Body Heat (1981)

In the midst of a searing Florida heat wave, a woman persuades 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 5 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
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:

femme fatale | fatal attraction | con | scantily clad female | utilization | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | 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:

Lake Avenue, Lake Worth, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$564,593, 30 August 1981, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$24,058,838, 31 December 1981

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Ladd Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first of three historically significant but unrelated adult thriller movies in an unofficial Hollywood trilogy of erotic suspensers, each with a two word title, and each made around half a dozen years apart. The film's are Body Heat (1981) (1981), Fatal Attraction (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992) (1992).

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Goofs

Lowenstein states that oral sex is not illegal in Florida. Florida statute 800.02 made "unnatural and lascivious acts", which included oral-genital contact, a misdemeanor until all sodomy laws were struck down by the US Supreme Court in 2003.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

Strange as it may seem, at least one commercial television print completely eliminates the key sequence where Richard Crenna's character is killed!

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Connections

Featured in The Directors: The Films of Lawrence Kasdan (2001)

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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

Ultra Cool

Usually I find movies date really badly. For instance, John Carpenter's Halloween from 1978 is my favorite horror movie and although I like it a lot, I must admit it's dated badly over the years. No doubt due to the literally graphic changes in horror movies. I was thinking the same thing of Body Heat before I stepped into it. I was aware of such blessings it had been given, but kept in mind it was a product of the early 80's. Surely I thought this must be dated by today's standard of erotic dramas & thrillers. This was not the case.

This movie has somehow managed to bypass the aging mechanism that movies succumb to. Twenty years after it's debut it still packs it's erotic punch and twisted bag of lies and William Hurt and Kathleen Turner are still the premiere duo of 'hot legs and ultra cool sleaze bags'. I won't bother giving even a morsel of the story to you - this is one you should walk into completely blind to better you viewing experience. If you need more, check out the plot summary or read the back of the movie box.

What I will talk about is the sex scenes. Erotica at it's cinematic best without being crude or pornographic. In today's age of softcore flicks on the video shelves and hardcore pornography conquering new territory every day it's a refreshing change of pace to look back to a movie made in the early 80's and witness such steaminess and tasteful erotica. Not to misdirect your thoughts. This movie isn't solely about sex, but it's a big part in a story of manipulation, money and deceit. The story, the direction and the cast are fit for a picture frame with Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke standing out amongst the supporting cast. A highly recommended view.