Murder By Numbers (2002)

Director: Barbet Schroeder

The only flaw in their plan was her

Writer: Tony Gayton

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

I absolutely adore this film. I’m a big Sandra Bullock fan and it’s lovely to see her in something that isn’t a comedy. Murder By Numbers is a mind-fuck of a film in which two bored teenagers attempt to commit the perfect murder. However, they don’t count on interference by homicide cop Cassie Mayweather and her partner Sam (nice to see Ben Chaplin again). Cassie (Bullock) was once nearly left for dead by her husband and therefore, is very serious about catching the killers. In Richard (Gosling) and Justin’s (Pitt) planning the perfect murder, they forget that planning itself can be a mistake and a set of inncoulous mistakes lead Cassie and Sam to them. The problem then is that Richard and Justin are so wrapped up in the ideals of freedom (i.e. commiting crimes and getting away with it) that they start to turn on each other and Cassie gets caught up in the middle. The film is, to a certain degree, badly plotted, messy and obvious in places but the interesting relationship between Cassie, Sam, Justin and Richard does a way to making up for it.

BEST QUOTE:

Richard: Please, that chick spreads like peanut butter.

7/10

~ by ejmarquez on October 11, 2009.