Well, shades of Leopold and Loeb, what have we here? Don't worry, I'm not claiming to be old enough to have followed the L&L trial, but I did watch Hitchcock's Rope, so that ought to count for something. I was even going to compare one of the young killers (Justin) to Raskolnikov, but thought better of it. Besides, I was tired of thinking anyhow.

Seriously, though, this is a complex tale of two young rich intellectuals who are terminally bored by high school. They form a mutual appreciation society (concealed from the other kids, of course) and come to the conclusion that the best way to relieve their boredom is to prove that their wealth and intellectual superiority has granted them freedoms not available to their plebian classmates. Foremost among these freedoms is the freedom to commit murder.

It has been a long standing principal in both law enforcement and mystery writing that "The Perfect Crime" does indeed exists, and exists in the form of a murder committed wholly without motive or connection to the victim. In other words, climb on the Greyhound, get off at a strange city, murder the first person who presents the opportunity, then climb back on the Greyhound and return home again. Unless you got carried away and dropped your drivers license at the scene of the crime, you will have committed the Perfect Crime and will never be apprehended! Now, Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) and Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) will test that principle.

Oddly enough, their unlikely home town of San Luis Obispo is also the home town of a wholly unique homicide detective by the name of Cassie Mayweather, played amazingly by Sandra Bullock. Cassie is loaded with personal problems that have made her an object of awe, fear, and ridicule among her fellow cops. In fact, her nickname among the other cops is "the Hyena." Explaining her nickname to her most recent partner, Sam Kennedy (played by Ben Chaplin), she says:
Cssie; "Do you know why they call me the hyena?"
Sam; "No, why do they?"
Cassie; "Female hyenas have a kind of mock penis. You figure it out."

Some perspective on the acting credibility of the cast may be found in their past credits. OK, so I'll start with the director and then go to the actors. Barbet Schroeder was born in Iran in 1941, studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in France, and has written, produced, directed and acted in an extremely eclectic assortment of movies both here and abroad. In addition to Murder By Numbers Schroeder is known for giving us Barfly in 1987, the Oscar nominated Reversal of Fortune in 1990, the slick psycho thriller Single White Female in 1992, Desperate Measures in 1998, and the widely acclaimed gritty foreign reality film Our Lady of The Assassins about life in Medellin in 2000.

Ben Chaplin really made waves when he played the romantic (?) lead in Washington Square bucking the parental disapproval of no less than Albert Finney. He also played one of the key roles in The Thin Red Line and appeared opposite Nicole Kidman in Birthday Girl.

Ryan Gosling was able to overcome his appearance in the Burt Reynolds clinker Frankenstein and Me and go on to win sustaining roles in the TV series Breaker High in 1997, and as Hercules in Young Hercules in 1998. He went on to win the role of Alan Bosley in Remember The Titans, followed by playing Danny Balint in the frightening The Believer about an American Nazi leader who was eventually revealed to be Jewish. This film, which is sheer dynamite, has never been issued on either VHS or DVD, although the DVD version is available in Britain (Canada?) and Germany. Anyhow, Gosling has demonstrated his ability beyond question, and you will be shaken by the controlled intensity he brings to Richard Haywood.

Michael Pitt started slowly, with small roles in 54 and Hi-Life, both in 1998, combined with another small role in the popular TV series Dawson's Creek. He had a slightly larger role playing an unpleasant little snob in the 2000 near miss Finding Forrester. From there, Pitt went on to star in the scream musical Hedwig And The Angry Inch (which is available in both VHS and DVD), acquitting himself well enough to win a plum role in the Faye Dunaway short, Yellow Bird. Pitt is fast becoming known for his full pouting lips which, for some strange reason, my daughter says are "Hot!"

Sandra Bullock actually "arrived" when she was given credit for being the only redeeming element in Love Potion No. 9, which should give you an idea of the quality films in which she first appeared. 1993 saw her play an abductee in a miserable American remake of a taut French thriller called, in both cases, The Vanishing. In trying to live that one down, Bullock went on to successfully play the naive future cop Lenina Huxley in Demolition Man. Her success with light romantic and light comedic characters very nearly type-cast her during this period.

I won't go through the entire list of her films, but Bullock seemed compelled to take virtually everything offered to her, regardless of what it might do to her stature as an actress. The lightweights and comedies went well, the thrillers (Speed, The Web, etc.) stayed afloat but certainly didn't make waves. When she was put into dramatic opuses, the characters weren't even substantial enough to let her dogpaddle, and she sank with only a few bubbles. Now, we come to Murder By Numbers.

I have to admit that she surprised even me. I'm not sure whether her participation as one of the producers had anything to do with it, but she actually had a role with genuine depth, and made it live! I can't tell you much more without starting to unravel the tapestry Schroeder has woven.

We know the two murderous teens have killed someone, but we don't know which actually did the deed - and this is critical to the overall story. We know that Cassie (Bullock) is determined to avoid testifying at the parole hearing of a mystery man in prison - but which way would she have to testify, and why does she want to avoid it?

We know that there is a high voltage electrical tension between the youthful killers, but why does it exist and what will it lead to? We know that an equally volatile tension exists between Cassie and Sam, but who should we blame, and what might be done about it. We know that the teens have carefully constructed a devious misdirection in the case in foreknowledge of the detection techniques to be used by Cassie and Sam, but will the detectives actually be misled or not?

I warn you now, you can't even go to the bathroom during this one unless you pause it first. Schroeder doles out selected clues throughout the film, and you have to be both present and paying attention to catch them. If you should miss them and find yourself at the closing credits with questions still roaming around your brain, check out the extra features offered in the DVD. The commentary by Schroeder might even make you want to sit right down and watch the film all over again!!!

OK, I'm rating this film on the basis of its quality, but I have to admit that I'm still not really sure that I actually liked it. I'm not used to Sandra Bullock actually doing heavy duty acting and carrying it off, and I'm not used to her playing as heavy a character as Cassie. I've got to think about this some more. In the meantime, this is a very good movie, and you can trust me on that. Check it out.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age