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
them of such a brutal act. Determined Det. Cassie Merriweather (Sandra Bullock) is assigned to the case, and quickly becomes suspicious of the elusive teens despite the doubts expressed by her superiors and her lack of solid evidence. Soon entering into a dangerous test of wills with the increasingly desperate and dangerous teens, her investigation leads her down a disturbing path that will test her skills as a detective and her will to survive. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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.
The performances are solid and the plot is intriguing, but director Barbet Schroeder allows the action to drag too often. A satisfying twist ending spices things up enough to merit a rental, but this is certainly no classic.
I often wonder why this is a much loved film of mine, it's certainly not one of the best murder tales nor is it the most suspenseful of Thrillers, but I feel the reason lies in the forensic analysis and planning of a perfect murder, alongside the battle of intelligences and ego.
This is a film I've watched countless
times and never grow old of Ryan Gosling's smug performance.
Murder by Numbers is certainly a by the numbers thriller. Two teenagers plan out the perfect murder. Just like the Hitchcock classic, Rope. Unlike that film, Murder by the Numbers has none of the intensity or dread. Gosling and Pitt make an excellent disturbed duo and play their roles with such conviction that both
they and you, feel as though they have done nothing wrong. Chaplin and Bullock are regular cops with their own personal problems and colorful pasts. It's a unfolds at a decent rate but ultimately leads to a climax that is both predictable and disappointing. The word "decent" pops up a lot to describe just about every aspect.
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