Body Heat

Name: Body Heat
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: August 28, 1981
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Kathleen Turner, William Hurt

1981

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 65 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 65 Ratings

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Body Heat

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: August 28, 1981 | R

Starring: Kathleen Turner, William Hurt

Summary: Body Heat, a sexy, haunting tale of desire and skullduggery that echoes 1940s film noirs but is charged with an energy and passion that could only flare in the '80s. Sit back and bask in this contemporary classic's wicked warmth. (Warner Bros.)

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 113 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

Body Heat is good enough to make film noir play like we hadn't seen it before. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

An excellent crime drama in the style of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett. Read full review

Nathan Rabin

Kasdan's moody tribute to cinema's dark past set a gold standard for neo-noirs that has seldom been equaled. Read full review

Richard Corliss

Body Heat is full of meaty characters and pungent performances...a film to be seen at a drive-in, on a heavy summer night, with someone you trust. Read full review

Empire Ian Nathan

Still regarded as one of the steamiest movie's of all time, Body Heat is a fantastic exponenet of how noir has developed. Read full review

Dave Kehr

Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 noir fable is highly derivative in its overall conception, but it finds some freshness in its details. All in all, this evokes the spirit of James M. Cain more effectively than the 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice did. Read full review

Jay Scott

Hurt is so good at capturing the charming and chilling Ned that he almost makes up for the film's two primary weaknesses: Kasdan's inexperience and a message of significant unpleasantness. [28 Aug 1981, p.P17]

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User Reviews

timone

Nov 9, 2018

You know guys, I gotta tell you, this movie is great. Everything about this movie is done perfect! It takes thrills, chills and William Hurt and Kathleen Turner is in it. But there is one problem for me. Ted Danson is not comedic but the hell with it. That's okay. Take what's worth watching.You know guys, I gotta tell you, this movie is great. Everything about this movie is done perfect! It takes thrills, chills and William Hurt and Kathleen Turner is in it. But there is one problem for me. Ted Danson is not comedic but the hell with it. That's okay. Take what's worth watching. You gonna like it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

MichaelR.

Oct 10, 2007

This homage to Double Indemnity is one of the most captivating film noirs since Double Indemnity.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

AlanM.

Nov 25, 2008

Great Film Noir. My favorite of many great Lawrence Kasdan films, with Kathleen Turner at her sexiest best. Great intrigue and setup.

1 of 2 users found this helpful

Artie412

Apr 3, 2013

I don't give "10s," and this review is 32 years late, but Body Heat is one of those films that you can see over and over. It's a shame that there was never a sequel to Body Heat, or that the same elements didn't produce another neo-noir. I recommend this film highly.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

juliankennedy23

Jul 9, 2014

Body Heat: 9 out of 10: Many successful movies lose their ability to shock over the years. After hundreds of copy cats Alien isn't as effective as when it first came out. Kramer vs. Kramer certainly isn't the shocking eye opener it once was.

Body Heat should suffer the same fate. ItBody Heat: 9 out of 10: Many successful movies lose their ability to shock over the years. After hundreds of copy cats Alien isn't as effective as when it first came out. Kramer vs. Kramer certainly isn't the shocking eye opener it once was.

Body Heat should suffer the same fate. It doesn't. Despite a hundred direct to video takes on the same story (six of them with the exact same title) the movie still works. In fact it works very well indeed.

Writer Lawrence Kasdan had just penned Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire Strikes Back so it is a surprise he chooses noir for his first directing outing. (His next film was The Big Chill so this is one guy hard to pigeonhole) He both updates and in many ways upgrades the noir of the past.

By setting the movie in a Podunk Florida town he invokes John D Macdonald the way no Macdonald movie treatment has successfully done. His then unknown actors William Hurt and Kathleen Turner are pitch perfect.

This is a movie that really brings some new things to the table as it does some old things very well indeed. Like the best noir you are too involved to even begin to try to guess the next twist and turn.

Like Scorsese in Goodfellas or Huston in the Maltese Falcon Kasdan's directing is obviously very good yet his tricks remain hidden from view. Not a wasted shot and your television will sweat from all the heat generated.

Highly recommended to all fans of noir or simply fans of movies.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

The3AcademySins

Feb 24, 2020

Body Heat is a wonderfully directed, beautifully shot film noir. It is incredibly engaging, and a little bit campy, but man was this fun and engaging to watch. The acting is superb, and Lawrence Kasdan creates a very dreamy, very sexy atmosphere that permeates every inch of the screen. ThisBody Heat is a wonderfully directed, beautifully shot film noir. It is incredibly engaging, and a little bit campy, but man was this fun and engaging to watch. The acting is superb, and Lawrence Kasdan creates a very dreamy, very sexy atmosphere that permeates every inch of the screen. This is a great movie that holds up pretty well!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

oliver1h

Apr 2, 2013

The plot of this movie is totally unrealistic. I could not believe in these characters for a minute, even though the actors did a good job, but the problem is with the writing of the movie.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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