Body Heat: Why is it a film noir?

Ned Racine and Matty Walker's first meeting (Source: Google Images)

The film opens where Ned Racine is watching a fire in an inn after making love with a woman. The setting is in Florida and at that time, they still don’t have air conditioners. The hot temperature makes the characters sweaty. The sweat that the characters have in the film suggests heat that inflames passion and madness, which is one of the characteristics of a film noir. There is also one scene where Ned enters his house and opens his refrigerator to chill his body.

Another characteristic is the smoke and fog that is commonly used in the film. It makes the film visually artistic. It is used in the scene where Matty Walker and Ned is talking, craving for each other and also in the scene where Ned travels the dead body of Matty’s husband in a dark street.

Shadows in the film also suggest that it is a film noir. The scene where Matty’s husband is searching for a trespasser in their house is an example. Lights and shadows are exposed to give suspense that something bad will happen and that’s it, Matty’s husband is killed.

The heat when Ned and Matty is together (Source: Google Images)

Another characteristic is the presence of a femme fatale in the movie. The dangerous woman in the film is Matty Walker. The dark and mysterious character of Matty Walker shows that it is a film noir. At first, I thought that she was an angel, a woman that is so in love with Ned but that’s my mistake because she is the devious woman ever! It is obvious in her line when she first met Ned Racine. She says, “You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.” In that line, it portrays that Matty is already planning something bad. It is too unfortunate for Ned because he became a victim of Matty’s dark plans. It is one of the brilliant touches of the film where the director makes Ned Racine think that he is the initiator of Matty Walker's evil plans. “Body Heat” is a film about a woman who gets a man to commit murder for her. This kind of woman should be bewaring of. So, beware gentlemen!