Impulse (1974)

**_Shatner as a “puppy dog left in the middle of the road”_** 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-