Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Chris Penn
Director: Barbet Schroeder
Category: IIA
Sandra Bullock gets serious in Murder By Numbers and how much you will enjoy this film will depend on whether you can take her like that, or whether you will be waiting in fear for one of her trademark goofy looks.
Bullock plays Detective Cassie Mayweather, a tough cookie with 'issues' who is also a crime-scene specialist. Along with her eager young partner Sam (Ben Chaplin), she is called out into the woods to where the body of a young woman has been found. Cassie is meticulous in her fact finding and checking and she soon comes into contact with a cool young man named Richard (Ryan Gosling), who can be linked to the scene via footprints.
Richard's alibi checks out, but Cassie has one of those premonitions which seem to constantly plague cops who dwell on TV and cinema screens (I have always wondered if they use this skill at the horse races). You see, something about Richard is 'just not right'. So Cassie digs deeper and finds Richard has a friend, Justin (Michael Pitt), with whom he shares all his little secrets. Those premonitions kick in again and Cassie becomes obsessed with finding out what this pair are all about. The fact she has no hard evidence to support her theories brings her into conflict with her superiors and tests the loyalty of her partner: should they back her or tell her to pull her head in?