Body Heat (1981)

You won't be disappointed!

Just so...so bad

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

In the sultry Florida, an unusual heatwave parches its residents, Ned Racine (Hurt), a small-town lawyer, hooks up with a married woman, the drop-dead gorgeous Matty Walker (Turner, in her star- making silver screen debut), he irresistibly falls for her because it is the best sex he has ever had (extolled as one of the hottest moment ever on the celluloid), but is it vice versa? it will be open to debate to the chagrin of Ned in the end. Naturally, Matty is trapped in a dead-end marriage, she is the trophy wife of a filthy rich but sleazy businessman Edmund (Crenna), a murder plan is hatching up after Ned meets Edmund in person which cements his resolution to get rid of the scumbag once and for all (there is no sympathy to the rich hubby, the film firmly sticks to that route, even tactfully suggested by secondary characters, so as to intrigue audience to unconsciously side with Ned and Matty, notwithstanding the atrocious nature of their act), for the sake that he and Matty will be a happy ending, oh, he wishes!BODY HEAT is Lawrence Kasdan's director debut, who was the young and upcoming screenwriter behind two blockbusters STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES (1980) and RIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) at that time, the film transposes a femme fatale story, more specifically, akin to Billy Wilder's film-noir apotheosis DOUBL INDEMNITY (1944), to a sexually simulating template of a modern world, which would be unthinkable during the Production Code era, and unerringly keeps the twist up its sleeve until the very end, while leaving little hints every so often after the ill- fated husband has been successfully dispatched.The story is exclusively told from Ned's angle, so Matty is portrayed in the most gratifying way, being objectified as a damsel-in-distress with a provocative sex appeal ("do you want to lick it?"), and not just Ned, viewers as well, wants to believe he is her white knight thanks to the deceptive conviction of her perfection, from Ned's viewpoint, everything he has done so far is on a voluntary basis up until the forgery scheme pops out, Matty's perfect image is tainted with her greediness, but that is not the most alerting signal, a waking-up call is that she actually pulls the scheme off, as much as it looks like a windfall, what if it is not? It is just unthinkable that he is outsmarted and manipulated by a bimbo, not in this patriarchal society.It certainly gives Ned a nasty feeling to realise that he has been an unwitting pawn from day one, he is neither a natural force of masculine seduction, nor a well-endowed lover who can both mentally and sexually conquer the object of his desire, he is chosen simply on account of his job, which in fact, he is not very good at; more horrifyingly, he is expendable, that's where lies the cleverness of this otherwise well-anticipated script, Matty's last word to Ned is that she loves him in spite of everything, and as artificial as it sounds initially, if we look back afterwards, we tend to believe she actually means it, that's the exact reason why she doesn't kill him, the only thing she didn't plan beforehand is that she loves him, maybe not to a great extent that she is willing to divulge all her secrets, but she has a soft spot for him, which justifies the tip-off from the arsonist (Rourke, in his very early role, seen in merely two scenes), she does it intentionally, so that Ned can be forestalled, so it would only leave her to detonate the explosion (with an accentuated cue of being delayed for a few seconds), that's why the second murder plan, which looks like a lazy writing job at first, is actually a meticulously schemed escape plan by Matty, to frame Ned as the scapegoat and get rid of the only one who knows her real identity.The plan is so audacious and prone to high risk, it could've been much easier if she were cruel enough to leave Ned as a "dead" scapegoat, two bodies, two suspects would be gone in flames, it could be plan A to earn a clean slate. Matty is the ultimate femme fatale, unlike Barbara Stanwyck's Phyllis Dietrichson in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, she will not let herself fall prey of sentimentality, which doesn't imply that she is a callous monster, on the contrary, Ned's fate effectively if implicitly corroborates otherwise, she can relent as long as it doesn't hinder the eventual outcome, it is up to Kasdan's sharply ambivalent characterisation makes Matty so vividly entrancing, embodies mystery, danger and empowerment.Also widely praised for creating a sweaty, sizzling and misty environment in the winter time, for Hurt and Turner's utterly professional commitments, (however Ted Danson is unheralded as Ned's lawyer friend Peter, who exudes a tangible bromance, which unassumingly contrasts the mercurial game Ned is involved, and who says there are no true friends among members of the bar? Not to mention his improvised dance moves, one time, he is reduced into the upper-left corner of the frame, but still he rocks!) BODY HEAT confidently lives up to its reputation in a genre notorious for its gratuitous nudity exploitation and shoddy story development, a rare breed which does't leave a sense of guilty pleasure for being so diverting and erotic.

This is a sexy thriller not to be missed. If you like a plot with twists and turns and an unexpected ending, you'll love "Body Heat". It's literate, suspenseful, well-acted, beautiful photographed, reasonably believable, and very, very sexy. The script is superb, the performance of William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Mickey Rourke (it was Turner's and Rourke's debut) are exceptional, and the plot is just a dream come true. This movie is an excellent example of film noir; however, since it was released thirty years after that genre's heyday, some critics originally dismissed it as a "Double Indemnity" knockoff. Indeed, it does closely resemble that Billy Wilder classic, and, as Roger Ebert noted, it's hard to make a modern film noir.Body Heat is amazing in that it manages to keep the beloved elements of the genre and make them seem fresh and new, while adding a different visual style and of course putting the passion between the leads front and center in a way never before possible. The writing is amazing for both structure and dialogue. Turner and Hurt are in their early thirties and at the height of their considerable good looks. Ted Danson brings both lightness and a somber sadness to his role as the best friend and all of the supporting cast are amazing. The sexuality was definitely groundbreaking for the time. If you haven't yet seen this movie, do yourself a favor and buy it or stream it as soon as possible. It really does belong on those lists of top movies for its brilliance and is entertaining besides.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman (Kathleen Turner) convinces her lover (William Hurt), a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband (Richard Crenna).This film gets you very quickly with its raw sexuality. And yet, although the nudity is rather extreme, it never seems gratuitous. Which is weird. But hey, I guess sometimes it really does matter.One of the best parts of this film, besides the mystery and intrigue, is Ted Danson. I wish he showed up in the movie earlier. But you cannot always get what you want. Sometimes instead of Ted Danson, you get William Hurt's genitals flapping in the breeze.

BODY HEAT is the kind of film that I like. I knew 10 minutes into this movie that it was my kind of movie. The kind of movie that a sleazy and horny guy like me would enjoy. I almost felt like getting a drink while watching this. The jazz bars, the sweaty evenings, the beer cans, the cigarettes, the blondes - all of this is foregrounded to create a very sleazy yet classy aura.This was made in the time when pussies like WILLIAM HURT and TED DANSON were making their mark as Hollywood leading men. But HURT does a good job here. And KATHLEEN TURNER is very very sensual. The two of them have great chemistry. TED DANSON was a bit of an eye and ear sore. But that could be forgiven. MICKEY ROURKE who later said in an interview that he didn't think HURT was much of star, appears in a bit role.The heat of Florida was probably exaggerated a bit, especially in the sex scenes. But the opulent lifestyle of the rich in Florida is nice to look at. I wonder if this is one of the best films based in Florida. JOHN BARRY's score is used to great effect. This really is a great film noir.(8/10)