Body Heat

1981 Crime Drama

Lawrence Kasdan's first directorial effort is a throwback to the early days of film noir. The scene is a beastly hot Florida coastal town, where naive attorney Ned (William Hurt) is entranced by the alluring Matty (Kathleen Turner in her film debut). Ned is manipulated into killing Matty's much older husband (Richard Crenna), the plan being that Ned's knowledge of legal matters will enable both conspirators to escape scott-free. This might have been the case, had not Matty been infinitely craftier than the cloddish Ned. Just when it seems as though the film has run out of plot twists, we're handed yet another surprise.

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Starring: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston

Reviews

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

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

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

    - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

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

    - The A.V. Club

    19 January 2013

  • While Body Heat involves murder, fraud, a weak hero led astray and a seductive, double-dealing broad, it also incorporates something new: a sexual explicitness that the old films could only hint at.

    Janet Maslin - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • 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.

    Richard Corliss - Time

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles

    BAFTA Awards (1983)

     
  • Best Motion Picture

    Edgar Allan Poe Awards (1982)

     
  • New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture

    Golden Globes (1982)

     
  • Best Director

    Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1981)

  • Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen

    Writers Guild of America (1982)