"Body Heat," the directorial debut of Lawrence Kasdan ("Big Chill," "Accidental Tourist," "Grand Canyon"), is the quintessential film noir of the modern era of color film. More recent films of the genre that are comparable, such as "Fargo" and "Bound," have possibly been better, but each of them owes a great deal of their influence to the beautiful styling and perfect setting of "Body Heat."
William Hurt ("Accidental Tourist," "Trial by Jury," "Dark City"), in his first major role, receives top billing for his portrayal of Ned Racine, a lazy lawyer who spots Matty Walker one day at an outdoor event and understandably, is immediately smitten by her. Matty is played perfectly by Kathleen Turner ("Romancing the Stone," "V.I. Warshawski,") who, since her film debut in "Body Heat," has never been better. Turner is really the star of the film as she captures the attention of everyone in the small Florida town just as she will capture yours. Matty is married to Edmund Walker (Richard Crenna), an extremely wealthy "businessman" who is only in town on the weekends. His absents provides quite an opportunity for Matty and Ned to do something about their immediate attraction to each other. They soon fall in love, and after some debate, decide that they must kill her husband. Why must he die? Simple reason - because it will make them happy. The plot, which was already very interesting from the first scene, really thickens with this decision. Of course there are many twists and turns from here on, but I won't go into any of them because I don't want to spoil your surprise. And unlike many recent films of this genre, the twists are both surprising AND logical.
Along with Hurt and Turner, the third star of the film is truly the Heat. The hot and steamy climate of the Florida summer, from the first scene of the film on, is utilized in every way possible. This aspect of the film could have easily been overdone and made tired and exhausted by Kasdan, but this does not happen at all. Instead, the heat immediately captivates and intrigues the audience. Along with Hurt, Turner, and the Heat, Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke turn in excellent supporting roles that make us wish they would have chosen more interesting career paths than they have.
"Body Heat" is a must see for anyone who is at all a fan of the film noir genre. So go to the depths of the video store and seek out this gem.
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