Body Heat

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Body Heat follows William Hurt’s Ned Racine as he eventually finds himself in a mess of trouble after embarking on an affair with a married woman (Kathleen Turner’s Matty Walker). It’s a familiar setup that’s employed to predominantly watchable effect by Kasdan, as the first-time filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, delivers an atmospheric drama that benefits substantially from its moody, steamy ambiance and proliferation of top-notch performances – with Hurt and Turner’s impressively enthralling efforts here matched by a stellar supporting cast that includes Ted Danson and Richard Crenna. There is, as a result, little doubt that the general lack of surprises within the familiar narrative rarely becomes as problematic as one might’ve anticipated, although, by that same token, it’s hard to deny that the 113 minute running time does pave the way for a handful of sluggish spots within the far-from-streamlined midsection. The twist-laden third act, coupled with an appreciatively downbeat finale, ensures that Body Heat concludes on a memorable, captivating note, to be sure, with the end result a decent twist on the film-noir genre that holds up remarkably well all these years later.

*** out of ****