Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers

R

Released Apr 19, 2002

2h 0m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

127 Reviews

49%

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50,000+ Ratings

The body of a young woman is found in a ditch in the woods of the small California coastal town of San Benito. A tenacious homicide detective (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner (Ben Chaplin) uncover a trail of shrewdly concealed evidence that links two brilliant young men (Ryan Gosling), (Michael Pitt) to a murder.

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Critics Consensus

A predictable police procedural that works better as a character study rather than a thriller.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

The climax is the biggest letdown...

Rated: 1/4

Jan 3, 2019

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Predictable thriller is definitely not for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2010

Full Review

Mark Caro

Chicago Tribune

The outline of Murder by Numbers may be familiar, but the filmmakers and Bullock do an expert job of filling in the colors.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 20, 2002

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Murder By Numberrs never aspires to be anything more than than a big-budget episode of a police procedural, making for a sporadically interesting, but often dull film.

Rated: 2.5/5

Nov 20, 2023

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Average thriller that achieves its aim of moving star Sandra Bullock a few houses away from her trademark girl-next-door persona.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 20, 2020

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

This is a film about obsession - obsession with getting away with murder - obsession with solving a murder - obsession with showing how to elude capture in a murder. Sadly, the audience won't be obsessed with watching it.

Nov 13, 2019

Full Review

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Deepest Bluest Suede Darius Dick Stinger Apini Emanuel Grouch Nukem III AKA The Rumble AKA Jennyanyany McPoopface Bridgerton AKA The Count of Monte Fisto

Another Tony Medley classic.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

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Griffith J

Interesting philosophical ideas that are presented yet never explored. The pacing & writing feel incomplete & flat. It looks really old & dated with some very illogical behavior. But Gosling in a cool jacket is always great.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/25/25

Full Review

Julian S

This Bullock-led thriller follows a familiar formula, but Pitt and Gosling captivate as ruthless, wealthy teens with malevolent intent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

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Lanfranco C

Sad description of an unhetical world.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

Full Review

Simon T

Incredibly tedious non-thriller with literally no surprises or plot twists and an early appearance by Ryan Gosling. How on earth was such a bad screenplay greenlit? Sandra Bullock plays a sexually damaged cop put on a murder case where all clues lead to the actual culprits. It goes nowhere at very great length.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

corinne f

I actually really loved this movie. Great characters and performances, with a surprisingly deep back story for Sandra Bullock.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/24

Full Review

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Barbet Schroeder

Director

Sandra Bullock

Cassie Mayweather

Ryan Gosling

Richard Haywood

Michael Pitt

Justin Pendleton

Agnes Bruckner

Lisa

Chris Penn

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Synopsis

The body of a young woman is found in a ditch in the woods of the small California coastal town of San Benito. A tenacious homicide detective (Sandra Bullock) and her new partner (Ben Chaplin) uncover a trail of shrewdly concealed evidence that links two brilliant young men (Ryan Gosling), (Michael Pitt) to a murder.

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Producer: Barbet Schroeder, Susan Hoffman, Richard Crystal
Screenwriter: Tony Gayton
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sex Scene|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 19, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.9M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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