Impulsions

C. Thomas Howell, star of 'Soul Man' and 'The Outsiders', among many other 80's classics, tries his hand at a something a little different in this made for TV suspense thriller. Potentially miscast, Howell pulls off quite a strong performance as the All-American businessman letting his hair down and acting like a rebellious teenager again. Right along side him for every mishap are his uptight business-friend (Nancy Allen from 'Robocop' fame) and the instigator of all this trouble, Linda Fiorentino. Playing a B-movie `scream queen' who's wanted for murder, Fiorentino steals every scene she's in, proving early on that she could even shine in crappy films. Being a TV film, it was pretty cheesy, and not very entertaining, but it did keep me guessing until the last moment, which ultimately is the goal of these types of films. Not one to be in any hurry to watch, but enjoyable if you stumble across it. Rating: 23/40

Perhaps not my genre but plot was horrible as was acting by Nancy Allen and Linda Farentino. C. Thomas also seemed uncomfortable in role of being seduced here (while on marijuana? why did this need to be included? this weakened plot considerably). Also Farentino's charac. would have been better had she had more respect for a relationship. Would does movie try to say? not much.

I'll give credit where credit is due, and say that Linda Fiorentino gives a good performance as a hard-drinking actress who does what she wants. She's brash, sassy, hard-edged, and very sexy; she is much better than this film deserves.

But that is IT. This dull suspense film is a fragmented mess, attempting at once to be a stalker thriller, a murder thriller, a tale of loyalty and betrayal, and a steamy erotic thriller. The film, my friends, isn't thrilling in the slightest.

For instance, who thought of casting C. Thomas Howell as a desirable leading man? He is not ugly, but for crying out loud, it looks as though Fiorentino's tough-cookie goddess is getting it on with a kindergarten teacher. Howell has neither the authority or screen presence to fill the leading man role.

The script is by far the worst aspect of the film. There is no tension as Fiorentino's character gets eerie phone calls, there is no mystery concerning her guilt in the murders that are the focus of the film, there is no sense of liberation as Fiorentino gets wimpy Howell to lose his inhibitions.

Look for interesting but poorly-done cameos by Adam Ant and Issac Hayes, and one really, really good sex scene between Howell and Fiorentino. Besides that, my first impulse would be to put this sorry piece of trash down and go rent something else.

Linda is sexy as usual. A decent little movie considering that it is a made for cable movie. The plot is pedestrian, the dialog is average for this level movie and Howell is a little weak, as usual. However, Linda delivers pretty well. Her role is not nearly as strong as the one in The Last Seduction, but she is always fun to watch. All in all, not a bad way to kill 93 minutes.

The plot is scatter shot, part murder mystery, part romance, and mostly goofy shenanigans. This uneasy mix makes "Acting on Impulse" so uneven that if it weren't for some darkly humorous dialog, a great looking black 1954 Corvette, and a few decent cameo appearances, the movie would be totally forgettable. Paul Bartel plays a movie director, which is really typecasting, since he was a director. Isaac Hayes is in and out of the picture from time to time as a detective, and Mary Woronov is a plain jane hotel desk clerk. Linda Fiorentino plays a second tier actress who is wanted for murdering a producer, and she eventually hooks up with C. Thomas Howell, and Nancy Allen at a pharmaceutical convention. The film has a very claustrophobic feel, as most of the story takes place in a hotel. It is definitely watchable, but the mish-mash script is constantly dragging it down, and oh yes there is a surprise ending. - MERK