Murder by Numbers Reviews

I already saw this movie but since it was ages ago, I thought I might as well check it out again. In fact, even though it be might surprising, the first time around, the main reason I wanted to watch this movie was neither Sandra Bullock or Ryan Gosling, but the fact that it was directed by Barbet Schroeder. Indeed, Schroeder might seem to be a rather obscure director but, at the end of the 80’s, he started a successful career in the US with ‘Barfly’ (which I still need to watch) and this movie would be, so far, his very last US production. To be honest, the story turned out to be too generic but I thought it was still a decent thriller. First of all, it was pretty neat to see Sandra Bullock trying something else for once and I have to admit that, after rewatching the damned thing, she probably actually gave one here of her best performances. It’s too bad they added all this tormented past for her character as it was just convoluted and actually not necessary whatsoever. I mean, it was if they argued that every dedicated cop, especially when you are dealing with a woman, needs some messed-up reason explaining their drive. Eventually, the biggest revelation here was obviously Ryan Gosling though. Back then, the guy was still virtually unknown, and, for a time, he would be mostly famous for being the much younger boyfriend of Sandra Bullock for a while, but already then he was able to lift this movie in spite of its rather generic material. Eventually, Schroeder’s directing turned out to be fairly unremarkable after all but, at least, I did appreciate the fact that they went for a fairly realistic approach (except for the typical far-fetched action driven twist ending). Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing great, I still think it is worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.

Where's the thrill of finding out whodunnit when we already know who did it, how, who they've set up, pretty much everything. The pacing is really terrible. There's never any tension.
Why is the detective's dating life so important? It's mentioned all the time, by her colleagues and suspects, but never by herself.
The only good thing about this movie is the interaction between Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling.
I like a good thriller. This isn't one.

The story seemed interesting, and I expected a much better film; it just kept getting worse as the film continued.

Bullock's character was just too unbelievable; the only possibly credible characters would be the two high school students.

Editing and lighting were not as good as they could have been; directing was lousy. And indeed this film is not as thrilling as believed: it is really stupid.

A total disappointment. Hollywood needs a reality check.