Rating: 
Summary: The danger of unsupervised teenagers
Review: If you have a teenager, especially if it's a boy, maybe you should take a moment and check to see what the little hooligan is up to. That's the lesson of MURDER BY NUMBERS.Homicide Detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) is investigating the murder of a young woman whose body was found in the woods replete with tantalizing clues: yellow carpet fibers, the hair of a baboon, and a dollop of vomit. And then there's the victim's one finger that's missing - severed, apparently. Almost from the first, the audience knows that the perps are Richard (Ryan Gosling) and Justin (Michael Pitt), two creepy, clever, and bored teenaged boys (See? What did I tell ya!) with way too much time on their hands and too little parental oversight. Most males their age, with hormones sloshing over, just want to score with the babes. These two would rather commit the perfect murder because ... Well, just because, that's all. To me, MURDER BY NUMBERS has the tempo and feel of a made-for-TV movie. Perhaps it's too contrived. (Ok, ok. Most big screen thriller plots ARE contrived. But this one suggests some rookie screenwriter tried too hard.) Richard and Justin are obviously two sick puppies, and that's cool. But then we have Cassie. Sandra Bullock usually plays a character that a fella would love to take to the prom and then home to visit Mom for milk and warm cookies. Maybe you'd still like to take Cassie home, but Mom had better be a head doctor. Mayweather is hauling some heavy psychological baggage - something to do with the scars just peeking over the top of her top. Cassie has been seeing the police shrink, and it was hard for me to imagine any law enforcement agency entrusting such a maimed personality with a gun and handcuffs. Moreover, her new partner, Det. Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) is so bland as to be just short of invisible as an interesting character. And I was never convinced that Richard and Justin posed any sort of threat to Cassie personally, so tension was lacking. Yawn. I'm giving MURDER BY NUMBERS three stars solely for the reason that I think SB is generally hot, and my eyeballs are still seared with the image of her character prancing out of her make-over session in MISS CONGENIALITY. Do you suppose she's available for the Christmas formal?
Rating: 
Summary: A not so perfect murder (3.5 stars)
Review: The premise for this story is a good one that a lot of thrillers have used as their basic format. Two seemingly not friends are actually friends at school, mostly due to the fact that their parents have no idea what they are up to or are doing. They get together and decide to commit the perfect crime, as they are smarter than everyone else. They even go so far as to plant evidence etc. The two actors who play the boys are very creepy! Sandra Bullock was great as usual. Though she seemed a bit off during part of the performance. Her new partner is good as he won't give in and just transfer as most have in the past. I really enjoyed the way you keep flashing back to learn more about her past as well as flashing back to learn more about the murder the boys committed. Overall if you like books by John Sanford or James Patterson there is enough to keep you interested. I was a bit disappointed by the DVD. I had hoped for special features that were not there. (I am glad I rented it)
Rating: 
Summary: Bad DVD production...again
Review: While the movie itself is decent enough, this review focuses more on the DVD special features.
I like to listen to the commentaries provided on many DVD's. This one however features many of the problems I've noticed when you have more than one person giving the commentary. The director/producers voice is low and subdued; in fact it's barely audible at points. While the editors voice is loud and clear. It makes me wonder why they can't get their acts together while editing these tracks and normalize the voices to a consistent level. One other problem, they mention three or four times that there are some extra or extended scenes on the DVD, which is completely false.
There are also some continuity problems, the worst of which appears within the first 15 minutes of the film. We see the detectives (Sandra and Ben) at the scene in the woods where the body is found, and Sandra's character is wearing all black. Then the next time we see them they are heading towards her boathouse, presumably coming from the scene of the crime, yet she is wearing a blue shirt, not black. Also notice Ben's clothes are completely different. It's small details like these that can make a mediocre film bad.
Rating:
Summary: Mildly Engrossing
Review: Sandra Bullock takes a rare dramatic turn in the by-the-books thriller MURDER BY NUMBERS, playing a police detective who stumbles upon an intricately thought out murder--at least that's what the murderers thought. To their chagrin, and ours, the police here aren't nearly as stupid as said murderers were hoping for--though, it must be said, they are a little on the boring side. Bullock is serviceable here though not entirely convincing in the lead role(sorry, she's more effective at comedy) and Ben Chaplin is pretty much wasted here as Bullock's partner. Only when Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt(as the murdering teens)are on screen does this film spark to life--they are both superb and act circles around their co-stars. If director Barbet Schroeder had played up the tension between Bullock and Gosling more, the film would have only been the better for it(though the final,life-or-death--and ultimately anticlimatic--scene between Bullock and Gosling is utterly laughable for it's ludicrous execution). All in all, not a complete waste of time, but a film with several missed opportunities.
Rating:
Summary: Bit Unpleasant, & Too Stretched, But Still Has Good Moments
Review: Sandra Bullock is cast against type as homicide detective Cassie Mayweather, who has to face two unpleasant facts of reality.
One of them is, as you soon realise in the opening scenes, the investigation of her new case leading to the pair of suspects who turned out affluent high school kids in a peaceful seaside town. We are introduced, from the beginning, to the culprits, a la "Columbo" style. These two kids Richard and Justine, without particular reasons, kill one of the residents of the town, and leaves the evidence, which they know would fit the description of the criminal that now-familiar FBI profiling would make. There is an inevitable "fall guy" they prepare, and the investigation in fact leads to that conclusion. But Cassie only is not convinced. Her instinct as a detective tells her that THEY did it. But how can she make others in the police believe when everything fits in clean? And Cassie has another enemy to face, long buried in her memory, but now coming back again. And that has something to do with her past. The murder case here is, as many pointed out, loosely based on "Loeb-Leopold" case, the real murder which happened in 1924. But you may forget the fact (unless you want to see more films inspired by the case, like "Rope" by Hitchcock, for instance). You should remember that it is directed by Barbet Schroeder, whose style is seen in thrillers like "Single White Female." He is good at creating sinister, brooding atomosphere, but the storytelling is often not smooth, or often, clumsy. That same trait can be seen again here, but this case his slow narrative works, because the film attempts to reveal the psycological aspects of the murder, especially those about the rich, spoiled kids. He should be praised for not making them simple monsters, trying to set up the plausible characters in them, and two young actors Michael Pitt (no relation to Brad) and Ryan Gosling are perfectly cast. Maybe I am wrong, but it is Sandra Bullock who has some problem. It is not that she is not good; she is good as a troubled investigator Cassie. But, it seems that the script demands too much from this leading character, who, as I told, must encounter a couple of hideous facts of life face to face. When the flashback scenes come on screen, I thought "Oh, no, please," because what they are trying to imply is too obvious from the first ten minutes. The script attempts to be thrilling, intelligent, and multi-layered, but about the last one, it went too far, I am afraid. The film shows convincingly detailed forensic techiniques, and the ever-changing relations between the high-school students are always believable (but one love interest, and slight homosexual nuance are both underdeveloped). My verdict is only three stars, but that's because I prefer Hitchcock, and that's all. The film is titled "Murder by Numbers," but it manages to be called "By the Number" ... perhaps barely.
Rating:
Summary: In search of the perfect crime
Review: Two young men who are emotionally unconnected with other people decide to commit a crime and frame someone else for it. They feel that they can fool the police into accusing the wrong person of the murder, but they underestimate the investigative powers of Cassie Mayweather, played by Sandra Bullock. Despite her prowess as a police investigator, she carries some emotional scars, which she transfers to Sam, her long-suffering partner. The acting in this movie is good, particularly the troubled young men, played by Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. This is an interesting study of criminal and investigator matching wits and trying to stay one step ahead of the other. This won't win any Academy Awards but it makes for an interesting evening of viewing.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder by Numbers
Review: Excellent Film~ Sandara Bullock is just increadable as "usual" in this film~ I had never heard about this film before and bought it at random~ I was just really stunned with the Plot int his Film, and the way it unfolds! I have taken "Criminal Profiling Courses" and with the modern technology ever changing I myself have give thought to the "What If"~ that took place in this film~ Cast, Directing, Acting was Par Excellence~ A must see~ No "clues" from this gal~ You just have to buy it, watch it and you won't be sorry that you didn't miss out on this "Thriller"~
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, Not Great- Flawed---
Review: I don't know if it's as bad as watching paint dry now come on. That would be pretty boring. But it could have been better. Sandra Bullock produces and stars in this film. In it she plays a detective with inner demons that are revealed as the plot progresses. She investigates a murder while training her new partner (Ben Chaplin; BIRTHDAY GIRL) in the ways of detective work, among other things. When it comes to the killer kids (played brilliantly by Ryan Gosling of REMEMBER THE TITANS and the BELIEVER and Michael Pitt who also played a killer kid in BULLY) that's when the excitement begins. These kids are demented, devious, psychotic, and loads of fun. I wish they could have been the only characters in the film because they were so entertaining! They commit a murder just for the thrill! Now that's insane! Both of these young actors, Gosling and Pitt, are sure to go far in Hollywood. But there's something frustrating about watching a movie like 'Murder 8y Num8ers' because somewhere inside that Hollywood formula is a good movie trying to pop out. However, by the time the credits roll, there's no saving it. The whole thing is pretty much blown by the "cop side" of the story, where Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin's homicide detective characters muddle through an awkward sexual affair that becomes more and more trivialized the longer the movie goes on. Although Bullock is strong in her role, it's not enough to save the lackluster script and lazy pacing. Ben Chaplin's talents are wasted in a forgettable role (he did much better earlier in the year in the underrated 'Birthday Girl') as well as Chris Penn, who has a role so thanklessly small you feel sorry for a talent like him. Anyway, the plot really isn't even a factor in this movie at all. The two teen killers played by Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt are the only real reasons to see this movie. Their talent and chemistry work pretty good and they play off of each other quite well. It's too bad they weren't in a much better all-around film. Bottom Line: it's worth a rent if you're a genre fan, but everyone else will live a fulfilled life without ever seeing it, except maybe on network TV with convenient commercial breaks.
Rating:
Summary: Not that bad...great performances!
Review: I don't know if it's as bad as watching paint dry now come on. That would be pretty boring. But it could have been better. I expected more from the writer of THE SALTON SEA, a movie which I absolutely loved buy hey you can't win 'em all.
Sandra Bullock produces and stars in this film. In it she plays a detective with inner demons that are revealed ass the plot progresses. She investigates a murder while training her new partner (Ben Chaplin; THE THIN RED LINE) in the ways of detective work, among other things. But Bullock and Chaplin are th edull, boring parts of the film.
When it comes to the killer kids (played brilliantly by Ryan Gosling of REMEMBER THE TITANS and Michael Pitt who also played a killer kid in BULLY) that's when the excitement begins. These kids are demented, devious, psychotic, and loads of fun. I wish they could have been the only characters in the film because they were so entertaining! They commit a murder just for the thrill! Now that's insane! Both of these young actors, Gosling and Pitt, are sure to go far in Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder by bad screenplay
Review: The plot was predictable and given away very early. The main characters are not well-acted and are not people you can feel ANY sympathy for. It flip-flops from day to night scenes, bad guys to good guys. It became ponderous and boring to watch. I just wanted it to be over and gave alot of thought to fast-forwarding to the ending credits. This movie isn't worth the time it takes to load the DVD player!
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