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 Murder
By Numbers
Starring:
Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt and Chris
Penn
Directed by: Barbet Schroeder
Rated: R
Bluntly
Speaking? Murder by Numbers delivers hefty chills
with appropriate thrills throughout its twisting albeit semi-predictable
tale!
MBN introduces us to two above average spoiled teens filled with
that oh-so-in boredom with the world personality flaw.
There's
Justin, (Michael Pitt) the middleclass angst ridden gothic that
thinks so much he has thought himself to thinking he's a philosopher.
He has this disturbing synopsis of living. To be totally emotionally
free one must be devoid of moral constraints and be open to committing
crime without guilt, thusly, crime equals freedom. Or some such
gobbly gook.
His
buddy Richard (Ryan Gosling) is that slithering stylin' hip-la-rue
guy. He's that richy rich type brat that wants power thrills and
doesn't care who's hurt in the way of his having a good time.
Their
parents are nowhere to be seen and somehow, even though they are
certainly separate stereotypes, have found each other and share
a quirky interest. Justin and Richard aren't into X-Box and shooting
some hoops together, they prefer to chill in an old abandoned
Cliffside lodge and plan the perfect crime by a roaring fire.
The creepy duo fancy themselves uber intelligent and have become
bored with the commons. So brings about their little game of murder.
They
believe they can devise, execute (pardon the pun) and get away
with this meticulously staged murder just by following the steps…it's
like painting by the numbers for two as smart as they…
They'll
confuse the police with the bizarre evidence they'll plant, they'll
pick a random victim, and they'll even provide a perfect suspect
for them. Boy aren't they clever little demons…
So,
a young woman is found brutally murdered and a plethora of evidence
pollutes the crime scene. Fibers lay about and shoe prints are
clear…
Enter
homicide detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock). She's such
a tough cookie her fellow coppers swear she pees standing up.
Sure Cassie's a bit of a macho gal but she's also one of the finest
homicide detectives in America.
As
she begins to sniff around the crime scene she can't help but
feel something's amiss. The young miss also seems to have a few
ghosts from her own past resurfacing and clouding her objectivity
in the case.
She's assigned a partner, Sam (Ben -oh-la-la- Chaplin) who's new
to homicide and Cassie's whole "by the balls" she-male
persona. She gives him some ribbing about his anti-knowledge and
then gives him some rubbing about his feline knowledge (queue
porn music now, please).
As
they edge closer to figuring out the mystery of the dead woman's
killer the audience is shown how calious the murderers are and
it's a tad unerving how realistic these two everyday teens appear
to be. It's some heavy stuff, but we also get to sit and watch
Sandra Bullock be charming and wrinkle her twenty million dollar
nose to ease the tension. She's
as perky as Meg Ryan and as tough as Ashley Judd but she
has a more down-to-Earth chickbabe-in-that-farted- in-the-express-lane-next-to-you
appeal. Here Sandy's such a macho girl, you'd almost expect to
spit tobacco and scratch her groin!
Ben
Chaplin is edibly cute like a big-ole-box-of-Oreos! He looks like
Joaquin Phoenix and Antonio Banderas had a love child; that sexy
stare with the quirky face structure. I'd like to slather Ben
in Jerry's ice cream, wait till it's all melted and sticky and….um,
er.
The
film 's bad guys, Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling stole their
scenes. The film really would have been a total dud if not for
these super talents working the script. This
young buck Ryan Gosling, on top of being a fantastic actor, is
amazingly adorable! Yum! He's got that intensity lurking that
just screams volatile. And Michael Pitt morphs between boyish
and otherworldly handsome. Plus he has that whole smoky brood
thing down! Keep an eye out for these two they are extreme talents.
Murder
By Numbers is a great night at the movies. It cheeses out a wee
bit at the end, and there's some silly parts that really don't
seem to fit too well, but I think if you're a Bullock fan, like
myself, you're going to just love it.
Snack
recommendation: Krispy Kreme Donuts
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