Body Heat (1981)

Synopsis:

A second-rate lawyer, Ned Racine (William Hurt, Kiss of the Spider Woman), begins a clandestine love affair with a shifty businessman’s wife, Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner, Romancing The Stone). As their relationship intensifies, the lovers hatch a devious plan to murder Matty’s husband and keep all his money.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“I don’t blame you for thinking I’m bad. I am. I know it.”

Lawrence Kasdan’s erotic crime drama Body Heat is a quasi-remake of Billy Wilder’s unforgettable noir classic Double Indemnity (1944) and as such it had some big shoes to fill. Against all expectations, the film is not only a stylish and intelligent reimagining of the beloved 1944 oldie, but also one of the best thrillers of the 1980s.

There are so many places where this movie could go wrong, and yet writer-director Kasdan (The Big Chill) miraculously avoids every single land mine. The first smart thing Kasdan did was to transport the story from sunny California to humid Florida — the Sunshine State’s hot, sticky climate adds another layer to the story.

Kasdan knew what he was doing: the sweaty Floridian weather provides the perfect backdrop for a wicked story of lust and greed. However, the most remarkable thing about Kasdan’s excellent script is that it somehow manages to reconfigure the plot of a 1940s movie to reflect the ethos of the 1980s. Consequently, Body Heat perfectly embodies an era characterized by extreme materialism and self-interest.

Having said all that, I don’t think the film would have worked without the brilliant performances of actors William Hurt and Kathleen Turner as the amoral couple. Turner, in particular, is sensational in her film debut. The way she walks. The way she talks. You can’t take your eyes off her. I also loved how Turner keeps us guessing until the very end — you never know when she is being sincere or manipulative.

Hurt is great as well. He has in fact the most challenging role in the movie. Let’s get this absolutely clear, in order for the movie to work, Hurt has to convince the audience that he is dumb enough to fall head-over-heels for such an obviously morally dubious, scheming woman. Hurt is so good at conveying dim-wittiness that, despite his genuinely reprehensible behavior, we end up feeling sorry for the poor sap.

Among the supporting characters, Richard Crenna (First Blood) stands out as Turner’s shady husband — Crenna hits the right balance between arrogance and creepiness. Ted Danson (Three Men and a Baby) is essentially playing a revised version of the old Edward G. Robinson role (Keyes in Double Indemnity), and he is very good. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) has a small but important role as an arsonist.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

Body Heat is a perfect neo-noir, one of the best films of its kind. It is also one of my favorite movies. I do want to warn people who have never seen it: this an extremely downbeat and cynical movie that shows humans at their worst. But as a piece of fatalistic filmmaking, it rarely gets better than this. It is therefore highly recommended to anyone who enjoys adult-oriented murder-mysteries! Color, 113 minutes, Rated R.

Theatrical Trailer: