatively minor events become more and more common (and serious), and Stuart suspects a possible infection, but his efforts to discern the source of the madness are hampered by the ever increasing violent activity of the citizens, turning it into a veritable thunderdome, and also the very real possibility that he, himself, may be infected...This was an interesting film, but overall it felt like something that wasn't quite cooked long enough, like a half finished episode of the X-Files, sans Mulder and Scully. The increasing severity of the impulsive behavior among the townspeople was an fun aspect, because you have all these seemingly normal people doing things completely unexpected, and there was always the question of how far it would end up going (it went further than I thought). As others have mention, something much like this story has been done previously with George Romero's 1973 film The Crazies, although as you might expect, that film features a lot more violence, while Impulse obviously exhibits a larger budget and better production values and was produced for a more mainstream audience. I did like the `loose' feel of the story, but I felt no real connection to any of the characters. While I think both Matheson and Tilly are good actors, there wasn't a whole lot of chemistry between their characters, something I'd attribute more to the script rather than the performers themselves. And why did there seem so little interest in what happened to Jenny's mother shortly after the film begins? I would have thought such a bizarre action from a relatively normal and well-balanced (I'm assuming these last bits) individual would have raised a number of red flags, not to mention the increased unrestrained activity among some of the townspeople (not everyone in the town suffered from the unknown affliction). While there is dialog in the film, its overall effect felt minimal to me, as it seemed the director's intent was to tell much of the story through visuals (the opening sequences will make little sense until you get further into the film). This did work to some degree, but it's like building a brick wall without using any mortar...you can do it, and it may stand, but it will tumble due to lack of solidity. For those interested, there is some nekkidness in the film, but none from Ms. Tilly...what we do get is a full moon shot from Mr. Matheson. I don't mind male nekkidness in a film, but at least offset it with some of the female kind. There's a reason why female nekkidness is more prevalent in films over male nekkidness and that's because women's bodies are generally much better looking than men's bodies...that and the fact most of the films are made by men, but I digress...I think my favorite scene from the film featured the local sheriff, played by Jones, as he's pursuing a vandalism suspect and ends up doing something which I'm sure many law enforcement officials would probably love to do at least once, perhaps not with regards to such a minor offence, but still...the ending was good, a little unexpected, but looking back on it, it seemed a very realistic, if not frightening, reaction to the situation.The picture quality was very good, what of it I could see as the only version available on this DVD is the full screen, pan and scan format (1.33:1), the same one featured in the earlier Anchor Bay release. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through clean and clear. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French, but as far as any real special features, there are none.Cookieman108Oh, by the way, did anyone else think it strange that Stuart and Jenny should take a bus to travel to Jenny's hometown? Especially since Stuart is some kind of medical doctor?

A must see just to see how this event would happen and what they would do to have a solution to the problem. Lots of what and ha ha moments, kind of dark.

The idea of a small town coming unglued when people start acting on every impulse, good, bad, twisted, strange, etc is a very intriguing one. For the most part, the movie does a good job showing how this is at first just a bit strange and amusing before descending into outright nightmare.Meg Tilly who is an actress I really love and who I regret didn't make a lot of films when she was in her prime as an actress (she's returned to acting some but in supporting roles it seems) does a good job playing the central character of the story who watches in bewilderment, mounting horror, and abject terror as the nice little town she grew up in lurches into the Twilight Zone.The thing that I truly hated about the movie and would have led me to give it 3.5 stars if that was possible was the ending...<spoilers>The premise that there was a leak of toxic chemicals that got into the town's milk was reasonable. I know that is a chemical weapon called "BZ" that works against the mental processes of people exposed to it (although it makes them have hallucinations not act out on impulses).What was beyond crazy was that the "evil government" or "evil corporation" solution to the "oopsie" they had was to spray the town in broad daylight with cyanide and murder over 900 innocent men, women, and children. That is so preposterous that I would bet that anyone who says to himself or herself, "Yeah, that could happen" is probably also a 9-11 Truther.I wish they had simply made the ending where the government realized there had been a spill and moved to clean it up and just said "Congressional investigations are continuing." I can only think that this movie was made when the memory of Vietnam and Watergate was still fresh in the minds of people and people thought the government and/or corporations would con, template doing something like that, pull it off, and get away with it.

Bad behavior turns deadly in this science-fiction drama. Jennifer (Meg Tilly) is a woman who grew up in the small town of Sutcliffe, which much of her family still calls home. One day, Sutcliffe is hit with a minor earthquake, which doesn't appear to do much damage, but a strange and disquieting turn in the city's collective behavior soon becomes apparent. Jennifer receives a phone call from her mother (Lorinne Vozoff), but while they've always had a cordial relationship, her mother loudly and hysterically berates her, and the call comes to a disturbing conclusion when her mother shoots herself. Jennifer and her husband Stuart (Tim Matheson) rush to Sutcliffe to discover that her mother is seriously injured by still alive. However, it seems as if all boundaries of civility and etiquette have broken down, as violence, crime, and rabid anger rule the usually quiet streets of Sutcliffe. It seems that the earthquake caused the town's milk supply to be contaminated by toxic waste which has an unusual psychoactive effect -- it makes it impossible for people to resist the common anti-social impulses that all people have, but most keep closely in check. Hume Cronyn plays the town's doctor; Bill Paxton, Claude Earl Jones, and Amy Stryker also appear.

interesting from beginning to the end. the acting was superb on every level. truth is stranger and more dangerous than fiction. thanks to all involved with this film for making it 'real.'

Decent and very overlooked,this mid 80's gem from OMEN 3:THE FINAL CONFLICT director Graham Baker comes across like a moodier,more sombre version of George Romero's THE CRAZIES. Boasting decent performances from the talented Meg Tilly (whither her now??),Hume Cronyn and Tim Matheson,some judiciously used but very unsettling violence and one hell of a bleak ending,just a shame that such a good little movie has been given one of THE naffest and most inappropriate dvd covers of all time by MGM! Shame on them! It looks like a bad Brat Pack romance,guys!! Well worth purchasing,and wait for the bit with the fingers in the bar!!

NOT A HORROR MOVIE AND THE FRONT COVER ON THE DVD LOOKS MORE SCARIER THAN THE ACTUAL MOVIE.NOT AN 18 movie and it’s boring like the crazies.Slow moving 1984 movie and Meg Tilly acted well in it but that’s all.

Finally available on Region 2. I first bought this on Region 1,so pleased and it arrived well within the time limit.