Body Heat
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: August 28, 1981 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Body Heat is good enough to make film noir play like we hadn't seen it before. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
An excellent crime drama in the style of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Kasdan's moody tribute to cinema's dark past set a gold standard for neo-noirs that has seldom been equaled. Read full review
80
Film ThreatStuart Swineford
Aside from the over abundance of rather large glasses and sweaty actors, Body Heat succeeds fabulously, not only as an excellent example of a classic film noir but as a solidly executed production in its own right. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
While Body Heat involves murder, fraud, a weak hero led astray and a seductive, double-dealing broad, it also incorporates something new: a sexual explicitness that the old films could only hint at. Read full review
80
EmpireIan Nathan
Still regarded as one of the steamiest movie's of all time, Body Heat is a fantastic exponenet of how noir has developed. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 noir fable is highly derivative in its overall conception, but it finds some freshness in its details. All in all, this evokes the spirit of James M. Cain more effectively than the 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice did. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
Body Heat is full of meaty characters and pungent performances...a film to be seen at a drive-in, on a heavy summer night, with someone you trust. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneGene Siskel
Sometimes raunchy, but always well-acted. [25 Dec 1981]
50
Boston GlobeBruce McCabe
Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat--an homage to film noir--gets off to a nice start before it becomes entangled in its convoluted and somewhat uninteresting plot machinations.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay Scott
Hurt is so good at capturing the charming and chilling Ned that he almost makes up for the film's two primary weaknesses: Kasdan's inexperience and a message of significant unpleasantness. [28 Aug 1981, p.P17]
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