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| “ | You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man. | „ |
| ~ Matty seducing Ned Racine |
Matty Walker is the main antagonist of the 1981 neo-noir thriller Body Heat.
She is a wealthy, seductive femme fatale who manipulates protagonist Ned Racine into murdering her husband so she can inherit his money.
She was portrayed by Kathleen Turner, who also played Beverly Sutphin in Serial Mom, Claudia in A Simple Wish, Dr. Elena Kinder in Baby Geniuses, the Snow Queen in Stories from My Childhood, Constance Nebbercracker in Monster House and Gwendolyn in 3Below.
In the film[]
Matty lives in a small Florida resort town with her wealthy husband Edmund, who is often away on business. One night, she meets lawyer Ned Racine, who is instantly attracted to her; they soon become lovers. Matty tells him that she wants to divorce Edmund, whom she claims is abusive, but that the prenuptial agreement he made her sign when they got married would leave her with nothing. When she says that she wants Edmund dead, Racine suggests that they kill him together so she can inherit his fortune and they can live happily ever after.
Racine obtains a homemade bomb from one of his clients, small-time hood Teddy Lewis. That night, Racine kills Edmund with Matty's help, places Edmund's body in an old warehouse, and detonates the bomb to make it look like Edmund died during a botched attempt at arson and insurance fraud. Matty then forges a will naming her the sole beneficiary of Edmund's estate, disinheriting Edmund's entire family.
Despite their plotting, however, police are suspicious of Edmund's death and soon rule it a homicide, with Racine as their prime suspect. He also becomes a suspect in the disappearance of Matty's high school friend Mary Ann Simpson, who bears a strong resemblance to Matty. Racine then learns that Matty knew who he was prior to their "meeting", having been told about him by another lawyer who once sued him. He also finds out that Matty had tried to buy the incendiary device from Lewis, and that he had shown her how to booby-trap a door - the same method Racine used to kill Edmund.
Matty calls Racine and says that Edmund's glasses are in the Walker estate boathouse. He arrives later that night and spots a long twisted wire attached to the door. When Matty arrives, he asks her to retrieve the glasses. Matty walks toward the boathouse and disappears from view; the boathouse then explodes. A body found inside is identified through dental records as Matty Walker, and Racine is arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for her murder and that of her husband.
In prison, Racine realizes that Matty duped him, and tries to convince his friend private investigator Oscar Grace that she is still alive. He believes the woman he knew as "Matty" assumed the real Matty Tyler's identity in order to marry and murder Edmund for his money. The "Mary Ann Simpson" whom Racine met had discovered the scheme and was blackmailing her, so Matty killed her. Racine finds a copy of Matty's high school yearbook: in it are photos of Mary Ann Simpson and Matty Tyler, confirming his suspicion that Mary Ann assumed Matty Walker's identity.
The final scene of the film portrays "Matty" - Mary Ann Simpson - in Portugal, living a life of luxury.
Trivia[]
- Body Heat made Turner a star, and her performance is to this day considered one of the sexiest in film history.
- Matty is similar to Phyllis Dietrichson, the main antagonist of Double Indemnity, played by the late Barbara Stanwyck; both are femme fatales who use their sexuality to manipulate men into killing their husbands so they can inherit fortunes.