Body Heat (1981)

Popularity:

Up 63% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writer:

Lawrence Kasdan (written by)

Release Date:

24 February 1982 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It's a hot summer. Ned Racine is waiting for something special to happen. And when it does... He won't be ready for the consequences.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Florida | Heat | Murder | Will

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

William Hurt	...	Ned Racine
Kathleen Turner	...	Matty Walker
Richard Crenna	...	Edmund Walker
Ted Danson	...	Peter Lowenstein
J.A. Preston	...	Oscar Grace
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)
Ruth Thom	...	Mrs. Singer
Diane Lewis	...	Glenda
Robert Traynor	...	Prison Trustee
Meg Kasdan	...	Nurse
Ruth P. Strahan	...	Betty The Housekeeper
Filomena Triscari	...	Hostess at Tulio's
Bruce A. Lee	...	Man on Beach
Ramiro Velasco	...	Cuban Trio
Tomas Choy	...	Cuban Trio
Servio T. Moreno	...	Cuban Trio

Directed by
Lawrence Kasdan

Writing credits
Lawrence Kasdan		(written by)

Produced by
Fred T. Gallo	....	producer
Robert Grand	....	associate producer
George Lucas	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Richard H. Kline		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carol Littleton

Casting by
Wallis Nicita		(as Wally Nicita)

Production Design by
Bill Kenney

Set Decoration by
Rick Gentz		(as Rick T. Gentz)

Costume Design by
Renié		(as Renie Conley)

Makeup Department
Robert Sidell	....	makeup artist (as Robert A. Sidell)
Adele Taylor	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert Grand	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jeffrey Chernov	....	second assistant director
Michael Grillo	....	first assistant director
Bruce Humphrey	....	directors guild trainee

Art Department
Robert L. Anderson	....	construction coordinator
Dennis Butterworth	....	greens foreman
Ray Jarvis	....	stand-by painter
Richard McKenzie	....	set designer
Robert Planck	....	leadman
Sig Tingloff	....	set designer (as Sig Tinglof)
Sonny Van Hecke	....	assistant property master
Robert J. Visciglia Sr.	....	property master (as Robert Visciglia Sr.)
Doug Wilson	....	paint foreman
Dave Margolin	....	painter (uncredited)
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Cook	....	sound re-recording mixer (as James Cook)
Patrick Drummond	....	sound editor
Robert Grieve	....	sound editor
Maury Harris	....	production sound mixer
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Christopher Jenkins)
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Sanucci	....	boom man

Special Effects by
Hal Bigger	....	special effects man
Howard Jensen	....	special effects supervisor

Stunts
William H. Burton Jr.	....	stunt coordinator (as Bill Burton)
Steven Chambers	....	stuntman (as Steve Chambers)
Gary Combs	....	stuntman
James M. Halty	....	stuntman (as Jim Halty)
Ron Stein	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	camera operator
Eric Engler	....	camera assistant
Larry D. Howard	....	gaffer
Pat King	....	second grip
Michael McGowan	....	camera operator
John Monte	....	still photographer
Ted Morris	....	electrical best boy
Ron Phillips	....	still photographer
Robert Sordal	....	key grip
William Tobin	....	camera assistant (as Bill Tobin)
Robert A. Wise	....	camera assistant

Casting Department
Pearl Kempton	....	extras casting
Deborah Lucchesi	....	casting coordinator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Winnie D. Brown	....	costumer (as Winnie Brown)
Barbara Siebert	....	costume supervisor (as Barbara Siebert Bolticoff)

Editorial Department
Bruce Cannon	....	second assistant editor
Mia Goldman	....	assistant editor
Robert Raring	....	color timer

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Cliff Kohlweck	....	music editor (as Clifford C. Kohlweck)
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer
Ronnie Lang	....	musician: saxophone (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Michael Antunez	....	transportation captain
James Antúnez	....	transportation coordinator (as James Antunez)
Sam Segal	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Pamela Alch	....	script supervisor
Celeste Angiolillo	....	assistant: Mr. Kasdan
Lynne Birdt	....	production coordinator
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Mark Indig	....	location manager: Florida
Art Schaefer	....	production accountant
Daniel Schneider	....	location manager
Peter J. Silbermann	....	unit publicist (as Peter Silbermann)
Bernie Styles	....	production assistant (as Bernard S. Styles)
Tad Tadlock	....	choreographer
Jim Bigham	....	location manager (uncredited)
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic (uncredited)
Shawn McAllister	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Ladd Company, The (as The Ladd Company thru Warner Bros - A Warner Communications Company)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Ladd Company Release thru Warner Bros A Warner Communications Company)
• Warner Bros. (1982) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1982) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1984) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. (1999) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1999) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2013) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• RCA (????) (USA) (video) (CED VideoDisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes (uncredited)
• City of Lake Worth  the producers wish to thank: for their cooperation in this production (as The City of Lake Worth)
• Creative Mobile Studio  location equipment by (as Creative Mobile Studios)
• Production Payments  production services by (as Production Payments, Inc.)
• State of Florida  the producers wish to thank: for their cooperation in this production (as The State of Florida)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:MA15+ (re-rating) (1998) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:18 (tv rating) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1992) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (1998) | USA:R (PCA #26275) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Company:

Ladd Company, The

Trivia:

Jeff Goldblum was considered for the role of Peter Lowenstein. He later worked with Lawrence Kasdan on The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The shadow of the crew is visible on the pier when Ned is running in the morning.

Quotes:

Matty:Well, some men, once they get a whiff of it, they trail you like a hound.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Boys: Dudes Being Dudes (#2.6)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Feel Like a Number

I'm sweating

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

This is a very cleverly contrived sexploitation thriller, penned and directed by the talented Lawrence Kasdan. It stars Academy-Award winner (Kiss of the Spider Woman, 1985) William Hurt with a mustache and a dangling cigarette as Ned Racine, a not overly bright Florida lawyer smitten by Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner in her steamy film debut) a rich housewife with a husband she hates, and a yearning to breathe free. Shades of James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, both triangle murder tales made into film noirs.

Kasdan is cribbing, but I forgive him since in some ways his film is an improvement on both the novels and the films they inspired, plus his is a kind of satire on those films with numerous witticisms. I especially liked it when Matty describes her husband, Edmund, a hard-nosed and successful financier played repulsively by Richard Crenna: "I can't stand the thought of him. He's small and mean and weak." Ned gives this some serious thought and then kisses her on the head like she's a good little girl.

Not too much later, after the first mention of the murder, immediately in the very next scene, Kasdan does a little foreshadowing with lawyer Ned visiting the jail. The steel door clangs shut behind him, startling him and causing him to jump in fright. I also liked the fog on the night of the murder, and I especially liked it when Ned, after putting the body in the trunk, closes the lid to reveal Matty standing there directly in our line of sight, a kind of visual witticism. I also liked the scene in which the lawyers are sitting around the varnished wood with Matty and the woman she has shrewdly cheated, and the lead lawyer asks if anyone would like to smoke. Everybody (except Ted Danson) eagerly and immediately lights up. Ted says he'll just breathe the air. This is a little in-joke satire by Kasdan on the fact that Hollywood movies of the day were financially encouraged by the tobacco companies to show the players happily puffing away as often as possible.

William Hurt really is excellent, almost as good as he was in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and that was very good indeed. Turner is completely believable as a voracious and greedy femme fatale with a wondrous criminal mind. The dialogue is sharp and clever throughout; especially interesting are the dueling "pick-up" rejoinders by Ned and Matty when they first meet. Noteworthy is the performance of Ted Danson of TV's "Cheers" fame as a prosecutor in black-rimmed specs. He has some spiffy lines of his own and he does a great job, as does Mickey Rourke as Teddy Lewis, Ned's fire-bombing buddy.

The plot twists are in some sense anticipated, but the exact nature of their unfolding is fascinating to watch. Indeed, Kasdan's snappy direction of his diabolically wicked tale is practically seamless. This is not to say that it was perfect. I have to point out that the scene in which Matty is in the tub with Ned and he dumps more ice cubes in to cool her off is a little on the contrived side since they surely had air conditioning. She claims to a natural body temperature of 100, reminding me of the classic rock lyric, "I'm hot-blooded, check it and see/I've got a temperature of a hundred and three." Also Matty's seduction of Ned was a little too fortuitous. I don't think she would have left so much to chance. But I liked the beginning anyway because it led us to believe that this would be a tale of sexual obsession (which in part it is) and not just an adulterous murder thriller. I also could not, even though I rewound the video, catch what was said in the final scene. (Probably that's just my ears going the way of the waist line.)

Be advised that the sex is indeed steamy. If explicit sex offends you, you will be offended. Of course I was not. Indeed I found it somewhat refreshing to see a movie in which there is only sexual appetite without any pretense of love or redemption, just lust and its accompanying disillusionment.

This is film noir for 1981 just before the rise of AIDS and the sexual self-censorship that Hollywood embraced (as it switched to more explicit violence). See it with your mistress.