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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.
Reviews for Murder by Numbers
Moments of force exist within a work that feels more like product than art, and things end up disturbing for all the wrong reasons.
It's an intriguing set-up, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
The literal cliffhanger ending is far too overblown to be convincing, but most of what comes before it deserves praise.
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.
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