![]() Lawrence Kasden, Kathleen Turner and William Hurt brought us the zenith of the steamy and sultry crime film, which has every ingredient you could possibly want and forty years later still has the power to make us hot under the collar.An atmospheric and steamy neo-noir, Body Heat (1981) is an impressive feature directorial debut by Lawrence Kasdan. At least we can still watch the movies from this heyday (and if you haven’t checked out the Criterion selection, do so!) and enjoy the light streaming through blinds and cigarette smoke, a jazz-filled score, melodrama, red lipstick, white stilettos and everything else that made the 1980s such a good period for the genre. A time when actors had sizzling chemistry, when actual sex scenes were prevalent and not prudishly exorcised from Hollywood films and when these kinds of non-franchise movies could do well at the box office. It’s hard not to look back on this fertile period of neo-noirs and erotic thrillers without aching for adult movies such as these to return. The ultimate femme fatale is a winner who gets away with murder. The final shots – of Matty’s yearbook photo (as Ned discovers her real identity) dissolving into present-day Matty (who has faked her own death) on a beach on a tropical island are also perfection. The moment when Ned realizes that the daughter, who can positively identify him in a compromising position with Matty, is outside his detective friend’s office is delicious – you can see Hurt’s blood run cold and his soul leave his body before your very eyes. The real thing - big-time, major-league trouble.” One of the major complications comes from Matty’s sister-in-law and her daughter. In the second half of the film, Ned tries to dig himself out of the increasingly deep hole he finds himself in – between the will, the fact that his best friends are a cop and a DA and Matty acting increasingly suspiciously and then disappearing all together. Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke have surprisingly small supporting roles, although it was fairly early in the careers of both actors (it being pre- Cheers for Danson and pre- Diner for Rourke). Set during a heat-wave in Florida, the aptly named Body Heat is one the sweatiest films of all time – with the steam veritably wafting off the screen. With her thick mane of blonde hair, a body that looks fantastic in white silk “you shouldn’t wear that body” and that famous husky voice – Turner was born to play Matty Walker – a danger to rich husbands the world over. Turner could have been made in a femme fatale factory – she is so perfectly suited to archetype – and it’s no coincidence that she voiced Jessica “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way” Rabbit. ![]() With his tall but fairly skinny frame, floppy blonde hair and mustache, Hurt may not have been a typical sex symbol (especially compared with the Marvel muscles of today), but he absolutely works in the role and his chemistry with Kathleen Turner is electric. William Hurt plays the perfectly-named Ned Racine – the lawyer who becomes a patsy in the femme fatale’s nefarious scheme. ![]() Several of these can currently be found in the Criterion Channel’s neo-noir selection, along with one of the decade’s best – Lawrence Kasden’s Body Heat (1981).īody Heat was the first of four collaborations between Kasden and William Hurt and all four are fantastic - with the other three being The Big Chill (1983), the hugely under-seen and underrated The Accidental Tourist (1988) and the brilliant dark comedy I Love You to Death (1990). From Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, 1987), Dressed to Kill (Brian De Palma, 1980) Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984) and The Bedroom Window (Curtis Hansen, 1987) to the New Orleans movies The Big Easy (Jim McBride, 1986) and Angel Heart (Alan Parker, 1987), and onto the remakes of Breathless (Jim McBride, 1983), Cat People (Paul Schrader, 1982) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (Bob Rafelson, 1981) – the 80s gave us noir fans endless treats. The 80s were the golden-age of the neo-noir, when they collided with the erotic thriller to combust into hot, steamy, passionate movies full of sex, sweat, sharp clothes, cigarette smoke, saxophone-soaked soundtracks and sultry femme fatales. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |