By: Daisy Fay Buchanan

An upstate New York judge has found himself facing formal discipline after making an inappropriate remark comparing two local officials to the sultry, scheming lovers from the 1981 neo-noir thriller Body Heat–a comment that state officials said crossed serious ethical lines.

According to a report by the New York Post, Rossie Town Judge Philip Gentile made the off-color observation while presiding over court in January 2023. Speaking on the side to a prosecutor, Gentile speculated about an unusually close relationship between another judge and a code-enforcement officer in a neighboring town, likening their interactions to the torrid dynamic between William Hurt and Kathleen Turner’s characters in Body Heat.

The comment, which was captured by Gentile’s own courtroom recording system, has now become a central element in a formal censure by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. As The Post noted, the commission found that Gentile’s remark was not only inappropriate but potentially damaging to the perceived impartiality and integrity of the judiciary.

For context, Body Heat–a steamy, critically acclaimed film directed by Lawrence Kasdan–tells the story of a Florida lawyer (Hurt) who is seduced by a mysterious married woman (Turner). The two become entangled in a deadly plot to kill her husband and claim his fortune. The film’s R rating stemmed from its explicit sexual content and its dark, manipulative tone, which helped redefine erotic thrillers in the 1980s.

The film is infamous for the palpable chemistry between Hurt and Turner, especially in scenes that emphasize the dangerous allure of desire and betrayal. Turner’s character, Matty Walker, is particularly iconic for her ability to mask her deadly intentions behind a veil of vulnerability and seduction. It is this kind of intense, conspiratorial intimacy that Gentile appeared to be referencing when he suggested the unnamed judge and officer were “finishing each other’s sentences and stuff,” reminiscent of the fictional couple’s intense rapport.

The commission found that such a comment, made by a sitting judge and in relation to other public officials, strayed far from the decorum expected in a courtroom. “It undermines the judicial obligation to be fair and impartial when a judge bases decisions on outside conversations to which one or more parties are not privy and cannot counter,” the ruling stated.

Moreover, this wasn’t an isolated lapse. The commission’s report, also cited by the Post, revealed a pattern of misconduct by Gentile spanning from late 2022 through early 2024. This included failing to disclose conversations with prosecutors to defense attorneys, refusing to modify protective orders after private discussions, and even using profanities in court.

Gentile, who has held his position since 2018 and is not legally required to be an attorney under local law, acknowledged that his behavior was improper and accepted the public discipline. His current term is set to expire in December 2024.

In its official statement, the commission emphasized that while judges may be elected from various walks of life, all are held to the same ethical standard. “Nor does it enhance the integrity of the court for a judge to utter profanities on the bench or spread baseless gossip about other judges or public officials,” the commission wrote, warning that such behavior threatens to erode public confidence in the legal system.