Body Heat (BD)

Film Noir was a visual and thematic style first created in response to the dark times of the Depression and World War II. Posuers, losers, guys and dolls down on their luck, predators and those lost with their hearts and morals still somewhat intact drift hopelessly through a puzzling universe where fate undoes their attempts at escape be they good or evil. It is strong stuff and perennially green for our bewildering world, which explains why these films are not only classics, but gripping even when introduced to a new generation. Doomed (and stupid) passion drives a lot of these plots, at least in part, but the physical side of it had to be implied. Body Heat brings all of the despair, fatalism, appetite and doomed hope of the originals and makes the passion that drives the characters visible in Body Heat and it is heady stuff indeed. Body Heat is one of my all time favorite movies. Ned Racine is a low level lawyer in a small Florida city. He serves the down and out and petty criminals from his two room office during daylight hours and the prettier of the local women at night as his blonde good looks and lost boy charm are a draw, but he is never really engaged in any of his many affairs. Wandering one evening during a heat wave he meets Maddy Walker, the wife of a wealthy local businessman. Racine pursues her and they begin an affair of blistering lust - the body heat of the title. As with all lust, there is an unacknowledged emotional component. Maddy is unhappily married and her husband stands in the way, not only of their happiness, but of their being happy with money. As in Double Indemnity , Body Heat's most direct antecedent, they discuss a plan to murder the husband, at first as a fantasy, but as time goes on with more and more seriousness. I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but 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, indeed, I think all of the Star Wars franchise would be classics if Kasdan had been kept on as the screenwriter. The man knows how to turn a phrase and build a puzzle. 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. 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.

Quite simply a terrific movie from start to finish. Ted Danson is fun to watch and Kathleen Turner is hot. It has an excellent plot that doesn't stop or slow down so pay attention to the details and do not look at your phone while you're watching.

This film is unpredictable with slightly steamy scenes. You will be misled until the last scene, which make the film worth watching.

This review is of the HD Instant Video rented here; I have not seen any of the DVD versions. This is a long, languid, film about a man who meets a woman, who has a husband, a rich old husband who's always out of town, so they decide they'll kill him and live happily ever after on his money, except that the woman was actually thinking she'd keep it all for herself... "Double Indemnity" all over again, and just as good as the first time around, only steamier. And with none of the irritating mannerisms of Fred MacMurray. This is not a movie to put in if you're going to be distracted, have other things on your mind, or have only budgeted a little movie time. Like "Chinatown" (whose soundtrack this film seems to channel) this story is tightly wound and takes some unravelling, so you have to be ready to sit it out, let it all develop, like waiting for a heat wave to pass. When the film gets around to introducing the two main characters, William Hurt is standing near a bandshell, listening to a swing band play to a packed crowd, out to escape their sweltering houses. Kathleen Turner's Maddy gets up and walks away, to the boardwalk, and Hurt is struck dead by her beauty. Of course he should have kept his pants shut and everything would have worked out, but then we'd have had to find something else to do for two hours. It's this early part of the film that most evokes the noir classics, the taut dialogue between Bogie and Bacall, and others. To that end, while Hurt plays his role admirably, the real applause goes to Ms. Turner. Hurd is just another guy; Kathleen Turner acts the part of a movie star. Her every move is fluidly calculated, complete, a rare act in those days, save for a talented few, like Turner, and of course, Faye Dunaway. LIke the Movie Goddesses of yore, who could make the grabbing, and opening, of a cigarette box, and the extraction of a cigarette from it, a moment of high drama; Ms. Turner's every move flows to the climax of the final gesture, nothing is left for chance, not a bone in her body is out of place---watch some other piece from the early '80's and how some pretty big names act as if they have claws for hands and hoofs for feet... I should hasten to add though, this is not a period piece, it is a contemporary telling, set in the period it was filmed, the early 1980's. That said, it is most certainly paying homage to the noir films of the forties. And, from our perspective, where the eighties are almost as far back to us as the forties were to them, it works on both levels. The Florida town had seen better days, and even the mansion seems a bit seedy, weedy, and faded; the bars don't look like that any more, and of course today, if Main Street is still in business at all, it's either purely ethnic, or gone shiny Corporate, with national chains. So we're looking at a lost world that was fading when the camera focused on it, and today the effect is even more evocative than it was then. Overly excitable folks, for whom nudity and sex is to be avoided will, unfortunately, have to avoid at least the first half of this film, as most of the early encounters rarely evoke the dialogue of the classics as much as they go after the flesh the censors wouldn't have allowed, and there is quite a bit of it, although not so much as we'd take for granted today. The camera doesn't go below a certain line no matter which way the person is standing, and while facial expressions may convey the heat of the moment, you never see them actually getting it on, the film reverts to period modesty, which actually adds a bit of class, given what we've seen since. If you have the time for a long but well paced movie, and are ready to turn off the phone and commit, I think you'll find yourself rewarded for the effort; otherwise I'd suggest you make the time later, as you really do want to sit back and let yourself be drawn into this very well done work of film.

This is (so far) the definitive version of this movie to own. The transfer is excellent; it looks like Warner has done some work on the restoration/transfer, as the image has good color and excellent detail; much better than previous incarnations. The sound is 5.1, but won't really put your surround system to the test; however, the fantastic score by John Barry sounds more lush than it ever has on video. The story is of Ned Racine (William Hurt), a less than stellar Florida attorney who has a less than stellar list of clients. He's a good looking romeo who falls for the wrong girl on a hot summer night. Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner, in a stunning film debut) and Ned have instant chemistry, despite the fact that she is a married woman. Her husband is a wealthy, powerful, and corrupt man (Richard Crenna) who stands in the way of Ned & Matty and the money. Blinded by lust, Ned sees murder as the only way he and Matty can have a future together. On paper, this would seem like your standard potboiler murder film from the 40s, rehashed in the 80s. Thanks to Lawrence Kasdan's direction and stellar performances by Hurt & Turner, this movie bears repeated viewings and will keep you on the edge of your seat as it will continually surprise you. Turner is incredible; you can see the layers of her character and never quite know what she is capable of until the end; and then you'll want to watch it all over again with the knowledge of that ending and then you can see the manipulative talents that she uses over Ned in a different light. John Barry's music is a character in itself; it would be hard to image this film without his lush, evocative score. The supporting cast is also excellent; Ted Danson is hard to recognize at first as the dorky attorney/confidant of Ned Racine. The extras are fantastic; Turner, Hurt, and Kasdan are all interviewed in the "Making Of" documentaries, and you learn how this semi-independent film stayed true to its vision and created a tidal wave when it was released. There are two vintage interviews with Turner and Hurt; Turner comes off much better than Hurt, who seems somewhat spaced out. Both are of good length and give slightly different information from the current documentary. There are also a number of deleted scenes, which were correctly removed from the final version, but still interesting to watch. Most interesting is the decision to delete the attempted murder scene and combine it with a later scene to improve the pacing. Of course the theatrical trailer is also included. If you have previous versions of this film, time to upgrade - The Deluxe Edition is the one to own!

A few weeks ago I said to a good friend of mine: "The film shows you how weak men are." My friend, a lady, said: "I don't need a film to tell me that." We both laughed. I was referring to a similar film from 12 years later called Body of Evidence. Both films deal with attorneys who are seduced by sexually powerful women. Both films show how men can be destroyed by their insatiable desire for female flesh. However, the endings are different in the two films. I will not give away too much of this movie's plot. However, I will say that Lawrence Kasdan is a genius! Not only was he instrumental in creating Star Wars and Indiana Jones (He Also Reimagined Star Wars 30 Years Later), but he created his own genre piece with the film noir! I was amazed and loved the film. Every character had their place and they more than held their own! Seeing a young Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke only enthralled me more into the story. The Hall of Famer Richard Crenna only solidified the greatness of the story. J.A. Preston's solid supporting role was one of the best written in the film. Kasdan said in the Body Heat Documentary: "He's the one character in the movie who has a code that he absolutely lives by." The waitress who manages the diner was a scene stealer. The performances in this film rocked all around! Five Stars way high for this film. Buy it and you won't be disappointed. I'm the 477th person to review this fine film. By the way, I don't want to leave out William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. They had such an incredible chemistry together. Turner shines in this film and as a man I can only wonder what would happen to me if I encountered so sexy and sultry a woman. I too would become weak. Men are helpless when a beautiful woman walks into the room. A. Nathaniel Wallace, Jr.

Great movie, body heat

Movie 10 of 1981 and 90 overall in my journey through films of my lifetime. At one point I was an aspiring film maker. I'm sure that's a surprise. To start my journey we used to have a book store called "Hawley Cooke." I got lucky and found "Screenplay" by Syd Field. Turns out that book is standard fair for film students even today. He highlighted several movies and he raved about "Body Heat." He really loved the beginning in terms of visualizing the story. Needless to say I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. I'll say this: there is a big difference between the page and the screen. Field was right that the opening was well done. The fire off in the distance sent an awesome, subtle message. Unfortunately "subtle" went out the window quickly. The constant reminders of how hot the temperature was became comedic. It got to the point that I started creating my own dialog for the characters where every conversation eventually, no matter how relevant, pertained to the heat. Someone should have parodied that in "The Naked Gun" or something. Anyway, the overt reference to the weather eroded the subtlety that Field lauded with great approval. Something that was subtle and distributed with perfect pitch was the noir element. Similar to the origin story craze of the early 2000's we are set up for some of the noir esthetic. At one point a Bogey hat is introduced in the story as a sign of trust but to the audience it is a tip of the hat, as it were, to what is attempting to be accomplished. I loved this so much. What hurt "Body Heat" the most was our featured la femme fatal's omniscience. Similar to "Vertigo," her scheme required perfect mind reading and almost God like control of space and time to pull off her plan. Very far fetched. For many this is not a problem. Personally I can't always look past it. In the case of "Inception" its flaws don't trouble me at all. Not so with "Body Heat." Pros -great story despite its flaws -great acting -music is perfect albeit dated -Noir done right Cons -Some dialog is contrived -story requires more suspension of disbelief than I care to handle -more subtle and creative solutions to creating an atmosphere would have been well received

At less than $20 aud - this was an absolute bargain!

1981's Body Heat had all the ingredients to be really quite awful. Turned out to be not so. Star Wars co-writer Lawrence Kasdan' s debut in the directors chair was also to be the curtain raising feature for the movies true star Kathleen Turner. She positively rocks my world as the nasty scheming 'Marty Walker'. William Hurt co-stars as the doomed 'Ned Racine'. Poor Ned falls so madly in love with Maddie, that he even commits to murder on what is supposedly their joint behalf. To be fair, Turners on thus form could seduce those no longer with us. It all somehow feels too smart to labelled an erotic thiller, so only hesitantly will I call it so. The best movie of it's type.

Une très bonne intrigue, Un film magistralement bien joué par les deux acteurs principaux. Il tient en haleine jusqu'au bout. Fabuleux. Kathleen Turner, toujours très grande comédienne, y donne également toute les nuances de la palette de son talent.

Wer "Frau ohne Gewissen" toll fand, wird Body Heat lieben. Eine Femme Fatale verführt einen schneidigen Anwalt und macht ihn zum Spielball ihrer exotischen Reize. Absolut sehenswert

Clásico del cine neo noir