Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I had read some reviews by people who didn’t like Murder by Numbers, but I did still want to see it. I like mystery/thriller type movies and I like Sandra Bullock. My friend and I decided to go see Murder by Numbers one afternoon. We both enjoyed the movie, though something rather strange happened in the theater. There was an older man in the theater across the aisle from himself. Before and during the movie, he was having a somewhat loud conversation with himself. I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but I could hear his voice, even over the sounds from the movie. He was also spitting popcorn particles all over the place. One time he almost hit someone who was coming into the theater with his projectile popcorn. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that before. He was also making a loud noise when he was spitting the popcorn too. Twice during the movie I noticed some sort of light out of the corner of my eye, coming from the direction of the older man. I glanced over and saw that he had pulled out a lighter and had it on, with a huge flame. He was checking the time on his watch. He had his arm so close to that flame that I thought he was going to catch it on fire. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that before either.

PLOT

The body of a murdered woman is discovered in the woods. Cassie Mayweather is the detective in charge of the case. She has a reputation for being hard to work with. The other cops call her the hyena. She is working with a new partner, Sam Kennedy. Cassie and Sam find some evidence at the scene near where the body was found. The identity of the woman is discovered a few days later, and more evidence is found in her home. Cassie and Sam work on the case, but they don’t always agree on things related to the case. They do have some conflicts to work through. Cassie seems to be obsessed with the case and finding the killer. Her investigation leads her to the local high school and two students.

Richard Haywood is a local teenager. He is rich, popular, and has a bit of an attitude. Justin Pendleton is another local teenager. He also seems to be rich, but not quite as rich as Richard. Justin isn’t popular in any way. The other kids, including Richard, tend to pick on him. Justin tends to keep to himself. He does well in school, and has some interesting ideas about some things. He and Richard seem to have nothing in common, but they do. They share a fascination with murder. They meet secretly at an old run down house by the ocean. No one else knows they are friends. The two plan to murder someone to see if they can get away with it. Justin does a lot of research on forensics and how the police interpret evidence. Richard and Justin use the knowledge to plant evidence that will point away from them.

While working on the case, Cassie and Sam end up spending the night together. She started it, but then starts pushing him away right after. She pushes him right out of her bed, literally, and then she seems to be keeping her distance from him the next day. Cassie has some problems from her past that she has to deal with. Once those problems are fully revealed, it becomes clearer why she is so obsessed with this case. She has some definite ideas about whom the killer is that no one else shares. She ends up in some trouble over a few things she does related to the case. If you want to know how everything turns out, watch the movie.

CAST

Sandra Bullock - Cassie Mayweather
Ben Chaplin - Sam Kennedy
Ryan Gosling - Richard Haywood
Michael Pitt II - Justin Pendleton
Agnes Brucker - Lisa
Chris Penn - Ray

Barbet Schroder - Director
Tony Gayton - Screenplay
Sandra Bullock - Producer

The movie is rated R for violence, language, sexual situations, and brief drug use. There is no nudity in the movie. Murder by Numbers shouldn’t be seen by children of any age because of the violence and language in the movie.


Murder by Numbers is a thriller with a little bit of romance tossed in. A few things about the movie were predictable, but other things kept me guessing. There were a few plot twists that popped up here and there, especially near the end. A few of the things related to the case didn’t seem to make sense at the time, but later in the movie they do make sense. There is some violence in Murder by Numbers, so people who don’t like to see movies with violence should avoid this one. The body of the victim is shown a bit, and it doesn’t look pleasant. So anyone who has a weak stomach may want to miss this movie too.

There is a bit of romance in Murder by Numbers, but it isn’t the main focus of the movie. Not long after starting to work together, Cassie and Sam end up in bed together. Sam is shown without his shirt on, but that is it for the nudity. There is only the one sex scene in the movie between Cassie and Sam, and not that much is really shown in the scene. There is also a bit of a love triangle going on between Richard, Justin, and Lisa, a girl they both know from school. Richard and Lisa were briefly involved in the past. Now Justin is becoming interested in her, and Richard is not happy about that at all.

Murder by Numbers kept my interest, and had me guessing a few times. The movie did seem to drag once or twice, but it wasn’t so bad that I was checking my watch every few minutes or anything. I did enjoy the movie. Murder by Numbers seems to be one of those movies where people either really like it or hate it. There were a few things that were left unresolved in the movie, but those few things didn’t really detract from the main focus of the movie.

There was some different music playing at different times during Murder by Numbers. The music did seem to fit in with the scenes that the music was played in. I didn’t recognize some of the music. I did recognize a Sheryl Crow song playing two different times in the movie. I think the same song was played two different times, but I can’t remember for sure now. Also, I think the song was from Sheryl’s new CD, but I’m not completely sure since only a little of the song was played. At times the score of the movie added to the atmosphere of certain scenes. Throughout the movie, there were a few times when the lighting was used to add to the tension.

I thought that the acting was quite good by everyone in Murder by Numbers. Cassie Mayweather is a different type of character than Sandra Bullock has played before. This is a more serious, dramatic, complex role, and I think she did a good job. Ben Chaplin didn’t have as much to do in the movie as Bullock does, but he does well in his scenes. I have also seen him in Birthday Girl Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt II were wonderful as Richard and Justin. I don’t think I’ve seen either of them in any other movies. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both in more movies in the future. They both had very different, complex characters, and both of them were very believable.

There really wasn’t a lot of character development in Murder by Numbers. More is learned about Cassie and her past throughout the movie, and that helps to explain why she is the way she is, and why she does some things. Not much at all is known about Sam other than that he is a detective working with Cassie. Some of the events in the movie help to explain why Richard and Justin do what they do, but they also could have been developed a bit more.

CHARACTERS

Cassie Mayweather - She is a detective on the police force. She has a reputation for being hard to work with. She is dedicated to her job. She does seem to be a bit obsessed with her current case. She is an independent woman who is use to taking care of herself. She does certain things because of things that happen in her past.

Sam Kennedy - Cassie’s new partner. He does end up clashing with Cassie over a few things related to the case. He is a good cop, and he gets along with others on the force that Cassie has some trouble working with. He is a bit confused by some of the things Cassie does, especially concerning their personal relationship.

Richard Haywood - A local teenager. He is rich and popular in school. He seems to be able to come and go as he wants, and does what he wants. His parents don’t seem to care what he does. He and another student are secretly friends. They meet in an out of the way place, and plan to commit a murder together to see if they can get away with it.

Justin Pendleton - Another local teenager. He seems to be from a rich family too, though he doesn’t flaunt it like Richard does. Justin is very smart. He is picked on by almost everyone at school, including Richard. He and Richard are secretly friends though, and plan to commit a murder together. Justin does all kinds of research on crimes and how the police interpret clues to form a profile of a suspect.

Lisa - She is a girl that goes to school with Richard and Justin. She and Richard were briefly involved in the past. She gets Justin to help her study for a test, and they grow closer together. Richard is very unhappy about Justin and Lisa becoming involved.

Murder by Numbers was an enjoyable thriller. I did like it. People who don’t like this type of movie, or the actors should avoid the movie. If you like this type of movie, I think Murder by Numbers is worth seeing. This wasn’t the best thriller I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t the worst either.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD