Murder by Numbers (2002)
Average Rating: 5.3/10
Reviews Counted: 125
Fresh: 39 | Rotten: 86
A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 18
A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 61,186
Movie Info
When a pair of bright-but sociopathic teens conspires to commit the perfect murder, a troubled cop teams with her eager new partner to solve the case that left the community in fear and the police without a clue. High school ladies' man Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) and outcast Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) have no motive to commit murder, but they soon conspire to choose a random victim and pin the crime on local pot dealer Ray (Chris Penn), under the guise that the police will never suspect
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Cast
-
Sandra Bullock
Det. Cassie Mayweath... -
Ryan Gosling
Richard Haywood -
Michael Pitt
Justin Pendleton -
Agnes Bruckner
Lisa Mills -
Chris Penn
Ray -
R.D. Call
Rod -
Ben Chaplin
Sam Kennedy -
Janni Brenn
Ms. Elder -
Dennis Cockrum
Criminalist at Ray's... -
John Doolittle
Fingerprint Technici... -
Jim Jansen
Lawyer -
Eric Saiet
Criminalist at Ray's... -
Ralph Seymour
Paramedic -
Tom Verica
Al Swanson -
John Vickery
Restaurant Manager -
Michael Canavan
Mr. Chechi -
Sharon Madden
Nurse -
Adilah Barnes
Lab Technician -
Nick Offerman
Uniformed Cop -
Brian Stepanek
Parole Board Marshal -
Christine Healy
Justin's Mother -
Krista Carpenter
Olivia Lake -
Neal Matarazzo
Male Officer In Flas... -
Paula Scarpino
Female Officer In Fl... -
Nancy Osborne
Richard's Mother -
Todd Leatherbury
Cop -
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Murder by Numbers Trailer & Photos
All Critics (146) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (86) | DVD (26)
The outline of Murder by Numbers may be familiar, but the filmmakers and Bullock do an expert job of filling in the colors.
Top CriticWe're less in suspense over how (or if) the killers will be caught than we are over the question of just who this tough, hedonistic detective is.
It's well worth catching for its interesting twists on the Leopold and Loeb story.
As long as Schroeder stays with the kids, the film musters a good deal of restless tabloid intensity, and even the occasional twinge of pathos.
Predictable thriller is definitely not for kids.
The problem is that there's no real mystery to this mystery.
... It leaves you feeling that it could have been so much more.
Lesson learned: Never ask Ben Chaplin to lose his British accent.
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.
Bullock's complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film
Despite the presence of Ms. Bullock, Murder By Numbers doesn't add up to very much, and like those old paint-by-numbers kits, the movie can easily be set aside and forgotten.
There are times when the movie plays like a version of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope if the Jimmy Stewart role were replaced with the team from TV's C.S.I.
An interesting idea turned into a movie about too many things. Maybe complexity in today?s dumbed down cinema is good; but complexity is not the same as "too much."
Dizer que "Cálculo Mortal" é uma decepção é constatar o óbvio.
Moments of force exist within a work that feels more like product than art, and things end up disturbing for all the wrong reasons.
Only mildly entertaining, "Murder By Numbers" is not as "thrilling" as a thriller should be.
118 - the number of minutes this movies runs. 22 - the number of minutes it took to bore me to death. 116 - the number of minutes I want back.
Murder by Numbers nos obliga a identificarnos no con los representantes de la ley, sino con los autores del crímen.
The debut script by Tony Gayton completely betrays the director's compelling tone.
plods through its psychological murder-mystery trappings like well-worn clothes, and the edges are definitely starting to look frayed
It's an intriguing set-up, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
The story has some nice twists but the ending and some of the back-story is a little tired. The performances are all solid; it merely lacks originality to make it a great movie.
Audience Reviews for Murder by Numbers
Super Reviewer
This is a film I've watched countless times and never grow old of Ryan Gosling's smug performance.
Super Reviewer
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