Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers

R

2002

2h 0m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

126 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

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

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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

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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

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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

Ray

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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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