Preston as detective Oscar Grace, unwillingly drawn by their own dogged integrity to suspect their less salubrious friend. Robinson’s part is divided between Danson and J.A. The roles of Hurt and Turner echo those of Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in the earlier film, while Edward G. Ned begins an affair with the married Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) and is slowly convinced to murder her husband Edmund (Richard Crenna) so that the couple can live happily ever after on their inherited wealth. In keeping with its noir inspirations, the basic plot of Body Heat bears more than a passing resemblance to Billy Wilder’s 1944 classic Double Indemnity. All of this is communicated solely by Danson’s facial expressions and body language, and his subtle placing in the centre of the frame between the two actors with dialogue. Without the character saying a word, we realise that Lowenstein knows and likes Ned, but has also seen this scene many times before and is well aware of his friend’s flaws. As a judge scolds Ned for his flimsy defence and dubious client, assistant prosecutor Lowenstein leans nonchalantly on the bench behind them. The following scene, set in a courtroom, introduces us to the supporting character of Lowenstein (Ted Danson), while neatly reinforcing our shady impression of the lead.
The very first scene sets up the story’s sweltering environment, casually tells us that Ned is a lawyer and a ladies’ man (and not particularly scrupulous in either field), and shows us how easily distracted he is by danger and by sex - all within barely a minute and a half. The film repeatedly conveys complex information through deceptively short, naturalistic scenes, the action and dialogue imparting dense exposition with subtlety and grace. It is therefore perhaps no surprise that his film showcases a pronounced knack for establishing character and situation with both economy and detail, as well as an unshakable commitment to sheer entertainment. Although Body Heat was his directorial debut, he had cut his teeth co-writing the blockbusters The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981). Writer-director Kasdan’s screenplay is a model of concise, sharp storytelling. In its reworking of the classic formula, it also helped to define aspects of a new genre: the erotic thriller. It is film noir to the core, but with an audacity and self-awareness far beyond pastiche or simple stylistic exercise. What they will not know is exactly how he will meet his fate, and one of the many pleasures of this ruthlessly efficient movie is the way it twists and turns, consistently keeping its audience on their toes without ever entirely denying their expectations.
It draws so deliberately on classic film noir that cine-literate viewers will realise almost immediately that the man watching the fire, Ned Racine (William Hurt), is doomed. It is not really a spoiler to observe that the opening scene of Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 thriller Body Heat foreshadows its ending. Ominously, the camera does not move with him, instead choosing to remain on the blaze, waiting - as if it knows it is only a matter of time before he is drawn back to it… He knows the building that is in flames and jokingly protests, “My history is burning up out there!” before he is persuaded to return to her.
The woman behind him bemoans the heat and slowly starts to dress, teasing him to draw his attention away from the fire. A cross-fade reveals the sweat-soaked back of a half-naked man, watching from a window. The clouds billow into the night sky in sensuous slow motion as John Barry’s languid, slightly sleazy title theme slips into the background, giving way to the sound of distant sirens. The camera lingers on the smoke rising from a raging inferno.