Wanna-be Rope
What is interesting about Murder by Numbers is that it makes no secret about who commits the murder. The suspense is created, not by finding out who did it, but how they did it and why.
Murder by Numbers introduces two story lines that eventually merge together into one climax.
Sandra Bullock stars as Cassie Mayweather, a detective with an attitude problem. She is a loner. Though good at her trade, those in her department think she's going over the edge from getting too personally involved in solving the case that is the subject of the film.
We are also introduced to two high school seniors, Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) and Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) who are friends and partners in crime. They are obviously troubled but intelligent teenagers. Bored by their high school education, they think they are superior to the rest of society and can live above it.
Justin, the intellectual of the two, gives a presentation to his classmates about his views on the nature of freedom. He argues that freedom is "freedom" to live apart from the consequences of one's actions and from morality. He gives the example to commit murder without feeling guilt or getting caught. He provides the philosophical and moral justification to commit the "perfect murder," while his friend Richard helps him carry it out.
Bullock investigates the murder that these two have committed (though, of course, she doesn't know they did it). As the story unfolds, we slowly see that her strength of character that makes her a good cop is really a guard against something that happened in her past. Why did she become a cop in the first place? Why does she sleep with her investigating partner (Ben Chaplin), then push him away? We see that her character is struggling with her own notion of freedom — she is seeking "freedom" from the past.
What is especially interesting is that both the hero and the villains in the film in some way adopt the same philosophical view of the nature of freedom. Can one live life without consequences? Without recognizing one's past? Can one live apart from or "above" morality? Is there any such thing? "Freedom" from the past? "Freedom" from morality? "Freedom" from reality? These are the themes dealt with in Murder by Numbers.
The film is not without some minor flaws. For example, the resolution of Bullock's personal struggles is too understated. Also, Chaplin is dull as her partner. There are also attempts at comic relief that fall flat.
Still, Murder by Numbers takes an intelligent and suspenseful plot and integrates it with a moral theme — a refreshing element of story-telling not found in many of the action-packed and gross-out films recently released by Hollywood.
Murder by Numbers introduces two story lines that eventually merge together into one climax.
Sandra Bullock stars as Cassie Mayweather, a detective with an attitude problem. She is a loner. Though good at her trade, those in her department think she's going over the edge from getting too personally involved in solving the case that is the subject of the film.
We are also introduced to two high school seniors, Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) and Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) who are friends and partners in crime. They are obviously troubled but intelligent teenagers. Bored by their high school education, they think they are superior to the rest of society and can live above it.
Justin, the intellectual of the two, gives a presentation to his classmates about his views on the nature of freedom. He argues that freedom is "freedom" to live apart from the consequences of one's actions and from morality. He gives the example to commit murder without feeling guilt or getting caught. He provides the philosophical and moral justification to commit the "perfect murder," while his friend Richard helps him carry it out.
Bullock investigates the murder that these two have committed (though, of course, she doesn't know they did it). As the story unfolds, we slowly see that her strength of character that makes her a good cop is really a guard against something that happened in her past. Why did she become a cop in the first place? Why does she sleep with her investigating partner (Ben Chaplin), then push him away? We see that her character is struggling with her own notion of freedom — she is seeking "freedom" from the past.
What is especially interesting is that both the hero and the villains in the film in some way adopt the same philosophical view of the nature of freedom. Can one live life without consequences? Without recognizing one's past? Can one live apart from or "above" morality? Is there any such thing? "Freedom" from the past? "Freedom" from morality? "Freedom" from reality? These are the themes dealt with in Murder by Numbers.
The film is not without some minor flaws. For example, the resolution of Bullock's personal struggles is too understated. Also, Chaplin is dull as her partner. There are also attempts at comic relief that fall flat.
Still, Murder by Numbers takes an intelligent and suspenseful plot and integrates it with a moral theme — a refreshing element of story-telling not found in many of the action-packed and gross-out films recently released by Hollywood.
