Murder by Numbers (2002)

Two gifted high school students execute a "perfect" murder - then become engaged in an intellectual contest with a seasoned homicide detective.

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writer:

Tony Gayton

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Cassie Mayweather
Ben Chaplin	...	Sam Kennedy
Ryan Gosling	...	Richard Haywood
Michael Pitt	...	Justin Pendleton
Agnes Bruckner	...	Lisa Mills
Chris Penn	...	Ray
R.D. Call	...	Captain Rod Cody
Tom Verica	...	Al Swanson
Janni Brenn	...	Ms. Elder
John Vickery	...	Restaurant Manager
Michael Canavan	...	Mr. Chechi
Krista Carpenter	...	Olivia Lake
Neal Matarazzo	...	Male Officer in Flashback
Adilah Barnes	...	Lab Technician
Jim Jansen	...	Lawyer

Storyline

Richard Haywood, a Californian high school's coolest kid, secretly teams up with another rich kid in his class, brilliant nerd Justin 'Bonaparte' Pendleton, whose erudition, specially in forensic matters, allows them to plan elaborately perfect murders, just for the kick, for which they set up Richard's marijuana supplier, their school's janitor Ray Feathers, as a psychotic serial killer. The case is assigned to detectives Cassie 'the hyena' Mayweather, who carries a sequoia-size chip on the shoulder from her previous life, and her brilliant new partner, Sam Kennedy, who just transferred from the vice squad; they can work together very well, and even fit romantically, but fall out over different professional attitudes towards the investigation, which Captain Rod Cody and her understandably vindictive abused ex, Assistant D.A. Al Swanson, soon ban her from when she disobeys instructions and hand to him. When the plotting boys both dig class-mate Lisa Mills, their unnatural bond comes ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | high school student | sociopath | teenage boy | disposing of a dead body | 

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Taglines:

Let The Mind Games Begin

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, a sex scene and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

After production wrapped Ryan Gosling kept the Jeep Cherokee used in the film.

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Goofs

When Cassie first looks at the blurry picture of Richard from the ATM there is a Range Rover in the background (to the left) but when we see the picture later, after it has been cleaned up, the Range Rover is gone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Richard: Shall we say the words one last time?
Justin: One cannot live fully without embracing suicide in crime.
Richard: Say it.
Justin: A pact made with relentless fire that requires that, while some live, others die.
Richard: On three...
in unison: One, two, three
[gun shot]

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

Severed
Written by Morgan Lander and Mercedes Lander
Performed by Kittie
Courtesy of Artemis Records

User Reviews

Ick

So i saw a few previews for this movie and i actually started to get intrigued by the movie. Something about it just stood out. Maybe it was the screaming baboon, maybe it was the more-than-likely ugly story and terrible acting, maybe it was something else. And lo and behold, i come home one night and my roommates' had rented the movie from blockbuster. And after watching the movie, from start to finish, i was absolutely astonished at how horrible the movie was. Watchable, but terrifying only in its inept ability to be a really tense thriller. Ryan Gosling was decent, but his role would fit better in a play written by a high school student. the other kid looked like a girl. Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin were simply less than. And the screaming baboon took away any shred of seriousness residing in the movie... that and the hundred or so plot twists. Ugh. what awful writing and what an awful movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murd3r 8y Num8ers

Filming Locations:

541 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,307,394, 21 April 2002

Gross USA:

$31,945,749

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,714,147

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Castle Rock Entertainment, Schroeder Hoffman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1