Day 18 Body Heat 1981

Time has not been especially kind to the looks of the stars of this film. All of us age so there is no shame in that, but most of us remember ourselves at our peak and reminisce about that moment when we were at our best and our sexuality was at it’s apex. William Hurt and Kathleen Turner do not have to search their brains for fragments of those times, they are all right here for everyone to see in this movie.

This was Kathleen Turner’s debut film and only the third feature of William Hurt. It is also the directing debut of Lawrence Kasdan, and it happens to be one of the greatest neo noir films ever made. The parallels with a classic noir like “Double Indemnity” are inescapable. There is a femme fatale, a bright but not too bright sexually addled male lead, and a complicated plot that involves murder, betrayal and enough cynicism to satisfy even a teenager. This film had the advantage of being made in the modern era, so the frank depiction of sensuality adds to the lurid allure of the story, but does so without being exploitive.

Maybe half the success of carrying off the tone of this movie can be attributed to the great composer John Barry, who created a jazz based romance ballad, with the occasional punctuation of staccato style piano. You will hear much the same style years later in Jerry Goldsmith’s score for L.A. Confidential. It feels old fashioned but also sexy in a contemporary way. The mood is enhanced by the languid pace of the tune and the slow reveals of each step in the plot process. Nothing in this film feels rushed, and the music keeps that tempo throughout.

Ned Racine, a lawyer with more libido than smarts, falls under the spell of lonely trophy wife Maddie Walker. The sexual crescendo that signifies their breaking the line is fast, but it is a result of a slow seduction by both parties. Maddie resists just enough, but Ned finally can’t control his desire and she is equally committed to the physical link they share. The move to committing a murder is equally slow, following hints of abuse by her husband, signs of vast wealth, and a slow growth of greed on the part of Maddie. Still it is Ned who first says it out loud, not even realizing how he is being manipulated by sex. One more slow burn in the story is the dawning of a betrayal by one partner in crime. It takes several steps before the victim is completely convinced of the knife placed in their back by their partner.

The supporting cast is also stellar, headed by venal Richard Crenna, a lawyer who has made making money the most important thing in his life. Ted Danson is Ned’s sympathetic friend who also happens to be a deputy district attorney. His dancing lawyer is full of equivocations at the end of the plot, and his moral ambiguity helps keep Ned a more sympathetic character, despite comitting a murder. We also see a police detective, who likes Ned, begin to unravel the story that his friend is telling. Mickey Rourke is only in two scenes but he is electric in both of them.

Every other element would not work as well if the female lead wasn’t perfect, and she is. This movie made Turner a star. Her long legs, husky voice and insouciant manner are all just right for the part. Kasdan, who was also the screenwriter, created a multi layered plot, which combines all of the traditional elements of noir, with a legal twist and a reversal of roles that makes this a terrific film. Of course if you are a health nut, you might want to avoid the film because there is so much smoking in it, you could get lung cancer just from watching. Still, it’s worth the risk.