In the film noir tradition, a woman is never what she seems and people are usually done in by their compulsions. Carrying on this 1940s style, which was mined by Roman Polanski in Chinatown and Bob Rafelson in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Lawrence Kasdan mixes sex with murder and comes up with a steamy brew of surprises.

Ned Racine (William Hurt) is a smalltime Florida lawyer who is swept off his feet by Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), a highly erotic woman. While her rich husband (Richard Crenna) is away, they make love using every position in the book. Ned's libidinal hungers are consuming but they are small change compared to Matty's lust for money. After they murder her husband, Ned finds himself to be the true victim of her plot.

Body Heat's pacing is tight. There are several vivid performances by peripheral characters — Ted Danson as Ned's friend, the local prosecutor; J. A. Preston as a zealous detective; and Mickey Rourke as an ex-con. The key line in the screenplay is stated by the detective: "Everything is just a little askew. Pretty soon people start thinking the old rules are no longer in effect." That's an accurate summary of the maze individuals find themselves in when everything is permitted. Body Heat's exploration of crime and passion has a moral dimension to it that is well worth considering.