By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on July 18, 2026)

Body Heat – The Criterion Collection

A bucket of ice cubes in the bath is simply not enough to cool down this steamy noir. Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 Double Indemnity homage blows the mercury right out the top of the thermometer. Kathleen Turner is the sultry femme fatale who plays William Hurt’s hapless pushover like a Stradivarius (“You aren’t too smart. I like that in a man.”) The combination of the Florida heat with Turner and Hurt’s sexual chemistry will light your socks on fire. Outstanding support from Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston and an up-and-coming young character actor named Mickey Rourke.

The package includes a new interview with Kasdan and a new conversation between editor Carol Littleton and film historian Bobbie O’Steen, plus a smattering of archival featurettes. I have to say I was a tad disappointed by the relative scarcity of extra features (especially considering how long it took Criterion to get around to this gem), but the transfer (from a 4K restoration) and improved sound quality are well worth the upgrade (my 3rd…I think?).