Movies »Body Heat

directed by Lawrence Kasdan (1981)

I was a little surprised to learn that the neo-noir Body Heat was not adapted from a 1940’s novel by Block or Woolrich but an original story written by director Lawrence Kasdan, who has in the middle of a career high with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire Strikes Back behind him and The Big Chill and Return of the Jedi about to come. The story is a pitch perfect steamy noir set in foggy, sweaty Florida with a charming ladies man lawyer and a sultry femme fatale as the players, with just one pesky husband in the way.

Also perfect is the cast. You may not know it if all you’re familiar with is her early morning cursing, but Turner has the kind of womanly venom of a bad girl with a great body that is hard to find in actresses today. She eats men alive, makes them thank her for it and think it was all their idea in the first place. One of her best lines in the film is “You’re not too smart are you? I like that in a man.” Which, as a side note, is what my friend Bill used to say fit my choice in Junior High School boyfriends.

William Hurt, who again if you’re only familiar with the past couple years of roles as concerned Presidents (Vantage Point) or some father figure in the other Hulk movie no one saw, might surprise you with his sexual affability and greasy charisma. In lesser roles, it’s nice to see Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke round things out.

This is a steamy affair with tons of sex scenes and Chandler-esque dialogue. Perfect for one of these heat wave nights and available from netflix instant.


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Posted on July 25, 2010

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