Film Review: Murder by Numbers (2002)
Following Columbine High School massacre, plenty of social commentators were pointing fingers at violent video games, questionable rock lyrics and Internet forums as the reason why American youths suddenly became murderers. Yet, in 1924 Doom, Quake and Marylin Manson weren’t around when Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb murdered 14-year old boy just to find out what it felt like to be killers and having additional fun by attempting to evade justice. Criminal case became one of the most infamous in US history and later inspired numerous works of fiction, including films like Hitchcock’s 1948 thriller Rope. One of the more recent is Murder by Numbers, 2002 film directed by Barbet Schroeder.
Protagonists are two 17-year old high school students from Californian town of San Benito. Justin Pendleton (played by Michael Pitt) is introverted intellectual who believes that the person can experience true freedom of social repression only by committing crimes. Richard Haywood (played by Ryan Gosling) is arrogant son of wealthy parents who cares little about philosophy, but finds practical application of Justin’s ideas quite amusing. Two of them conspire and join their intellectual and financial resources in order to committ perfect murder. After reading books and searching Internet in order to research forensics, they randomly choose a victim and carefully prepare the crime, not only by securing their respective alibis, but also by providing perfect suspect in the form of school janitor and part-time drug dealer Ray Feathers (played by Chris Penn). After the commit murder, investigation is led by Cassie Mayweather (played by Sandra Bullock), experienced and capable police detective whose professional demeanour hides personal traumas from the past. Her younger partner Sam Kennedy (played by Ben Chaplin) quickly finds evidence that could close the case, but Cassie thinks that it is too good to be true. She instead begins to pay attention to two teenagers who see annoying policewoman as another challenge to their superior intellect. This leads to psychological game, during which Justin’s and Richard’s relationship will be complicated due to romantic rivalry over Lisa Mills (played by Agnes Bruckner).
Murder by Numbers at first glance looks like a refreshing thriller that breaks some of the genre’s conventions. Schroeder, according to Hitchockian principles, almost abandoned in early 21st Century Hollywood, doesn’t allow any dilemma over killers’ identity. Audience already knows who committed murder and how; the only question whether the killers would get away with it. Schroeder also uses murder plot as basis for intriguing character study. Another pleasant surprise is somewhat atypical casting. Sandra Bullock, by that time known mostly as star of feather-light romantic comedies, plays serious dramatic role and actually works hard to make her character dislikeable. Script by Tony Gayton even creates rather convincing excuse for Bullock’s character never to shows her breasts in sex scenes. The rest of the cast is also good, especially Pitt and Gosling in the roles of young psychopaths.
However, not everyone in this project was up to the task. Ben Chaplin is quite wooden in the role of Cassie’s partner. Gayton script, by burdening Cassie with traumatic past, only muddles the plot that would have worked better if focused solely on killers. The script also toys too much with the idea that Justin and Richard might be something more than friends, but than unconvincingly abandons it, probably due to film makers’ fear that having explicitly gay villains might be interpreted as homophobia. The biggest disappointment is the ending in which Schroeder can’t escape from Hollywood cliches and in which, rather unconvincingly, delivers action that is quite predictable. While definitely not living to its full potential, Murder by Numbers is a still good film that could be recommended to fans of Hitchcockian thrillers.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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