Body Heat (1981)

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

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writer:

Lawrence Kasdan

Stars:

William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt	...	Ned Racine
Kathleen Turner	...	Matty Walker
Richard Crenna	...	Edmund Walker
Ted Danson	...	Peter Lowenstein
J.A. Preston	...	Oscar Grace (as J. A. Preston)
Mickey Rourke	...	Teddy Lewis
Kim Zimmer	...	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)

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?

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Plot Keywords:

florida | lawyer | heat | murder | prenuptial agreement | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuerpos ardientes

Filming Locations:

Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladd Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dancing of lawyer Peter Lowenstein (Ted Danson) was choreographed based on the dance movements of Hollywood musical legend Fred Astaire.

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Goofs

Just before seeing the clown driving a car, Ned Racine walks into reflected sunlight. This light causes the camera and crew to cast a large and distinct moving shadow on the road next to his convertible.

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Quotes

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.

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Connections

Referenced in The Bitch Is Back (1995)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Loved it

I bought the DVD because it was cheap and because Kathleen Turner was in it. Since it's not a very famous film I was surprised how good it was. The camera-work was great. Check out an early scene in the film when the camera starts behind the bar and slides around to follow William Hurt outside where he lights up and strikes a perfect pose leaning against the doorway like Bogart or someone from one of those forties films. Wonder how many takes that took. Hurt puts in a great performance. The fact that his character is called Ned Racine gives him a head start but it's a very challenging role to portray a guy who is at the same time dynamic, lazy, naive, charming and likable. All the performances are top drawer. Kathleen Turner does a great job as the femme fatale. Mickey Rourke is in just two scenes but grabs your attention in both. Ted Danson and JA Preston are good as Ned's friends. Richard Crenna plays the kind of assertive character he played in Rambo,which fits in here as he delivers a pivotal line which sums up the story.('You've got to know the bottom line')