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Body Heat (1981)

 -  Crime | Drama | Thriller  -  28 August 1981 (USA)
7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 16,819 users   Metascore: 78/100
Reviews: 140 user | 62 critic | 10 from Metacritic.com

In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman convinces her lover, a small-town lawyer, to murder her rich husband.

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Title: Body Heat (1981)

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Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Edmund Walker
...
Peter Lowenstein
...
Oscar Grace (as J. A. Preston)
...
...
Mary Ann
Jane Hallaren ...
Stella
Lanna Saunders ...
Roz Kraft
Carola McGuinness ...
Heather Kraft
Michael Ryan ...
Miles Hardin
Larry Marko ...
Judge Costanza
Deborah Lucchesi ...
Beverly
Lynn Hallowell ...
Angela
Thom Sharp ...
Michael Glenn (as Thom J. Sharp)
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Storyline

Ned Racine is a seedy small town lawyer in Florida. During a searing heatwave he's picked up by married Matty Walker. A passionate affair commences but it isn't long before they realise the only thing standing in their way is Matty's rich husband Edmund. A plot hatches to kill him but will they pull it off? Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

She taught him everything she knew - about passion and murder. See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

28 August 1981 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Cuerpos ardientes  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The make and model of the silver gun seen in the film was, according to the Internet Movie Firearms Database, a Colt Detective Special .38 calibre 3rd Generation snubnose revolver. See more »

Goofs

Fog depicted in some scenes, is unheard of along the South Florida coast in summertime. See more »

Quotes

Ned: I need someone to take care of me, someone to rub my tired muscles, smooth out my sheets.
Matty: Get married.
Ned: I just need it for tonight.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Bitch Is Back (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

"Feel Like a Number"
(1978)
Music and Lyrics by Bob Seger (uncredited)
as Performed by Bob Seger
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
This Will Heat You Up On A Cold Winter Night!
26 November 2005 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

A modern remake of the 1940s film, "Double Indemnity," this movie has a solid, large fan base of its own. That's justifiable, too, because this is well done.

It sports a 1940s-type film noir soundtrack but the rest is purely 1980s. By that, I mainly mean nudity and profanity, although the language isn't that offensive.

Kathleen Turner plays a femme fatale, similar to Barbara Stanwyck's role with Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity," except with a different ending. Actually, the entire story is quite different from the classic film noir. William Hurt has MacMurray's male lead role. I liked the classic actors better but Turner and Hurt shine with their performances, too.

This is steamy movie to say the least. Set on hot, humid Florida summer nights, you can almost feel the heat coming out from the TV screen and the heat from the two leads going at it several times. Turner is excellent as a woman who will go to great lengths for money, as they sometimes do. (Hey, my 87-year-old father is dating a 24-year bimbo in Florida, so I know of where I speak.)

The story is divided into three segments: (1) the setup; (2) the romance and plotting of the crime and (3) the crime and unraveling of Hurt as things begin to go very wrong.

An intriguing film, this loses nothing with multiple viewings. It's always interesting. The more I watched this, the more I found - as the case frequently is - myself fascinated with some of the lesser characters such as Hurt's two friends, played by Ted Danson and J.A. Preston. Danson, by the way, gives us a preview of the amoral character he played later in the hit TV series, "Cheers."

This is the kind of film you snuggle up with someone on a cold winter night. It will warm you up as much as your partner!


54 of 61 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
For Matty, procuring the dream is better than living it ohhmyy
'It is hot.' Meggie-3
Does the law in this picture bother anybody else? Monica_M_C
Does anybody how the boathouse at the end of the movie blew up? abkatz687
Good movie GuyfromCanada
Why didn't Ned suspect something at this point? ntolabs
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