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The Oxford Murders

Play trailer Poster for The Oxford Murders R Released Aug 6, 2010 1h 50m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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17% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
American math student Martin transfers to Oxford in the hope of persuading renowned philosopher Arthur Seldom to oversee his thesis, but the murder of Martin's landlady plunges the pair into a mathematical mystery. Could an "unsolvable" math problem provide the answers to their murderous conundrum?
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The Oxford Murders

Critics Reviews

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Perri Nemiroff Shockya.com A poorly formulated story that's nearly impossible to understand and accept. Rated: 2/5 Aug 13, 2010 Full Review David Lewis San Francisco Chronicle This purported whodunit thriller never solves its main mystery: How and why did this film get made in the first place? Rated: 1/4 Aug 13, 2010 Full Review Jonathan Holland Variety A polished but verbose whodunit that's surprisingly buttoned-down given helmer Alex de la Inglesia's rep for comicbook wackiness. May 22, 2008 Full Review Luis Martínez Cinemanía (Spain) A duly international, duly orthodox, duly commercial production. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Oct 28, 2020 Full Review Rossiter Drake San Francisco Examiner Hurt sells the silliness almost convincingly, but even from such a skillful pitchman it comes out sounding, finally, like junk. Rated: 2/4 Aug 13, 2010 Full Review Brent Simon Shared Darkness A math- and symbology-tinged thriller adapted by director Álex de la Iglesia, and pitched at a breakneck, didactic clip, absent any sensible, modulated emotional investment in the characters or material. Rated: 2/5 Aug 9, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Thomas L Any movie that ends, by having to explain everything to you, is not executed very well. What a waste of talent. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review Dennis O I found the movie mildly entertaining, but it was not Elijah Wood's best performance. Sometimes he seemed to be phoning it in. He didn't give a good reading of many of the lines. This was in clear contrast to the solid English cast, especially the great John Hurt. The movie did give an interesting overview of Oxford, for those of us who have never been there. Of course like many murder mysteries, some of the plot elements are contrived. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review Joseph S I'M GLAD TO HAVE READ THE OTHER CRITICS BECAUSE IT MADE NO SENSE TO ME AT ALL. WHAT A LOAD OF **** Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review Carlos I Although it's pretty tame by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and his frequent collaborator Agustín Díaz Yanes' usual standards, The Oxford Murders (based on the novel by Guillermo Martínez) still manages to be a decent little thriller. The film, which follows a mathematics student and a philosophy professor as they investigate a series of murders in Oxford, offers a compelling mystery with a strong intellectual bent. While fans of Iglesias's more intense works might find it a bit subdued, its clever plot and engaging characters make for an enjoyable, albeit less visceral, experience. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/25/25 Full Review Melanie d Unwatchable, absurd, joyless try-hard Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/02/24 Full Review Ian B Good actors with a tacky plot. Fun to watch and listen to John Hurt hamming up the role of brilliant Oxford Don. Jim Carter and Burn Gorman were also perfectly cast and did their best to carry the story. If you were ever a tourist or student in Oxford enthused by the antiquity and charm, there are a lot of scenes walking through the streets and inside the colleges. There were obvious references to Colin Dexter plots. But unfortunately there were too many trite melodramatic scenes and more a feeling of who cares than who dunnit that truly killed the joy for me. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis American math student Martin transfers to Oxford in the hope of persuading renowned philosopher Arthur Seldom to oversee his thesis, but the murder of Martin's landlady plunges the pair into a mathematical mystery. Could an "unsolvable" math problem provide the answers to their murderous conundrum?
Director
Alex de la Iglesia
Screenwriter
Alex de la Iglesia, Jorge Guerricaechevarría
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Tornasol Films S.A., Telecinco Cinema
Rating
R (Some Disturbing Images|Sexual Content/Nudity|Language|Some Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 6, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 6, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.6K
Runtime
1h 50m
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