Murder by Numbers

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Murder by Numbers

Directed by	Barbet Schroeder
Produced by	Barbet Schroeder
Written by	Tony Gayton
Starring	Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	19 April 2002 (USA)
Running time	120 min
Language	English
Budget	~ US$50,000,000

Murder by Numbers is a 2002 action/psychological thriller/neo-noir film directed by Barbet Schroeder.

It is quite loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case, the Columbine High School massacre, and the Dartmouth Murders.^{[citation needed]}

1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Critical reception
4 Box office performance
5 References
6 External links

Cast

Sandra Bullock as Det. Cassie Mayweather
Ben Chaplin as Det. Sam Kennedy
Ryan Gosling as Richard Haywood
Michael Pitt as Justin Pendleton
Agnes Bruckner as Lisa Mills
Chris Penn as Ray Feathers
R. D. Call as Capt. Rod Cody
Tom Verica as A.D.A. Al Swanson

Plot

When a dead woman (Jane Doe) is found in the woods near the river, homicide detectives Cassie Mayweather and Sam Kennedy are assigned to the case. Mayweather's investigation leads her to Justin Pendleton and Richard Haywood, two teenagers who want to commit the perfect murder. Haywood happens to have a strong alibi, however; Mayweather suspects that there is more to Haywood's perfect story.

She digs in her own haunted past to find something to help her solve this crime. She breaks away from her partner and the other detectives to work on her own theories, which jeopardizes her job.

Haywood and Pendleton have developed a plan that shows their loyalty to one another. They are going to plan the perfect murder — one that could end in their own deaths.

Critical reception

The film received negative to mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 30% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 121 reviews.^[1] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 50 out of 100, based on 35 reviews.^[2]

Box office performance

The film was released April 19, 2002 in the United States and Canada and grossed $9.3 million in 2,663 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #3 at the box office.^[3] The film grossed a total of $56,714,147 worldwide — $31,945,749 in the Unites States and Canada and $24,768,398 in other territories.^[4]