The early ‘70s were a lean time for William Shatner. While “Star Trek” was still omnipresent in pop culture via syndicated reruns, Shatner found lead roles sometimes hard to come by as he appeared in a bevy of TV movies and some sketchy independent features that were sometimes funnier than they were frightening. One of the “best” – or is the worst? -- of the lot was IMPULSE (87 mins., 1974, PG; Grindhouse), a wacky, Florida-lensed thriller that finds Shatner in “Evil Captain Kirk” mode right from the opening credits as a suave con man/psycho who preys upon wealthy women. Fully embracing the maniacal tendencies of his character, Shatner goes full “Shat” in this at-times uproarious William Grefe-directed feature, supported by none other than former 007 nemesis Harold Sakata (“Oddjob” from “Goldfinger”) for good measure.
I first came across “Impulse” back in the ‘90s when I tracked down an old VHS of the film, and boy, it did not disappoint for any die-hard Shatner fan. Grefe – a prolific helmer of low-budget Floridian drive-in fare who was also a 2nd unit director on “Live & Let Die” – stages a zany tale of a psychologically scarred Shatner who moves from one rich widow/spinster to another. His latest prey is Ruth Roman (“Strangers on a Train”) though he also harbors a fondness for singe mom Jenifer Bishop, whose young daughter (Kim Nicholas) sees through Shatner’s psychotic tendencies – especially after he (hysterically) mows down a dog while driving (“dogs lick their wounds real good!”).
Clad in a leisure suit and snapping to tell a chubby woman that she ought to be “ground up” into dog food, Shatner’s “Matt Stone” is a one-of-a-kind nutcase that the thesp goes all-out in portraying. This is one of the actor’s essential performances to be sure, and while I couldn’t help but laugh outloud at his shenanigans here, that awkwardness – and however you react to it – is part of the charm of “Impulse.” This is one of those “regional” exploitation films from the ‘60s/’70s made outside the Hollywood system – one with a big star who was languishing before Trek was resurrected late in the decade – that offers its own “folksy” charm and an anti-hero at its core that, if nothing else, makes for a hugely memorable movie-going experience.
Grindhouse Releasing has resurrected “Impulse” in a two-disc Blu-Ray that’s already one of my favorite releases of the year to date. Not only has Grindhouse included the movie in a print scan (the negative was lost) that’s mostly in good shape (1.85, mono), but the label has packed the release with loads of extras. These include long interviews (and a commentary) with Grefe plus a 2022 post-screening interview with Shatner, who’s engaging and enjoyable as always as he holds court, discussing the most turbulent period of his career. Speaking of that, C. Courtney Joyner also highlights a half-hour look at Shatner’s struggles in the post-”Trek” ‘70s, a decade which also included his later appearance in the enjoyable B-creature feature “Kingdom of the Spiders” (which is an absolute classic compared to “Impulse”).
Still more amusement can be found in Grefe’s industrial and commercial films, including a Shatner-led advertisement for Bacardi Rum, plus later “investment videos” featuring Shatner and Lauren Bacall which Grefe used to spearhead later productions in the ‘80s. They’re all included here alongside even more retrospective interviews with crew members, Grefe himself, and two other features Grefe helmed in standard-def (“The Devil’s Sisters” and Mickey Rooney-led “The Godmothers,” regarded as one of the unfunniest “comedies” ever made!). There’s even a local news report about Grefe’s work on “Live and Let Die,” additional shorts and plenty on Grefe and his work in and around the Miami area. It’s all capped with Shatner-narrated footage of Sakata’s “hanging” sequence – one which turned out to be all too real. Don’t miss it!
