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Movies / On DVD / Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers (2002)

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Reviews Counted:121

Fresh:36

Rotten:85

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: When the dead body of a woman is found in the woods near the river, feisty homicide detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner, Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) are assigned to the... When the dead body of a woman is found in the woods near the river, feisty homicide detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner, Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) are assigned to the case. That's the premise for MURDER BY NUMBERS, a psychological thriller directed by Barbet Schroeder (REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE). Determined to solve the crime, Mayweather follows her hunches and microscopic bits of evidence, focusing her investigation on two teens: Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt), a brilliant, misunderstood nerd, and Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling), a smooth talking, spoiled rich kid. From the beginning, the audience knows that this unlikely duo has formed a secret bond that pushes the boundaries of morality and the law in their attempt to commit the perfect murder and experience complete freedom. It's up to Mayweather, who buries herself in her work in an attempt to forget her own tormented past, and Kennedy, a transfer from Vice who is working his first homicide case, to ignore the stereotypical profiles and see past the obvious in order to solve the crime. Slowly but surely, the truth comes out as Mayweather works on instinct while battling her own demons and being drawn into the boys' game of cat-and-mouse. [More]

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Ben Chaplin

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Ben Chaplin, Agnes Bruckner, Chris Penn, R.D. Call

Director: Barbet Schroeder

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: Tony Gayton
Producer: Richard Crystal, Susan Hoffman
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Murder by Numbers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/23/02
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/10/02
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Moments of force exist within a work that feels more like product than art, and things end up disturbing for all the wrong reasons.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
07/16/02
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/11/02
Guardian [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmFour.com | comment Comment
06/30/02
FilmFour.com
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N/R

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Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
06/28/02
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London

It's an intriguing set-up, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/12/02
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/30/02
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/09/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The problem is that there's no real mystery to this mystery.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
N/R

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Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
FilmStew.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... It leaves you feeling that it could have been so much more.

Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
01/07/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Lesson learned: Never ask Ben Chaplin to lose his British accent.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

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Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/05/03
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

The literal cliffhanger ending is far too overblown to be convincing, but most of what comes before it deserves praise.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Barbet Schroeder, whose Barfly (1987) remains one of the most memorable in my mental filmbank, shoots this script with the kind of concentrated power that turns every scene into the most effective tool emotionally as well as expositionally.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/26/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
 
 
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