Body Heat

Play trailer

Body Heat

R

1981

1h 53m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

49 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

02/08/2008

Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 noir fable is highly derivative in its overall conception, but it finds some freshness in its details.

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

bob c

Dec 23

Delicious Turner, naive Hurt and a sleazy start for Rourke. Great story. One of the great Noirs.

See more

Randy M

Nov 24

A masterpeace of Flim Noir

See more

Rami A

@Bunt101 Sep 21

Lawrence Kasdan may be a good screenwriter, but he's not a very good director. A lot of this movie didn't seem to work out and the plot isn't that interesting.

See more

Ed B

Aug 1

I wouldn't say it's steamy by modern standards, but it's hot throughout the movie rather than the usual rain in noir and that femme fatal!! We enjoyed it even though it's an older movie

See more

Tim M

@tgmacman Jul 26

Lawrence Kasdan channels prime noir tones in Body Heat, a supremely sensual and tense thriller that'll make you sweat through and through.

See more

kevenquinlan

Jun 19

Watching this in 2025. It's really good. A twisted femme fatale movie of the highest order. Great acting and the story was exceptional AND original. An easy keeper for your movie collection.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Lawrence Kasdan

Director

William Hurt

Ned Racine

Kathleen Turner

Matty Walker

Richard Crenna

Edmund Walker

Ted Danson

Peter Lowenstein

J.A. Preston

Oscar Grace

The Postman Always Rings Twice

79%

58%

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Watchlist

True Confessions

71%

53%

True Confessions

Watchlist

To Live and Die in L.A.

89%

78%

To Live and Die in L.A.

Watchlist

TRAILER

for To Live and Die in L.A.

The Onion Field

87%

64%

The Onion Field

Watchlist

Straight Time

82%

83%

Straight Time

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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 Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
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

Most Popular at Home Now