Impulse is a 1990 American neo-noir[3] film directed by Sondra Locke, and starring Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, and George Dzundza.

It follows a female police officer who works as an undercover prostitute in Los Angeles, who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.

After a sting operation ends with Lottie killing a drug dealer and two of his thugs, she heads home, rattled, and suffers a tire blowout en route.

Excusing herself to the mansion's bathroom, Lottie comes to her senses about the seriousness of the situation and prepares to leave, only to hear gunshots ring out.

Curious, Lottie drives to the airport to access the locker and is shocked to find a suitcase inside with $1 million in hundred-dollar bills.

Stan later arrives and incapacitates Morgan before giving Lottie the keys to his car, where he reveals he has stored Tony's money in the trunk.

[4] Caryn James of The New York Times called the film "amazingly pedestrian," concluding that, "after a harrowing failed drug buy, Lottie does lose control and steps into the role she has been playing.

"[5] The Los Angeles Times's Michael Wilmington gave the film a middling review, though he conceded: "[it is] frosty-cool on top and hot underneath, full of sleek surfaces and nervous undercurrents.

She doesn’t get swept away in action-movie froufrou and preposterous plot twists the way Kathryn Bigelow did in that other tough-lady-in-distress thriller, Blue Steel.

"[6] Roger Ebert championed the film, praising Russell's performance and Locke's direction, comparing it to Robert Bresson's Pickpocket (1959).