There's plenty of heat generated in BODY HEAT and most of it comes from the steamy situations set up by director Lawrence Kasdan and, in her debut film role, KATHLEEN TURNER, who turns up the heat even more with a dynamic performance as "the femme fatale".
But all of the material will seem familiar if you've ever seen THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE or DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Still, there are some fresh new twists that will have you wondering just how this whole story will play out once WILLIAM HURT (in a role similar to Fred MacMurray's in DOUBLE INDEMNITY) learns that he's been played for a fall guy by Turner, who wants him to kill her wealthy husband so they can share the wealth.
Not only is there a clever twist at the end, but the whole story has been modernized for '80s audiences by including some graphic depictions of soft core sex. Hurt and Turner are frequently seen writhing about in simulated sexual embraces, thus making the title a plausible one.
It's the kind of story James M. Cain might have written in the '30s or '40s, and when done as effectively as it is here, with John Barry's intriguing score adding some extra dimension to the film noir atmosphere of the tale, it can hold the audience in its grip until that final moment.
Well worth seeing for Hurt's very persuasive performance as the weak-minded lawyer dazzled by sex and Turner's debut as a screen siren.
But all of the material will seem familiar if you've ever seen THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE or DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Still, there are some fresh new twists that will have you wondering just how this whole story will play out once WILLIAM HURT (in a role similar to Fred MacMurray's in DOUBLE INDEMNITY) learns that he's been played for a fall guy by Turner, who wants him to kill her wealthy husband so they can share the wealth.
Not only is there a clever twist at the end, but the whole story has been modernized for '80s audiences by including some graphic depictions of soft core sex. Hurt and Turner are frequently seen writhing about in simulated sexual embraces, thus making the title a plausible one.
It's the kind of story James M. Cain might have written in the '30s or '40s, and when done as effectively as it is here, with John Barry's intriguing score adding some extra dimension to the film noir atmosphere of the tale, it can hold the audience in its grip until that final moment.
Well worth seeing for Hurt's very persuasive performance as the weak-minded lawyer dazzled by sex and Turner's debut as a screen siren.