Body Heat

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Body Heat

R

1981

1h 53m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

50 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Shyster lawyer Ned Racine (William Hurt) begins a passionate affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), wife of a wealthy Florida businessman (Richard Crenna). With the help of one of his criminal clients, bomb maker Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke), Ned hatches a scheme to kill Matty's husband so that they can run away together with his money. But complications build upon double-crosses, launching the hapless lawyer into a situation far more treacherous than he imagined.

Critics Consensus

Made from classic noir ingredients and flavored with a heaping helping of steamy modern spice, Body Heat more than lives up to its evocative title.

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Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

May 13

Body Heat is a remarkable example of pouring new wine in old bottles, not so much reinventing the noir genre as paving the way for the aesthetic excesses of the 1980s and ’90s.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

05/09/2017

There's no mistaking the fact that Kasdan loves the tawdry genre he's working in.

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

02/08/2008

4/5

Still regarded as one of the steamiest movie's of all time, Body Heat is a fantastic exponenet of how noir has developed.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Oct 11

'Body Heat' remains the very model of the modern neo-noir erotic thriller: sexy, sultry, brilliantly plotted, perfectly played, and endlessly repeatable.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jun 16

4/5

…a few questionable plot points aside, Body Heat still stands out from the crowd by dint of the fiercely amoral characters, tricky plotting and ripe, languid atmosphere…

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Zita Short

InSession Film

02/02/2023

It is very difficult to see this as a love story when Walker and Racine are only sexually attracted to one another. Despite the fact that they frequently claim to love one another, we get a lot of evidence to the contrary.

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James M.

@RT84089297 5d

You have no idea that this is a set up until it evolves at the end - beautiful performances by the two lead actors - Kathleen Turner is a wonderful seductress - William Hurt is perfect as the small town victim

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James A

@Droz27 May 25

The best modern noir by some measure. Incredible writing, acting, and cadence that captures the style perfectly while maintaining realism, a fine line. Every shot is gorgeous, every scene helps build the story. One of the best films of all time, watch it.

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Kathy V.

@RT64332554 Apr 4

What a good movie. Im watching a lot of older movies, better than what they are making now great thriller. Watched 2 other of William hurts movies this past week, kiss of the spider woman and Chidren of a lesser God. Just dont make movies like these anymore. Holds your interest.

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Mina K.

@vitaminq Mar 4

I have known this movie since I was in high school, and finally watched it in 2026. American femme fatale. Kathleen Turner's screen debut movie. That's so classic and sensational. Ted Danson is great in this movie.

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City (.

@RT43778131 Feb 21

Holds up remarkably well even 45+ years later with classic performances by William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. You have to love the ever-tightening plot noose that calls back Turner’s tongue in cheek line, “You’re not to bright, are you? I like that in a man.”

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Vincent S

@Vin_E_At_The_Movies Feb 10

This is one of my two favorites modern film noir masterpieces. Kathleen Turner gives one of the sexiest and most outstanding breakout performances of all time. William Hurt is equally outstanding adding to a classic screen couple. The writing, the atmosphere, the directing, editing is perfection. You can pick every frame of film and sit watching, sucked in. This is one of the best written and directed movies of the 80s.

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Lawrence Kasdan

Director

William Hurt

Ned Racine

Kathleen Turner

Matty Walker

Richard Crenna

Edmund Walker

Ted Danson

Peter Lowenstein

J.A. Preston

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Synopsis

Shyster lawyer Ned Racine (William Hurt) begins a passionate affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), wife of a wealthy Florida businessman (Richard Crenna). With the help of one of his criminal clients, bomb maker Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke), Ned hatches a scheme to kill Matty's husband so that they can run away together with his money. But complications build upon double-crosses, launching the hapless lawyer into a situation far more treacherous than he imagined.

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Producer: Fred T. Gallo
Screenwriter: Lawrence Kasdan
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: The Ladd Company
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Mono