Body Heat (1981) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | Thriller

William Hurt and Kathleen Turner strike sparks in Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat, a sexy, haunting tale of desire and skullduggery that echoes 1940s film noirs but is charged with an energy and passion that could only flare in the '80s. Aided by a sultry John Barry score, Kasdan's assured directorial debut foreshadowed the emotional textures he would bring to later films The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist and Grand Canyon. Sit back and bask in this contemporary classic's wicked warmth.

User Comment: refinedsugar from Nova Scotia, Canada, 2 August 2001 • 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.

Summary: Ultra Cool.

User Comment: ccthemovieman-1 from United States, 26 November 2005 • A modern remake of the 1940s film, "Double Indemnity," this movie has a solid, large fan base of its own. That's justifiable, too, because this is well done.

It sports a 1940s-type film noir soundtrack but the rest is purely 1980s. By that, I mainly mean nudity and profanity, although the language isn't that offensive.

Kathleen Turner plays a femme fatale, similar to Barbara Stanwyck's role with Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity," except with a different ending. Actually, the entire story is quite different from the classic film noir. William Hurt has MacMurray's male lead role. I liked the classic actors better but Turner and Hurt shine with their performances, too.

This is steamy movie to say the least. Set on hot, humid Florida summer nights, you can almost feel the heat coming out from the TV screen and the heat from the two leads going at it several times. Turner is excellent as a woman who will go to great lengths for money, as they sometimes do. (Hey, my 87-year-old father is dating a 24-year bimbo in Florida, so I know of where I speak.)

The story is divided into three segments: (1) the setup; (2) the romance and plotting of the crime and (3) the crime and unraveling of Hurt as things begin to go very wrong.

An intriguing film, this loses nothing with multiple viewings. It's always interesting. The more I watched this, the more I found - as the case frequently is - myself fascinated with some of the lesser characters such as Hurt's two friends, played by Ted Danson and J.A. Preston. Danson, by the way, gives us a preview of the amoral character he played later in the hit TV series, "Cheers."

This is the kind of film you snuggle up with someone on a cold winter night. It will warm you up as much as your partner!

Summary: This Will Heat You Up On A Cold Winter Night!

[CSW] -4- I'm not as big a fan of Kathleen Turner as I was of Barbara Stanwyck in this remake of Double Indemnity (except with a different ending), however her sex scenes were as said above "erotica at it's cinematic best without being crude or pornographic." Enough of the plot was changed in this film to allow it to stand on its own and just maybe enough to make me want to watch it again and again.
[V3.5-A3.5] VC-1 - No D-Box.

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