BODY HEAT (1981)

Bollywood’s copycat dummy director and limelight hungry Mahesh Bhatt had pilfered not only the story and plot but also copied scene to scene and dialogue to dialogue of this film in John-Bipasha starrer ‘Jism’ with just shifting the end to suit Indian audience. Bhatt without any shame credited the story-screenplay to himself in the film’s title! Nothing new for Bhatt camp or Bollywood, isn’t it! But as a matter of fact even writer, director Lawrence Kasdan too lifted the plot of ‘Body Heat’ from Billy Wilder’s classic ‘Double Indemnity’ but then he gave his own creative touch turning classic noir into steaming and absorbing erotic Neonoir hard to resist.

Kasdan maintained a subversive tone of his own invoking the atmosphere of heat and smoke not only in physical steamy scenes but to suburban town too. He brilliantly maintained
certain sort of distance portraying sensuous Kathleen Turner and didn’t let the erotic skin show take control over the plot like in-famous popular ‘Basic Instinct’ and unlike Sharon Stone, femme fatal Kathleen Turner didn’t bare it all and still kept us hooked to her bold body language and bitchy act. She’s enchanting femme fatale hard to resist, ‘To see her is to need her’. It’s quite surprising to know that it’s her debut performance. William Hurt’s character remained like shadow because Turner is scene stealer here. Kasdan successfully etched out fine supporting performances from Hurt’s two closest friends who sniffed all suspicious smoke and proofs against him try hard to save him from deep trouble but then when a man is in the mess, he keeps messing on good sides/signals too. Mickey Rourke’s surprise breakthrough role is again a cheer up.

Ratings-7.5/10