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Movies / On DVD / Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers (2002)

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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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence, language, a sex scene and brief drug use

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

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... 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]

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

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Ben Chaplin, Agnes Bruckner, Chris Penn, R.D. Call

Director: Barbet Schroeder

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: Tony Gayton
Producer: Richard Crystal, Susan Hoffman
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Sep 24, 2002

No Details Exist

Reviews for Murder by Numbers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/09/08
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
Ratings Image

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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The problem is that there's no real mystery to this mystery.

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
02/01/04
FilmStew.com
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... It leaves you feeling that it could have been so much more.

Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
01/07/04
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
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Lesson learned: Never ask Ben Chaplin to lose his British accent.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
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Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/05/03
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies
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The literal cliffhanger ending is far too overblown to be convincing, but most of what comes before it deserves praise.

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

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/23/02
Empire Magazine
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Ratings Image

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
11/10/02
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]
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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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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 Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/26/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

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Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Bullock’s complete lack of focus and ability quickly derails the film

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
09/26/02
Jason Clark
Matinee Magazine
Ratings Image

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 Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
09/26/02
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
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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 Source: Lawrence Journal-World | comment Comment
08/22/02
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
N/R

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Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Latest News for Murder by Numbers

April 14, 2005: Actors Sign Up for a Taste of "Blood and Chocolate"
Annette Curtis Klause's "Blood and Chocolate" is being adapted for the big screen, courtesy of MGM/Sony. The Hollywood Reporter says its "about a teenage werewolf... More...

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Related Forums for Murder by Numbers

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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