Murder by Numbers

Rating:
Summary: Not a Thriller
Review: Before the summer of 2002, many thrillers were released promising thrills and chills. Such titles as "Panic Room" and "Frailty" talked the talk and walked the walk, but Barbet Schroeder's "Murder by Numbers" will fail to scare you at all.

Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin are local detectives trying to figure out a case in which a dead woman's body shows up out of nowhere in the middle of the forest. "Murder by Numbers" - as quickly as it intrigues you - drops you off for a marathon. We learn that the murder has been done by two high school students; Richard (Bryan Gosling) and Justin (Michael Pitt). Richard is the rich, cool kid that seems to be the murderer while Justin is the goth punk who is the brains behind the murder...or so we think. This is where Bullock and Chaplin comes in. Bullock plays Cassie Mayweather, called the "Hyena" (for her strong will and manly attitde) and Ben Chaplin plays the green Sam Kennedy, Mayweather's latest partner in a string of partners. Apparently Mayweather goes through partners like water.

As the movie progresses (slowly) we learn more and more about the dynamic child killer duo and more especially Mayweather (Bullock). She is more of a manly character, as she seduces and then pulls away Kennedy (Chaplin). "Murder By Numbers" then loses its pull by long, strained flashbacks and plans. Somewhere, Mayweather and Kennedy come in, and things start to develop.

"Murder By Numbers" is nowhere near the caliber of thrillers of 2002. While Bullock pulls her load, Chaplin blandly wavers through the film. The suprise performance is that of Gosling, who weasels and sweet-talks his way throughout the entire movie until he meets his fate. His counterpart, Pitt, looks like someone who wore too much gel on the set and constantly sweats -not a good thing. Schroeder, acclaimed international producer, does not perform well at all here behind the camera. His shots are simple and look more like something out of "Law and Order". The editing job is poor as well. For example, in one shot, Justin walks in a hallway when it is light outside, and as he walks into his room, it is dark.

"Murder By Numbers" is saved only by Bullock's performance as she comes to bear on who she really is. The film itself is slow and lags through the majority of the feature.

Rating:
Summary: Should I Go See This Movie?
Review: Critics gave this only a couple stars. Fans give it four. If you go to movies to evaluate an art form, stick to the stupid boring movies the critics love. If you want to get good value for your entertainment dollar, go see this movie.

This is the serious side of Sandra Bullock. And it is a good one. Not the funny, girl next door of While You Were Sleeping, or Miss Congeniality. More on the level of Practical Magic. Not so serious as Hope Floats.

She gets a lot of on screen time, which is what her fans pay the money for.

The story - two teenagers with too much time on their hands and not enough hobbies think they can get away with murder. Sandra uses her gut instincts far more than her forensic training to read right into their soul and sniff out the rats for what they are.

There are some twists and turns in the story but the characters are not developed well at all. There is a "deep, dark secret" that motivates her cop character that really get lip service rather than providing any insight into her motivations. Still, it is a one dimensional romp showcasing Sandra's great looks and engaging voice. Very well worth the price of admisssion.

I have seen many worse movies that critics swooned over and even gave Oscars to, so don't put much stock in what they say. If you like Sandra Bullock, you will like this show.

Rating:
Summary: A Hollywood Production with A Controversial Director
Review: When I say controversial director I mean a director with a unique and creative flair for developing subject matter to be seen in a new and exciting way. Sometimes the material he works with can be sobering but different in its style and process. This movie is definately a hollywood style movie but because of the direction by this interesting director it becomes more than. I liked the interaction between the characters. The movie took on more depth because the director caught the realness of the characters. I am not sure how to express this but I could identify with the characters. The two young actors who are trying to find amusement because life has become to boring and staid and needs some livening up want to commit a perfect murder, outwitting the police. I think the boredom that places the subject of murder into motion between the two teens brings excitement in their lives, excitement also be channeled into sexual energy or vice versa. The boys seemed to be drawn to each other in a sexual way. The energy between them feels sexual and really stimulates the viewer. This is what I mean about realness. The fact that two boys are drawn to one another usually doesn't catch me but in this movie it did! Also Bullock's character has a way of sparking up an overdone profile. The character she is portraying is an abused woman not dealing with her abuse and channeling her rage into work as a police woman and possible alcoholic. You know Bullock has took on roles that have to do with recovery, remember 28 days. I think she uses her talent to gain positive growth, maybe, maybe not. All this is, is a thought. Anyways, there are some cliches, the falling off the cliff, the ending where everything has to be spelled out, I hate that. I am sure some like. It bothers me when a point has to be driven, I like a more subtle approach. Again, Bullock has a way of delivering her lines that refreshes me and adds to the realness of the movie. I also like the fact they used some new faces or faces that have been out there but not used in many big hollywood takes, such as Michael Pitt and Ben Chaplin. The other actor that plays the part of the manipulative teen, not Justin, I thought also did a good job. His coolness stayed pretty constant and when he did break down, you could see the coolness struggling to keep composure. He was able to pull this off, which wins my praise. Someone said all he could do was raise his eyebrows and show an attitude, but I differ in that opinion. Anyways, Bullock still has a nice girl quality but the way she puts out her lines draw you and convince you her character is real. Chaplin's character is trying to remain detached, trying to be professional but slowly his character begins to melt. I wish he had more to his role but he did a good job with what he had. Well, I liked this movie and recommend it. It is not super unique but it has its moments, and the actors do a good job catching you up in the story. Which means theres a good director behind the scenes!

Lisa Nary

Rating:
Summary: More than your garden-variety thriller.
Review: "Murder by Numbers" belongs in that special category of thrillers in which the characters take precedence over the actual plot itself. The story line follows certain rules while breaking others, but in the end, it is the deep examinations of the people who populate the scenario that wins our utmost attention.

The film reminds me immensely of the early 1900's murder trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two bright, astute boys who, for no clear reason, decided to murder a young boy in cold blood. Here, the action centers around an event that is very much the same in its calculation and detached feel. We are introduced to high school teenagers Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling), the rich and cocky aristocrat, and Justin (Michael Pitt), the loner who spends his time diffusing the workings of the law, from forensics to detective skills.

No sooner do we find out that these two completely opposite people are friends, than we learn that they have been planning a murder during the course of their friendship. We sense a feeling of hesitation eminating from Justin, as Richard placates him about his constant need for planning without any payoff. From such a scene, we are to gather that Justin is the brains while his partner is the brawn.

But it goes much deeper than first expected. There is a murder, that which we do not see, but discover as a crime scene is examined. There are various clues that, we gather, were left behind intentionally, from a strand of human hair to a carpet fabric from an unknown source. Later, we find that this ties in with their master plan of alluding the authorities to other sources and suspects.

Once things pick up after hard-hitting detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) takes on the case and begins questioning the two troubled youths, the film stops at various points to examine small glimpses of the two boys interacting with one another. Each boy feels he is being masterminded by the other, though it certainly appears as if Richard is having more of the fun. There are even hints at a possible homosexual relationship between the two: in one particular scene, after Justin becomes involved with a female classmate, Richard confronts him. Is he anxious about whether or not his partner in crime revealed any possible information, or is there a slight jealousy in his furor?

It's these examinations and poignant moments of feeling that make "Murder by Numbers" better than it would have been had it followed the regular cat-and-mouse formula for the genre. The plot itself does tend to sway into predictability, and even the film's opening sequence sets us up for later events to come, but director Barbet Schroeder manages to keep things moving at a fluid pace, introducing new evidence for Cassie to divulge, despite her insistant boss, who believes she is overdoing her work, and her partner, Sam (Ben Chaplin), who feels she holds a grudge after he cracks the case. Or so he thinks.

But Cassie refuses to let go of her belief in the two boys' guilt. Under Sandra Bullock's convincing performance, she makes an otherwise routine subplot involving a past trauma that ties her emotions to present events believable. Chaplin's character isn't given much to do during the film except provide emotional support for Bullock; on that, he succeeds admirably.

It is Gosling and Pitt who steal the show, however, bringing us into the complex, morbidly intriguing nature of their friendship so that we have a somewhat faded picture of their psyche. I like that fact that some elements of their friendship are left to suggestion through friendly gestures and embraces; it incites us to think about what motivates them. Does Justin do it to satisfy Ryan's lust for action? Why do these two souls choose to interact, even as their crime tears them apart emotionally? Deciphering questions like this is all part of the fun, and they make "Murder by Numbers" more than your garden-variety thriller.

Rating:
Summary: "Murder" takes a while to get going but was a good thriller
Review: I love Sandra Bullock and her current film "Murder By Numbers" takes a bit to get going. Here's the real deal, 2 high school kids played by Michael Pitt (Hedwig & The Angry Inch) and newcomer Ryan Gosling really did or did'nt have their hands in a recent murder case? The usual steps of gathering information at the crime scene eventually leads up to Pitt & Gosling. Bullock and Ben Chaplin play homcide investigators trying to figure out if the two boys are telling the truth or lying. Will Pitt and Gosling stick to their story as planned or defy each other and turn the other one in? Towards the climatic ending had me at the edge and who really did it got me fooled!

Rating:
Summary: Riveting!
Review: Being a Criminal Justice major, I was anxious to see this one -- and I was not disappointed. The Crime Scene and Investigation 101 class you'll get from this movie makes it interesting enough.

Murder by Numbers brings together two unlikely high school pals: the chic and the geek. One has intricate knowledge of forensic investigation and the other has an appetite for murder. Together, they decide to pull off the perfect murder: one based on elaborate planning. Their experiment in murder is so meticulous that they go to great pains to avoid leaving any evidence whatsoever by wearing plastic suits and wrapping their hair in plastic wrap. They plant fibers and other trace evidence at the crime scene and on the victim to manipulate the investigation, lead by Sandra Bullock. Those interested in crime shows like CSI will love this movie.

The movie is packed with a great deal of suspense that will leave you hanging onto the edge of your seat at times. The characters are complicated, though Sandra Bullock's comes across as two-dimensional at first. And the plot is engaging; it'll keep drawing you in until the pulse-pounding climax.

Rating:
Summary: Trust me, this movie does not Murder people By Numbers!
Review: This movie isn't boring. It's actually telling people about how the "perfect murder" can be achieved without being caught. And aside from this, it tells of Cassie Mayweather, and her frightening past. This movie does tell who the murderers are in the beginning, but the real thing you have to figure out is WHO actually did the killing. This movie is one (of many) of Sandra Bullock's all best....It'll keep you on the edges of your seats.

Rating:
Summary: Swoon revisted
Review: Barbet Schroeder seems to make two types of films: those meant for the art/independent houses (even though there is a definite blurring of these films into the mainstream)such as "Our Lady of the Assassins," and those meant to be popular entertainments such as "Single White Female" and his current "Murder by the Numbers." His best film though, is still "Reversal of Fortune," which falls in between the cracks of his filmography yet still manages to be his most cogent, satiric and intelligent film to date.
"Murder by the Numbers" stars Sandra Bullock as the hard as nails and sexually voracious Cassie Mayweather, a homicide detective with an edgy past, assigned to solve a muder case that might involve two high school students: the sinister and edgy Ryan Gosling (late of "The Believer") and the sensitive and smarmy Michael Pitt (late of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
In fact, even though both Bullock and Ben Chaplin acquit themselves well in their roles, it is Gosling and Pitt that literally steal the show. Gosling and Pitt's scenes together bristle with sexual energy bordering on the homoerotic and their connection is palpable due to the very extraordinary nature of their relationship which I can only describe as one very much like that of Arthur Penn's version of Bonnie and Clyde with all the psychological tics in place; which is not to say that Bullock does not have her own demons to work through...because she does. It's just that the boy's demons are a hell of a lot more interesting.
Schroeder holds the whole enterprise together as well as he can but he obviously has more of an affinity to and interest in the Gosling/Pitt relationship than he does to the Bullock/Chaplin one. The ending is standard issue thriller and therefore a letdown but the mind reels at the idea of a Gosling/Pitt remake of the Leopold and Loeb story directed by the estimable Schroeder.

Rating:
Summary: SO IN CONCLUSION, MURDER IS THE ULTIMATE OF BEING!
Review: All in all I liked this movie! Sort of a now thing to do, crime investigation end of the murders. Where you get the details. The plot is good and kudos go for the teenage actors, as they were great.

Ryan Gosling,( Remember The Titans) did an outstanding job as the leader and bully of the two teens. While Michael Pitt (Hedweg And The Angry Inch), and Bully, played the submissive know-it-all-geek. They are in their senior year , and they plot to murder someone as the ultimate part of being. Which brings to mind the Loeb, Leopold murder movie, (Compulsion).
The script bounces around enough to keep you interested. And the twists and turns are really not that predictable, no matter what other reviewers say. The two teens have a pseudo-homosexual relationship and you can see Ryans fondness for Michael in the way he holds Michael close to him after raging at him. Michael is mesmerized by Ryan, but does not return the fondness. One gets the feeling that something had happened earlier in their childhood, as Michael tells the girl he is going out with, "I wish I had met you first"

Ben Chaplin, (Thin Red Line, and Birthday Girl) has the potential to be a great actor, and why he does not get a good place on this billing roster is puzziling to me. He has the looks, but needs to get out of his shell and do something really crazy like, (Urbania, or The World And Time Enough, Bird Cage), something zany!! He is way to serious.

Sandra Bullock (Miss Congenialty, 28 Days), also needs to break the mold she has put herself in, you can anticipate her every move and facial expression....she is good in this film but, predictable.

There are no perfect films, one can always expect to find some flaws and this film is no exception. What one hops for is 'that the flaws are few and far between.
I gave this flick a ****!
ciao yaaah69

Rating:
Summary: saved by two outstanding performances
Review: "Murder By Numbers" is merely the latest version of the old Leopold and Loeb story, wherein two amoral youths plan and execute a cold-blooded murder for the sheer intellectual challenge of seeing if they can get away with it. Alfred Hitchcock had a go at the tale back in the 1940's in a film called "Rope," and now it appears to be Barbet Schroeder's turn this time around. Aided by writer Tony Gayton, Schroeder focuses on Richard and Justin, two high school buddies living in a bucolic seaside community in Northern California, who commit murder in order to prove Justin's thesis that the courage to carry through with a crime is the ultimate form of human freedom. Anyone who has read "Crime and Punishment" will know immediately that this is not a particularly original philosophical position and, in fact, the film even makes some heavy-handed allusions to that famous novel in the fact that one of the characters in the movie keeps referring to Justin, the mastermind of the plot, as "Napoleon" (Napoleon serves as the inspiration for the novel's main character, Raskolnikov). Richard is the pretty little rich boy, popular in school for both his good looks and his attitude of cool detachment, while Justin is the nerdy intellectual, dismissed by most of his peers as creepily eccentric, who has made an exhaustive study of just how to "get away with murder" by circumventing all the forensic techniques used in modern crime scene investigation.

"Murder By Numbers" is definitely at its best when it is focusing on the two youths and the strange relationship between them - and clearly at its worst when it is viewing matters from the opposite perspective, that of the criminal investigating team led by Cassie Mayweather, played by Sandra Bullock. Cassis seems to come equipped with all the standard baggage common to lead female characters who happen to be working in a predominantly ugly (i.e. male-dominated) profession. The brusque demeanor with which she confronts most of her colleagues has earned her the affectionate nicknames "Hyena" and "Scorpion" (the former because hyenas apparently have a pseudo-penis and the latter for more obviously symbolic reasons). Not only is this beautiful young woman (as always) unattached (why are such attractive people in movies never in relationships?), but she drives men away by her refusal to let any of them get truly near to her. The filmmakers have tried to apply some psychological depth to her character by having her suffering from the effects of a traumatic event in her past, but this whole aspect seems strangely unconvincing and tacked on - and rather distracting when what we really want to be doing is following the much more interesting drama taking place between the two boys.

Although Bullock is never less than competent in the lead role, the scene-stealers turn out to be Ryan Gosling as Richard and, most especially, Michael Pitt as Justin. These two fine actors command our attention every time they appear on the screen and lift this rather routine script to the level of high drama more frequently than it surely deserves. Pitt, in particular, beautifully underplays the role of the social outcast, a boy so intellectually brilliant that he cannot connect with the flesh-and-blood people around him. Yet, the single finest aspect of the screenplay is that it does not portray Pitt as a hopelessly twisted maniac. He is, in fact, capable of both compassion and fear - a fact which helps to make his character compelling and complex enough to pique our interest.

"Murder By Numbers" is, in a way, an appropriately named movie. But thanks to sharp performances by Gosling and Pitt, the film has more to offer than it otherwise might.