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Body Heat

Play trailer Poster for Body Heat R 1981 1h 53m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.

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Body Heat

Body Heat

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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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Critics Reviews

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Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine 5d
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. Go to Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post 05/09/2017
There's no mistaking the fact that Kasdan loves the tawdry genre he's working in. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review 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… Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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. See more 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. See more 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.” See more 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. See more bob c @RT46426964 Dec 23 Delicious Turner, naive Hurt and a sleazy start for Rourke. Great story. One of the great Noirs. See more Randy M @RANDY784 Nov 24 A masterpeace of Flim Noir See more Read all reviews
Body Heat

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Cast & Crew

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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

Oscar Grace

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Body Heat

Body Heat (1981) Body Heat (1981) Body Heat (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

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