Opening

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Murder by Numbers (2002)

tomatometer

31

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.

45

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.

audience

54

liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 61,009

My Rating

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

R,

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Tony Gayton

Sep 24, 2002

$31.9M

Warner Bros. - Official Site External Icon

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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.

July 20, 2002 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's well worth catching for its interesting twists on the Leopold and Loeb story.

May 17, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Observer
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

April 23, 2002 Full Review Source: Village Voice
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Bullock is good, the script is not.

April 22, 2002 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Predictable thriller is definitely not for kids.

December 26, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

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

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

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

January 7, 2004 Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | Comment (1)
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

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

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

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

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online
Film Quips Online

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.

October 26, 2002 Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile
Urban Cinefile

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.

September 27, 2002

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

September 26, 2002 Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine
Matinee Magazine

Audience Reviews for Murder by Numbers

Two teens decide to commit the perfect murder just because they can. They figure they can set it up that obviously the murder was committed by a local janitor/drug dealer. Of course Sandra Bullock just knows that it wasn't the drug dealer, and the battle of wills and more between her and the two teens is on.
April 3, 2012
Redlats

Super Reviewer

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.
August 4, 2006
76Majikat

Super Reviewer

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