While scoring high-profile credits as a screenwriter (including The Empire Strikes Back; Return of the Jedi; and Raiders of the Lost Ark); Lawrence Kasdan made his directorial debut with this steamy; contemporary film noir in the tradition of Double Indemnity and other classics from the 1940s. In one of his most memorable roles; William Hurt plays a Florida lawyer unwittingly drawn into a web of deceit spun by Kathleen Turner (in her screen debut) as a married socialite who plots to kill off her husband with Hurt's assistance. Kasdan's dialogue is a hoot (sometimes it borders on satire); and the sultry atmosphere is a perfect complement to the perspiration-soaked chemistry between Hurt and Turner; whose love scenes caused quite a stir when the film was released in 1981. John Barry's score sets the provocative mood; and both Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke are splendid in memorable supporting roles. --Jeff Shannon