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: 5.7/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 18
A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.
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Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 61,009
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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 Mayweather -
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 Ho... -
John Doolittle
Fingerprint Technician -
Jim Jansen
Lawyer -
Eric Saiet
Criminalist at Ray's Ho... -
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 Flashba... -
Paula Scarpino
Female Officer In Flash... -
Nancy Osborne
Richard's Mother -
Todd Leatherbury
Cop -
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Murder by Numbers Trailer & Photos
All Critics (146) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (89) | 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 CriticIt'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.
Bullock is good, the script is not.
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.
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.
Bullock's complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film
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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