Murder by Numbers (Sandra Bullock, Michael Pitt) 1/2
There is such a thing as the elusive perfect murder, but it is rarely depicted on the big screen. Movies often portray a supposedly flawless homicide, only to have the intrepid detective figure it all out and confront the killer -- alone, mind you -- in the end. Just once, it would be fun to see the perfect crime remain the perfect crime. Even in movies such as The Usual Suspects, when the mastermind gets away scott-free, the police now know the full story and so, it is conceivable they may arrest the culprit sooner or later (perhaps in a sequel?). Alfred Hitchcock's air-tight greats inevitably lead to come-uppance and accountability. And so, it would appear there will always be an audience for plots that start out with the elusive perfect murder, because there is a hope that for once, the perpetrators -- and the writers of the screenplay -- will get away with it.
Murder by Numbers starts out like that. Two high school students plan a murder and at first it would appear they've thought of everything. Their names are Richie Haywood (Ryan Gosling) and Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt), and they live in that detached world of bored suburbanite youths that is supposed to appear tedious but always ends up looking not-so-bad when thrust into a Hollywood movie backdrop. For kicks, they pick a woman victim and execute a brutal crime to appease what would appear to be their hidden sexual impulses towards each other. Enter Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock), a cop who investigates violent crimes because, surprise surprise, she herself was previously the victim of a violent crime. Her new partner Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) is eager to learn from Cassie, but fears her unorthodox methods and wild guess hunches may jeopardize their ability to get to the truth of an investigation.
As the movie progresses, Richie and Justin start to drift from their once rock-solid kinship and it proves to be just the break Cassie is looking for. Although the physical evidence from the crime points to the outcast school janitor, Cassie weaves her way in and out of encounters with Richie and Justin, hoping one of them will trip up. Meanwhile, Sam, who has become superficially involved with Cassie, is torn by his loyalty to his partner and to the police department at large. Some of the sections of Murder by Numbers work quite well and generate intrigue, but by the end the threads give way to a tacky attempt at bringing action and artificial suspense to the closing act. It's one of the more disappointing endings I've seen in a while because the rest of the movie fights so hard to stay afloat despite its patented subject matter.
The film was directed by Barbet Schroeder, who has ventured into similar fare in efforts such as Desperate Measures, Kiss of Death, and Single White Female. Schroeder loses marks for making Sandra Bullock's character a little too distant. While this is no doubt an attempt to underscore the nuances of the story more emphatically, unfortunately the performances in Murder by Numbers often are little more than a perfunctory extension of the plot. Bullock isn't bad, but neither is she very good as the troubled Cassie. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt bring a quiet dimentia to their roles as troubled teens suffering the ache of ennui. Ben Chaplin plays the doting rookie in a subdued light, while Agnes Bruckner is a little too warm as Justin's confused girlfriend.
Ultimately, there are lots of unexplained elements that don't add up by the film's conclusion. There is a shrieking baboon that exists primarily as a substitute to the old standby of the pouncing cat that is hidden in the shadows. And once the pace gains momentum, it seems to be on its way, but then it meanders again, and since everyone already knows who has committed the crime, the only denouement left to cover is the how. While there are times when the promise of creativity and originality is at hand, sadly there's nothing here that hasn't been done before. Rarely has a routine movie had such an apt title.
