Hot Off The Rack 11.06.02: Murder By Numbers
Posted by Miss Galatea on 11.06.2002
Is it a gritty, psychological thriller or a tedious tale with a paint-by-numbers plot?
Murder By Numbers Director: Barbet Schroeder
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Ben Chaplin
Rated: (R) Violence, Language, Sex Scenes & Brief Drug Use
Warner Bros., 2002, 120 Minutes
Overview
The general synopsis, as it appears courtesy of Blockbuster Video:"They planned the perfect murder and the perfect alibi. What they didn‘t plan on was detective Cassie Mayweather." Who writes this stuff?
Sandra Bullock plays detective Cassie Mayweather (a name suited for an 82-year-old grandmother); a tough as nails cliché of the "one of the boys" characters who occasionally wallows in her own set of fun and dysfunctional issues. After the dead body of a local woman is found near a river Cassie and her new partner Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) are assigned to the mysterious case. Michael Pitt (from Finding Forrester and ironically a guest spot on Law and Order: SVU) and Ryan Gosling (of Remember the Titans) play the mentally whacked high school students who commit the crime and believe they are too clever to be caught.
What I Didn’t Like
Where to start? Perry Mason this was not. While it wasn’t entirely a paint-by-numbers plot, Murder By Numbers absolutely reeked of desperation to be something it wasn’t. Bullock’s character development was weird at best and was such a far cry from any of the goody-goodies she’s played in the past, the man-hating, feisty detective facade just didn’t stick enough to be believable. Also, in an even further stretch, Miss Mayweather’s overtly sexual and awkward seduction of her partner produced one of the most unwelcome sex scenes in recent Hollywood history. Literally, it was like watching your sister play tonsil hockey with Gerard Depardieu.
In addition to the aforementioned yuck-factor, the dialog was often mumbled and several scenes included in the film seemed completely void of purpose and vastly strayed from the overall storyline. Without giving away too much of what little suspense there was, Cassie has a bizarre flirtatious encounter with one of the two killers, a clip which left me wondering if the editors fell asleep during post-production. In addition, although one of Murder’s more likable characters, a conveniently placed baboon (yes, I said baboon) does little but make you assume script writers ran out of motivation just before it was time to explain what the hell a freaking baboon was doing hanging out in some guy’s garage.
What I Did Like
Though cliché and a bit of a libertine, Bullock’s character had shades of Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson from the Law & Order: SVU series; strong, self-aware, and confident to a fault. If only she’d had a better script, maybe it would’ve come off better. As for the plot, from the start it’s intentionally obvious who committed the crime, but the how and why remains a mystery until all the seemingly unrelated pieces of the puzzle convened in the final moments. There was also a somewhat predictable twist for the finish, but it was still an intriguing and consistent ending.
The 411
With a story attempting to play out outside the box of traditional murder mysteries, Murder By Numbers does so with acceptable acting from Bullock and on the performances from Gosling and the exceptionally talented Pitt. However, in it’s attempt to be untraditional, it fails to be anything more than two hours of a faux procedural drama. If you want a non-complex thriller, this film might be for you, but if you’re looking for something a little more challenging, stick with Law & Order episodes.
Final Score: 4
Want to tell your side of the story? If you have seen Murder By Numbers and would like to share your thoughts on the movie and/or my review, please feel free to send me feedback.
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Miss Galatea’s nearly decade-long editorial career has included work with such noted publications as IGN, WOW Magazine, and F4W. For an archive of her work and more, visit her official website at www.missgalatea.com.
