Murder by Numbers

Last updated
Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Barbet Schroeder
Written by Tony Gayton
Produced by
  • Richard Crystal
  • Barbet Schroeder
  • Susan Hoffman
Starring
Cinematography Luciano Tovoli
Edited by Lee Percy
Music by Clint Mansell
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • April 19, 2002 (2002-04-19)
Running time
120 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million
Box office$56.7 million

Murder by Numbers is a 2002 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder and starring Sandra Bullock in the main role alongside Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case. [2] The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered in competition. [3]

Contents

Plot

Richard Haywood and Justin Pendleton are high school classmates; Richard is wealthy and popular, while Justin is a brilliant introvert. After months of planning a "perfect crime," they abduct a woman at random, strangle her, and plant evidence implicating Richard's marijuana dealer, janitor Ray Feathers. Detective Cassie Mayweather and her new partner, Sam Kennedy, investigate. Cassie has sex with Sam early on as she had with previous partners, but won't let him see her chest, and curtly sends him home afterwards.

Footprints at the crime scene lead to Richard, and vomit nearby implicates Justin. Both have alibis, and deny knowing each other, but Cassie is convinced that Richard is the murderer and Justin is involved. Sam criticizes her refusal to consider other suspects, as most of the physical evidence points away from the two boys. Cassie's boss, Captain Rod Cody, and her ex, Assistant D.A. Al Swanson, fearing Richard's influential parents, take Cassie off the case. Richard kills Ray, and makes it appear like a suicide. Sam, following the planted evidence, tracks down Ray. When he finds Ray dead, the woman's murder appears solved; but Sam decides that Cassie may be right, and continues the investigation.

Justin, who has a crush on classmate Lisa Mills, works up the courage to ask her out. A jealous Richard seduces Lisa, then gives Justin a video clip of them having sex. Justin is enraged, but regains control, knowing Sam is still watching them. Cassie begins receiving calls from her ex-husband Carl Hudson, who went to prison for stabbing her in the chest 17 times. His parole hearing is coming up, and he wants her to speak on his behalf. Cassie confides to Sam that although she became a cop to prove to herself that she wasn't a victim, she is terrified at the prospect of seeing Carl again. She also confesses that Richard reminds her of Carl, which is why she is convinced of Richard's guilt, and obsessed with proving it.

Sam and Cassie bring Richard and Justin in for separate interrogations, trying to induce them to implicate each other, but neither of them talk, and both are released. At the victim's home, Cassie determines how the boys carried out the abduction and altered the physical evidence. Justin and Richard, knowing that Cassie is closing in on them, flee to an abandoned house, where Richard produces two revolvers and proposes a mutual suicide. On the count of three, Justin shoots into the air, but Richard does not. Justin demands to see Richard's gun, which is unloaded. As a furious Justin is about to shoot Richard, Cassie arrives. Richard grabs Justin's gun and shoots at Cassie, wounding Justin instead. Cassie gives chase, but Richard strangles her on a rickety balcony jutting out over a cliff. Cassie gains the upper hand and knocks Richard off the balcony; he falls to his death. Justin grabs Cassie, who is hanging on the edge of the balcony, and pulls her back into the house.

Cassie assures Justin that she will intercede on his behalf, since he was an innocent dupe, manipulated by the ruthless Richard. Then she notices a mark on her neck caused by Richard's large ring, and realizes that the dead woman's neck did not have a similar mark. Confronted with the evidence, Justin confesses that he strangled the victim, proving his "courage" to Richard, and is arrested.

Cassie faces her fears and enters the courtroom to testify at Carl's parole hearing. The bailiff calls her to the stand by her legal name: Jessica Marie Hudson.

Cast

Reception

Box office

The film was released April 19, 2002 in the United States and Canada and grossed $9.3 million in 2,663 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #3 at the box office. [4] The film grossed a total of $56,714,147 worldwide — $31,945,749 in the United States and Canada and $24,768,398 in other territories. [5]

Critical reception

Reviews for the film were generally mixed. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 31% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 128 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100 based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [7]

Roger Ebert awarded three stars out of a possible four, stating: "Bullock does a good job here of working against her natural likability, creating a character you'd like to like, and could like, if she weren't so sad, strange and turned in upon herself. She throws herself into police work not so much because she's dedicated as because she needs the distraction, needs to keep busy and be good to assure herself of her worth. As she draws the net closer, and runs into more danger and more official opposition, the movie more or less helplessly starts thinking to itself about that cliff above the sea, but at least the climax shows us that Bullock can stay in character no matter what." [8]

A. O. Scott, writing for The New York Times , said that "much of this new Barbet Schroeder film -- a star vehicle for Sandra Bullock, who is also an executive producer -- follows well-worn paths of the cops-and-psycho-killer routine." He describes Haywood and Pendleton as "a pair of teenage Nietzsche-heads who might be appearing in a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope for The WB network." Scott adds,

The real surprise, given the secondhand material, is that not everything proceeds by rote in Murder by Numbers, which opens today [19 April 2002] nationwide. The rickety structure of the movie's main plot sustains some clammy and fascinating psychological inquiry, and one suspects that, as in Single White Female, Mr. Schroeder's interest is less in the story than in the possibilities it affords for exercising his perverse, chilly curiosity about power, intimacy and the varieties of human distress. This movie is most interesting as a study of two parallel relationships, neither one primarily sexual (though sexuality is the subtext of one and the half-accidental consequence of the other), but both saturated with enough longing, envy, tenderness and loathing to make actual sex a bit redundant." [9]

Scott also remarks briefly on "the scene in which [Cassie] is attacked by an angry baboon. The baboon, at least, is unexpected, though also inexplicable." [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Bullock</span> American actress and producer (born 1964)

Sandra Annette Bullock is an American actress and producer. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014. In 2010, she was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

<i>More</i> (1969 film) 1969 film

More is a 1969 English-language romantic drama film written and directed by Barbet Schroeder in his directorial debut. Starring Mimsy Farmer and Klaus Grünberg, the film deals with heroin addiction as drug fascination on the island of Ibiza, Spain. Made in the political fallout of the 1960s counterculture, it features drug use, "free love", and other references to contemporary European youth culture.

<i>Single White Female</i> 1992 film directed by Barbet Schroeder

Single White Female is a 1992 American psychological erotic thriller film based on John Lutz's 1990 novel SWF Seeks Same. It stars Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh and was directed by Barbet Schroeder. Recently estranged Allison Jones (Fonda) begins to rent an apartment room to Hedra Carlson (Leigh). After she reconciles with her ex-boyfriend, she finds strange patterns of behavior in her tenant. It was a box office success but received mixed to negative reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

<i>Crime and Punishment in Suburbia</i> 2000 American film

Crime and Punishment in Suburbia is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Rob Schmidt and starring Monica Keena, Vincent Kartheiser, Michael Ironside, Jeffrey Wright, James DeBello, and Ellen Barkin. The film is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1866 novel Crime and Punishment, and focuses on a high school student who plots to murder her stepfather after he brutally rapes her.

<i>Made in U.S.A</i> (1966 film) 1966 French film

Made in U.S.A is a 1966 French crime comedy film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and starring Anna Karina, László Szabó, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marianne Faithfull, Yves Afonso, and Jean-Claude Bouillon. It was a loose and unauthorized adaptation of the 1965 novel The Jugger by Richard Stark, and was also inspired by the 1946 Howard Hawks film The Big Sleep.

<i>RV</i> (film) 2006 film by Barry Sonnenfeld

RV is a 2006 road comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, produced by Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick, written by Geoff Rodkey, and starring Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth, Joanna "JoJo" Levesque, and Josh Hutcherson. It follows a beverage company executive and his dysfunctional family who rent an RV for a road trip from Los Angeles to the Colorado Rockies, where they ultimately have to contend with a bizarre community of campers.

<i>Razorback</i> (film) 1984 Australian horror film

Razorback is a 1984 Australian natural horror film written by Everett De Roche, based on Peter Brennan's 1981 novel, and directed by Russell Mulcahy. The film revolves around the attacks of a gigantic wild boar terrorising the Australian outback, killing and devouring people. It was released theatrically in Australia by Greater Union Film Distributors on 19 April 1984, and in the United States by Warner Bros. on 16 November 1984.

<i>Soul Survivors</i> (film) 2001 film by Stephen Carpenter

Soul Survivors is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Melissa Sagemiller as college student Cassie, whose boyfriend Sean dies in a car accident that results from her driving after a night of partying. The accident leaves Cassie wracked with guilt and emotionally vulnerable to the point that she begins hallucinating strange visions and waking-dreams, even though Cassie's friends Annabel and Matt, as well as a local priest, Father Jude, all attempt to assist her in coping with the loss.

<i>The Boston Strangler</i> (film) 1968 film by Richard Fleischer

The Boston Strangler is a 1968 American biographical crime drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Murray Hamilton, Sally Kellerman and William Hickey. It is loosely based on the true story of the Boston Strangler and the 1966 book of the same name by Gerold Frank.

<i>To All a Goodnight</i> 1980 horror film by David Hess

To All a Goodnight is a 1980 American slasher film directed by David Hess and starring Jennifer Runyon and Forrest Swanson. Its plot follows a group of female finishing school students and their boyfriends being murdered during a Christmas party by a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus.

<i>The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations</i> 2009 American film

The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations is a 2009 American science fiction horror thriller film directed by Seth Grossman. It is the third installment in The Butterfly Effect franchise. The film is set in Detroit, Michigan with most of the filming done there.

<i>Eyes of a Stranger</i> (1981 film) 1981 American film

Eyes of a Stranger is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Lauren Tewes and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Its plot follows a newscaster in Miami who suspects that her neighbor may be a local rapist and serial killer. It features makeup effects by Tom Savini.

<i>Murder by Invitation</i> 1941 film by Phil Rosen

Murder by Invitation is a 1941 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Wallace Ford.

<i>Broken City</i> 2013 American thriller film by Allen Hughes

Broken City is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Allen Hughes and written by Brian Tucker. Mark Wahlberg stars as a police officer turned private investigator and Russell Crowe as the mayor of New York City who hires the private detective to investigate his wife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Bullock filmography</span>

Sandra Bullock is an American actress and producer who made her film debut with a minor role in J. Christian Ingvordsen's thriller Hangmen in 1987. She made her television debut in the television film Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989) and played the lead role in the short-lived sitcom Working Girl (1990) before making her breakthrough starring in Jan de Bont's action film Speed (1994). In 1995, Bullock founded her own production company, Fortis Films, and starred in the romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping. Her performance in the film earned her first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. In 1996, Bullock starred in the film adaptation of John Grisham's novel A Time to Kill. In 1998, Bullock starred in the romantic comedy Practical Magic, voiced Miriam in the DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt, and executive produced her first film, Hope Floats.

<i>Jack Reacher: Never Go Back</i> 2016 film directed by Edward Zwick

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a 2016 American action-thriller film directed by Edward Zwick, written by Zwick, Richard Wenk, and Marshall Herskovitz, and based on the 2013 novel Never Go Back by Lee Child. A sequel to the 2012 film Jack Reacher, the film stars Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders, with the supporting cast featuring Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Holt McCallany, and Robert Knepper. The plot follows Reacher going on the run with an Army major who has been framed for espionage, as the two reveal a dark conspiracy.

<i>The Greasy Strangler</i> 2016 American film

The Greasy Strangler is a 2016 American black comedy horror film directed by Jim Hosking, and written by Hosking and Toby Harvard. The film stars Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Abdoulaye NGom and Holland MacFallister. The film was released on October 7, 2016, by FilmRise.

<i>Hard Rock Zombies</i> 1985 American film

Hard Rock Zombies is a 1985 American comedy horror film directed and co-written by Krishna Shah, and starring E.J. Curse, Geno Andrews, Sam Mann, Mick McMains, Lisa Toothman, Jennifer Coe, Ted Wells, and Jack Bliesener. The film was released by Cannon Film Distributors on September 1985.

<i>Promising Young Woman</i> 2020 film by Emerald Fennell

Promising Young Woman is a 2020 film written, co-produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a troubled young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates balancing forgiveness and vengeance, with Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Chris Lowell, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton in supporting roles. It incorporates film genres including black comedy, crime drama, feminist film, rape and revenge, and vigilante thriller.

<i>The Lost City</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Adam and Aaron Nee

The Lost City is a 2022 American romantic action-adventure comedy film directed by the Nee brothers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, based on a story by Seth Gordon. Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt, the film follows a romance novelist and her cover model, who must escape a billionaire who wants her to find a lost ancient burial chamber described in one of her books.

References

  1. ↑ "MURDER BY NUMBERS (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 2002-05-01. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  2. ↑ King, S. (April 19, 2002). 'Numbers' Joins List of Dramas Based on Loeb-Leopold Murder Case. LATimes.com, retrieved June 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ Festival de Cannes: Murder by Numbers. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  4. ↑ "Murder by Numbers (2002) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  5. ↑ "Murder by Numbers (2002)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Murder by Numbers (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Murder by Numbers Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (April 19, 2002). "Murder by Numbers". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Scott, A. O. (April 19, 2002). "Murder By Numbers (2002) - FILM REVIEW; Power, Intimacy and the Varieties of Human Distress". The New York Times . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.