Body Heat (1981)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Pierluigi P

  
  Perfectly woven erotic thriller, made from the same cloth of noir classics "The postman always rings twice" and "Double indemnity". Sensuality fill its air thanks to great writing, John Barry's jazzy score and the debutant Kathleen Turner's presence.… More
  Perfectly woven erotic thriller, made from the same cloth of noir classics "The postman always rings twice" and "Double indemnity". Sensuality fill its air thanks to great writing, John Barry's jazzy score and the debutant Kathleen Turner's presence. Destiny and greed always step on a murderous pact between lovers.

• Melvin W

  
  Ned: You better take me up on this quick. In about 45 minutes, I'm going to give up and go away.  I'd been told Body Heat was a fantastic movie, but before watching it for myself I had my doubts. First, I was never a big Kathleen Turner fan. Also, it just didn't look… More
  Ned: You better take me up on this quick. In about 45 minutes, I'm going to give up and go away.  I'd been told Body Heat was a fantastic movie, but before watching it for myself I had my doubts. First, I was never a big Kathleen Turner fan. Also, it just didn't look like a movie that could entertain me for two hours. I'm glad to say I was wrong. Kathleen Turner turned in an amazing performance as Matty Walker and the movie was not lacking in entertainment and suspense. It had it all. It was an erotic, suspenseful crime-thriller. Watching Turner and Hurt on the screen together was real joy. This was Turner's first role and Hurt's second, but they looked like veterans on the screen. Their chemistry was spot on perfect and left you satisfied with their relationship. Ted Danson turned in a nice little supporting role as Ned's(Willaim Hurt) best friend. Although he wasn't on screen all that much, when he was, he played his role really well. The story seems pretty straight forward and I thought the movie was going to go the length without a twist. I thought it was going to be a what you see is what you get movie. That however isn't the case in the end. The film didn't cheat with it's twist though. It makes sense and if you think back, you can see how this could have happened. It's a real testament to both the filmmaker and to both Hurt and Turner.  Lawrence Kasden, in his film debut also, weaves a very compelling and believable noir. Hurt and Turner look so authentic together that you think their relationship is real. The way they look at each other. The way they talk to each other. The way they touch each other. It all looks so genuine and realistic, that I almost forgot I was watching a movie altogether.  Body Heat is a masterpiece in every single conceivable way.  It is influenced by the film noir's of the 40's and 50's and that influence is easily seen. Even in a 1980's setting the 40 and 50's influences don't seem out of place. Everything works so well together. The dialogue, settings, music, performances, and even the way the smoldering heat of Florida is used. It all fits together in the most perfect way to make an amazing film experience.

• AJ V

  
  A fantastic erotic thriller with great actors and a great mystery, I really liked it, and I highly recommend it.

• ♥Robyn

  
  William Hurt plays lawyer Ned Racine who allows his lust and greed to destroy his life, it shows the building relationship between the two lovers, Ned Racine and the married femme-fatale Matty Walker,(kathleen turner). this movie is about a conniving woman(matty) who uses her… More
  William Hurt plays lawyer Ned Racine who allows his lust and greed to destroy his life, it shows the building relationship between the two lovers, Ned Racine and the married femme-fatale Matty Walker,(kathleen turner). this movie is about a conniving woman(matty) who uses her sexuality to get what she wants,her ability to manipulate her gullible lover to murder her husband so she can inherit his entire fortune...has a surprise ending~!

• Dan S

  
  A well-crafted 80's noir thriller that takes a few pages out of classic 30's/40's films and creates something that is as cleverly seductive as it is intoxicating from an atmospheric perspective. While there are instances where the melodrama weighs this film down (the… More
  A well-crafted 80's noir thriller that takes a few pages out of classic 30's/40's films and creates something that is as cleverly seductive as it is intoxicating from an atmospheric perspective. While there are instances where the melodrama weighs this film down (the scene with Hurt breaking into the house is especially cringe-worthy), the way this whole thing is scripted is impossible not to admire. For the most part, Hurt plays his sleazy character skillfully and shows his many sides effectively. Turner is undeniably a presence who you could argue steals the whole thing due to her innocent looks and obvious insecurity. Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke are also memorable in small bits. The most well put-together aspect of this whole thing is, unsurprisingly, a twist ending that you can sense is coming but you can't completely nail down. The result is something satisfying. Not a masterpiece, but certainly an impressive film debut from director Lawrence Kasdan, and an even better one from Turner herself.

• Conner R

  
  By all means, Body Heat is a better movie than Double Indemnity. It’s a challenge to remake a classic and even harder to re-imagine an entire genre, but somehow this manages to so flawlessly. It’s almost tragic that Lawrence Kasdan made his masterpiece as a first time director.… More
  By all means, Body Heat is a better movie than Double Indemnity. It’s a challenge to remake a classic and even harder to re-imagine an entire genre, but somehow this manages to so flawlessly. It’s almost tragic that Lawrence Kasdan made his masterpiece as a first time director. The film is so beautiful looking and dynamic, that you almost wonder how they got it that way. When I think of Neo-Noir, this is one of the first that comes to mind. It’s a classic story of femme fatales, manipulation, money and death. What really makes you fall in love with the story is the acting, even more so than the plot. William Hurt and Kathleen Turner play very archetypal roles, yet do it with such grace that you feel like it’s being delivered for the first time. They make extremely sleazy characters come off as sympathetic and relatable. The love story is so twisted, but so much fun at the same time. It truly warrants its title. I love movies that take forgotten concepts and make them new again, most of the time making even more of an impact than their influences. I think next to Chinatown, it is the best homage to the Film Noir genre.

• Cassie H

  
  A very good suspenseful sexy thriller. Kathleen Turner's acting in this was fantastic and William Hurt's acting was very good as well. I enjoyed it alot! :)

• Stephen M

  
  <I>"You better take me up on this quick or else in about forty-five minutes I'm gonna get up and walk away"</I> Of course it's impossible to watch this without thinking of <I>Double Indemnity</I>, though Lawrence Kasdan's movie has too… More
  <I>"You better take me up on this quick or else in about forty-five minutes I'm gonna get up and walk away"</I> Of course it's impossible to watch this without thinking of <I>Double Indemnity</I>, though Lawrence Kasdan's movie has too many brilliant ideas of its own - that ingenious final twist among them - to be dismissed as a mere rip-off or an affectionate pastiche of classic noir. In fact, unconstrained by Forties censorship and the Hayes Code's stipulation that crime must not be seen to pay, <I>Body Heat</I> actually improves upon Billy Wilder's masterpiece in a couple of key respects. While cleverly letting the Florida climate create most of his steamy atmosphere for him, Kasdan is able to present a more explicit - and therefore more credible - portrait of a good man driven to murder by obsessive lust. For a first film, Kasdan's direction is supremely confident and the cast list (William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Mickey Rourke, Ted Danson) reads like a Who's Who of people who were going places in the early Eighties.

• Luke B

  
  Excellent 80's film noir where the only real negative is that sometimes the dated 80's feel clashes with the archaic 30s/40s touches. The dialogue is as sizzling hot as the setting. Lines roll off the stars tongues in a very natural but artistic way. Hurt plays a very real… More
  Excellent 80's film noir where the only real negative is that sometimes the dated 80's feel clashes with the archaic 30s/40s touches. The dialogue is as sizzling hot as the setting. Lines roll off the stars tongues in a very natural but artistic way. Hurt plays a very real everyman. He's seduced by a femme fatale, but thinks he is in control. His character gains our sympathy without ever asking for it. It's nice to see Rourke in his younger days and Turner is super sexy, not just in her looks. It's perfectly understandable how Hurt falls for her. It's a good little thriller even if some of the turns are too concerned with paying tribute to the genre.

• Mark H

  
  Sexually charged film noir with Kathleen Turner, in her film debut, as the femme fatale who seduces a naive attorney into murdering her husband. Turner and William Hurt generate significant sexual chemistry as the lusty couple consumed by passion. Hot Florida coastal setting adds to… More
  Sexually charged film noir with Kathleen Turner, in her film debut, as the femme fatale who seduces a naive attorney into murdering her husband. Turner and William Hurt generate significant sexual chemistry as the lusty couple consumed by passion. Hot Florida coastal setting adds to the steamy atmosphere of this erotic thriller.

• Chris G

  
  At a bandstand during a heat wave in a small Florida town Ned Racine (William Hurt) meets the sultry Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) and change their lives forever. Racine is a scuzzy lawyer who screws everything that allows him to, while Matty is the trophy wife for an older man… More
  At a bandstand during a heat wave in a small Florida town Ned Racine (William Hurt) meets the sultry Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) and change their lives forever. Racine is a scuzzy lawyer who screws everything that allows him to, while Matty is the trophy wife for an older man (Richard Crenna) who may not be on the level. As Ned and Matty continue into their passionate affair they decide that there is only one solution: they have to kill her husband. Body Heat is a classic film noir tale that takes place in the heat of the moment in a town that is dark, dirty, and lacking air conditioning. Lawrence Kasdan takes the reigns of his first film and runs with it in what starts out as almost a softcore porn tale and transforms into a dark story about a love triangle populated by three bad people, but they're bad for different reasons. The cast is great and Kasdan shows what a great talent he is behind the camera. Body Heat is a film with more depth than what it has been given credit for. A great, murky film.

• Mason W

  
  Body Heat from 1981 starring Kathleen Turner (her first starring role) and William Hurt. This movie centers around a very wealthy and married woman (Turner) whom meets a very single and interestsed man (Hurt). A web of lies and games are in the midst for this ill fated couple. A… More
  Body Heat from 1981 starring Kathleen Turner (her first starring role) and William Hurt. This movie centers around a very wealthy and married woman (Turner) whom meets a very single and interestsed man (Hurt). A web of lies and games are in the midst for this ill fated couple. A big Kathleen Turner and William Hurt fan here...check this classic 80's film out!

• Aaron N

  
  Matty: You aren't too smart. I like that in a man. Here's a line that starts off the relationship between a seductive femme fatal and an unwitting lawyer in this well made neo-noir. Its a good enough movie, which works mainly because of its well written dialog, the only… More
  Matty: You aren't too smart. I like that in a man. Here's a line that starts off the relationship between a seductive femme fatal and an unwitting lawyer in this well made neo-noir. Its a good enough movie, which works mainly because of its well written dialog, the only problem lies in the fact that its very predictable for anyone familiar with this type of story. However, originality and execution are two different things. William Hurt stars as Ned Racine, a Florida lawyer and bachelor making good use of the women around town. One hot night he attempts to pick up a blonde dressed in white, played by Kathleen Turner. Later on, he's in her house, attempting to get into her red dress, which could stand for either love or danger (guess). Despite being married, Turner's sexy Matty begins a passionate affair with Ned, eventually resulting in a plot to have the rich husband murdered. Of course, even if the plan goes off, things are never as simple as they seem. This movie essentially follows the plot of Double Indemnity, among other noir films, with some obvious changes. Its not much of a spoiler to say that Ned may be in over his head, but the story does have some better twists towards the end. Peter: I think I've underestimated you Ned. I don't know why it took me so long. You've started using your incompetence as a weapon. What also helps is some of the supporting players, which includes Ted Danson as a friend of Ned's who also enjoys imitating Fred Astaire and Mickey Rourke as a low-level bomb maker. The film was written and directed by Lawrence Kasden, who previously made a name for himself for serving as a writer for Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Arc. Here, he directs a movie that uses the humidity of Florida to literally fill the scenes with atmosphere. He has also written a script where all of the characters bounce dialog off each other, which both evokes the noir films it was inspired by and works almost in terms of being self referential. As a whole, this is a good movie with a familiar story and great dialog, Ned: Maybe you shouldn't dress like that. Matty: This is a blouse and a skirt. I don't know what you're talking about. Ned: You shouldn't wear that body.

• Michael S

  
  Almost as good as Double Idemnity. A brilliant noir.

• Red L

  
  Tis a great movie. The plot is interesting, the acting well done, the sex scenes are steamy and it doesn't even end all Hollywoodish.

• xGary X

  
  More famous for it's then shocking sex scenes, this is actually a quality noir thriller with a decent twist in the tale. The rather limited Kathleen Turner has never been better as the femme fatale.

• Dean M

  
  This film's really hot so Kathleen Turner is too.

• Stephen E

  
  I really admire William Hurt. I think that he is one of the best actors of his generation, and his performance is Body Heat is wonderful. It's one of my main reasons for liking this film. But that is not the greatest thing about this film. To me, it is. But to you, who knows?… More
  I really admire William Hurt. I think that he is one of the best actors of his generation, and his performance is Body Heat is wonderful. It's one of my main reasons for liking this film. But that is not the greatest thing about this film. To me, it is. But to you, who knows? You could say that you liked the performances from the supporting cast or the smooth Altman-like cinematography or even the dense and intelligent writing from Lawrence Kasdan, and all of these wood be good answers. Especially the writing. The writing here is fantastic. The dialogue is so perfect and meaningful, and it fits so perfectly with these characters. When they say it, you believe it because it's the kinds of things people talk about. AFI has this film listed on their "100 Thrills" list, yet I didn't find it all that thrilling. It was dramatic and some scenes were tense, but this, to me, is what a romantic picture is, or rather should be. And whaddaya know. Body Heat is on AFI's "100 Passions" list. Ha.

• Hal M

  
  What a debut for Lawrence Kasdan! Excellent script, good music score, and perfectly acting by William Hurt and Kathleen Turner (in fact probably the best film either star was ever in). The story line is a paradigm of the film noir genre; but the cinematography is definitely not: One… More
  What a debut for Lawrence Kasdan! Excellent script, good music score, and perfectly acting by William Hurt and Kathleen Turner (in fact probably the best film either star was ever in). The story line is a paradigm of the film noir genre; but the cinematography is definitely not: One does not shoot a traditional film noir in well-lit color, from standard angles! If at all possible see it on the big screen; but it's rewarding as a DVD video too.

• Chris B

  
  Amazing Direction and a cast that become their characters so fully you forget it's a movie. Filmed like a classic noir film, Neo-Noir would be it's technical genre and it certainly has that old school charm and characteristics. As if that wasn't enough to make a great… More
  Amazing Direction and a cast that become their characters so fully you forget it's a movie. Filmed like a classic noir film, Neo-Noir would be it's technical genre and it certainly has that old school charm and characteristics. As if that wasn't enough to make a great film, the soundtrack is wonderfully haunting and beautiful and matches the feel and scope of the film perfectly. Highly Recommended!

Read all 20 featured audience ratings