Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good: 3 1/2
Review: Now, I know that Sandra Bullock produced this film, but she needs to learn that sometimes you need to make certain sacrifices in order to advance the story...like not trying to make the whole movie about her character!The story is about two high school students (one rich and popular, the other smart and anti-social) who formulate a plan to commit murder and follow it by the number...just to see if they can get away with it. Enter Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin as detectives trying to solve the case. The boys have planted evidence, created alibis, and cleaned up after themselves so well that the cops fall for the whole act. But Sandra has a feeling that all is not as it appears to be. This movie could have been a great little Hitchcock-style thriller, but the movie spends too much time on getting to know Sandra's character rather than focusing on the actual crime itself. You see, something happened in her past that keeps haunting her throughout the film. And we get to know all about it...ALL about it. It just gets rather tedious after a while, especially when you are right in the middle of an intriguing murder investigation and then have to stop that investigation to hear about what happened to her in the past. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt are the real winners in this movie. They play their characters convincingly and with just the right amount of malice. If the script had spent more time focusing on these characters, and kept the detectives there to just do their jobs, this could have been an immensely entertaining thriller. With the way it is, most of the thrill is lost. They should have cut out all the stuff with Sandra's character and made that a separate TV movie for the Lifetime channel. But, I digress. It's still an entertaining movie, nonetheless. I do recommend this movie...but wait for the video/DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: More thrills. Less Drama.
Review: Murder by Numbers is one of those thrillers that could have been really scary but instead waters down some of its thrills with with too much melo drama, in my opinion. Some people really like that idea. Sensational acting, and direction a definetly highlights. Their's one main plot and 2 side plots in Murder by Numbers. The main plot is basicly about two really smart highschool students who feel rejected by the world so kill a person. They hope then their work will matter to someone ealse. Sandra Bullock is on the case. ...Its too unbeliveable. If they took out the other side plots it might have been closer to perfection.
Rating:
Summary: Murder by Numbers bolstered by great acting ensemble
Review: Sandra Bullock shows her most versatile side as an FBI agent not generating laughs with pageantry as in Miss Congeniality but as detective Cassie Mayweather who inebriates to soothe her tormented and abused soul. She is cynical as well as spiteful - and subjects men to humiliation. Her latest muse is her rookie partner Ben Chaplin in a thankless role. Murder by Numbers is essentially Bullock's star vehicle to feature her as a serious actress. She is tough and spare but when her trauma becomes too overwrought and grossly indulged, it butchers the movie to become a melodrama. Director Barbet Schroeder is at his best when deftly constructing the thriller part - closing in on a perfect murder scheme masterminded by a pair of high-school seniors. Cassie engages into a cat-and-mouse game to examine their strangled victim dumped in a river, ward off their deliberately set-up ruse and fence off their advances. The killing seems random but Cassie suspects it to be planned. Inspired by the 1924 case of Leopold and Loeb which is the source of Hitchcock's Rope, Murder by Numbers is a why-dun-it hence the suspense is left to the grisly atmosphere imbued by Schroeder. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt pitch their acting skills to a visceral mode, charging their performance with homo-erotic tension. Gosling is the arrogant Congressman's son with scornful virulence; Pitt is the reclusive nerd who is overshadowed by the cool kid Gosling. The boys' Nietzchean dance of death is eerie and morbid - and Schroeder of Reversal of Fortune paints the deranged with darkness. Murder by Numbers is thus a promising thriller only let down by the unfocused story-line when it wanders to Cassie's abused past. The pace may be slow but the ride there is one glossed by exceptional performances from the cast.
Rating: 
Summary: Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt Shine
Review: I was very intrigued to see this movie because my mom had told me about the Leopold and Loeb killings. Also I remember watching Ryan Gosling on the Mickey Mouse Club when I was younger and he was wonderful as Bosely in Remember the Titans not to mention Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses. The movie definetley managed to keep my attention preventing my brain from letting my legs get up and head towards the bathroom even until after the movie.
There was a great amount of sexual attention between the characters Cassie (Bullock) and Richard (Gosling) that definetley added to the plot twists. Anyone who did not want to beat the snot out of Richard right up until the very end of this movie is crazy. He bullies Justin (Pitt), who Michael does an outstanding job playing, and just uses everybody in order to further himself. There is a surprising twist at the end that I for one did not see coming. A definete must see.
Rating: 
Summary: a reality check ?
Review: The story seemed interesting, and I expected a much better film; it just kept getting worse as the film continued. Bullock's character was just too unbelievable; the only possibly credible characters would be the two high school students. Reviewer J.D. wrote a good review, much of which reflects my own thoughts about this film: editing and lighting were not as good as they could have been; directing was lousy. And indeed this film is not as thrilling as believed: it is really stupid. A total disappointment. Hollywood needs a reality check.
Rating:
Summary: Simple but Good
Review: A simple murder story but executed very well, characters were realistic and could be your next door neighbor. Sandra Bullock still rocks....
Rating:
Summary: No Disappointments
Review: After seeing many highly raated movies recently and being disappointed - I was surprised and the captivating story of this movie. Although it was a slow lift-off, it picked up the pace and held the audience through the end. A little twist at the end added to the thought provoking plot. I would see it again and will buy it when it is released to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Murder by Numbers
Review: It was interesting but slow at times.Bullock was good.I have recommended this movie .
Rating:
Summary: "Murder By Numbers" will not disappoint!
Review: I saw this movie the day it came out. I saw it at night, which made it even more creepy. Sandra Bullock is an excellent actress, and she played the part of Cassie very well. She teams up with Sam (played by Ben Chaplin) to investigate a murder that two teens have planned out. It is plain to see who the killers are from the beginning, but the supense really builds when you have to try to figure out who actually is doing the killing. I highly recommend this movie, and it will keep your eyes glued to the screen throughout.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe a "B-" instead of a "C". You will pay attention...
Review: To the screen while Murder by Numbers (MBN) tells its story. The plot of "MBN" is only a little more complex than a "Law and Order" episode, and that is the film's downfall. Promised a psychological thriller of the serial variety by the film's trailer and the film's name, prospective viewers are misled into thinking the film will be more than it really is. In this, it resembles "The Panic Room". Unlike "Law and Order", director Barbet Schroeder (of the more suspenseful "Single White Female") creates the mood with complex relationships between the characters. The film begins by telling us that the murder was committed by two wealthy teenagers, and with that element of suspense gone, it is difficult for Schroeder to convey the anxiety and thrills that the trailer promised. Still, Schroeder does a capable job of keeping the audience guessing on the ambiguities of what drove the boys to commit the murder, and what compels Bullock to keep going when the case appears to be solved. . Bullock is trying to expand her career in screen comedy and light romance to dramatic roles; tough to do when your screen persona is, "cute". Bullock will surprise you in this film; ever the cynic, she plays Cassie, a detective that no one likes due to her overdeveloped ego and underdeveloped sense of the politically correct. Thorough and driven, she is tasked with breaking in a new partner, Sam (Ben Chaplin), and teaching him about how to solve a homicide. Chaplin just kind of "exists" in the film, and the viewer never really identifies with him. The murderers have not only concealed their identity, they have left small forensic clues that lead the detectives to the wrong man, and thus, the crime is solved. Cassie, who's been aggressive sexually with Sam, is angry when he brings this conclusion to the case. She doubts the pat outcome and continues to try to trap the real murderers. One of the elements that makes the film somewhat tedious is the continuous backstory of Cassie's past; and while it is supposed to give us insight into why she is the way she is, it really just gets in the way of the investigation. You get the feeling that Schroeder sort of tacked it on to the film because forces behind the movie wanted more focus on Bullock and less on supporting characters. Mistake. What is masterful about the film is the supporting performances of the two young killers. Young actors Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt (Richard and Justin) are terrific in their roles. Gosling particularly unnerves you with his chemistry with all the other players. Richard & Justin's actions and interactions are eerie, reminding you vaguely of the solitary and angry lives of the Columbine killers. It isn't clear to the viewer just which of the two is manipulating the other as they plot the perfect murder by studying crime scene handbooks. Are they seeking meaning to their lives? Attention? A less boring existence than their wealthy and uninvolved parents can give them? Their relationship has a homoerotic edge, and the film finishes without ever clearing up their motivation, perhaps the largest element of suspense that the film has. Worth watching, but not Schroeder's best. Bullock redeems herself as a more versatile actress, and the stage is set for a future breakout role for either Pittman or Gosling.
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