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MOVIES / ON DVD / MURDER BY NUMBERS
Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers (2002)

30%
50%
53%
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30 %
Reviews Counted: 120 Fresh: 36  Rotten:84 Average Rating: 5.2/10
 
Consensus: A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Theatrical Release: Apr 19, 2002 Wide

Box Office: $31,874,869

Synopsis: When the dead body of a woman is found in the woods near the river, feisty homicide detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner, Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) are assigned to the case. That's the premise for MURDER BY NUMBERS, a psychological thriller directed by Barbet... When the dead body of a woman is found in the woods near the river, feisty homicide detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner, Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) are assigned to the case. That's the premise for MURDER BY NUMBERS, a psychological thriller directed by Barbet Schroeder (REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE). Determined to solve the crime, Mayweather follows her hunches and microscopic bits of evidence, focusing her investigation on two teens: Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt), a brilliant, misunderstood nerd, and Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling), a smooth talking, spoiled rich kid. From the beginning, the audience knows that this unlikely duo has formed a secret bond that pushes the boundaries of morality and the law in their attempt to commit the perfect murder and experience complete freedom. It's up to Mayweather, who buries herself in her work in an attempt to forget her own tormented past, and Kennedy, a transfer from Vice who is working his first homicide case, to ignore the stereotypical profiles and see past the obvious in order to solve the crime. Slowly but surely, the truth comes out as Mayweather works on instinct while battling her own demons and being drawn into the boys' game of cat-and-mouse. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Ben Chaplin, Agnes Bruckner

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: Tony Gayton
Producer: Richard Crystal, Susan Hoffman

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 24, 2002

[DVD Details]

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Reviews

 
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07/09/08
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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N/R

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02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
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2.5/5

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12/06/05
Film Threat
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2.5/4

The problem is that there's no real mystery to this mystery.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
N/R

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02/01/04
FilmStew.com
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2.5/4

... It leaves you feeling that it could have been so much more.

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01/07/04
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
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3/4

Lesson learned: Never ask Ben Chaplin to lose his British accent.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
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1/4

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03/05/03
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies
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4/5

The literal cliffhanger ending is far too overblown to be convincing, but most of what comes before it deserves praise.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/23/02
Empire Magazine
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2.5/5

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12/08/02
Film Threat
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N/R

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11/10/02
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
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3/5

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10/30/02
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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N/A

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/26/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

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10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
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10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
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N/A

Bullock’s complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film

Full Review | comment Comment
09/26/02
Jason Clark
Matinee Magazine
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5/10

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/26/02
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
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2.5/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/22/02
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
N/R

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08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Related Forums

question about the movie
by: midwestplaya33 10/14/02


Sheryl Crow
by: tinnelle 5/26/02


A far better title would have been "Screenwriting by Numbers"
by: wilbrifar 4/29/02


Better than High Crimes
by: wallyworldr 4/21/02


Murder by Numbers looks pretty cool
by: TheBigJ128 4/20/02
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Around the Network

• Murder by Numbers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Murder by Numbers at IGN
• Murder by Numbers at AskMen
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