All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Murder by Numbers starring Sandra Bullock (Cassie Mayweather), a homicide detective accompanied by a wet-behind-the-ears rookie (Ben Chaplin). The moment she's misty-eyed over the victim, you know there's a back story we're inclined to visit, presumably to give Bullock something meaty to contend with.But the spotlight remains elsewhere. Michael Pitt (Justin) is an encyclopedia of forensics, displays an uneasiness that suggests his underlying desire to be embraced by the more confident, cocky Richard. Ryan Gosling is effectively smarmy and has better chemistry with Bullock than Chaplin does. Murder by numbers works as a solid character study and a decent time watching thriller. Despite average reviews and a disappointing box office record, this film does have a place and audience for the CSI type fans.

Murder by Numbers (2002): Dir: Barbet Schroeder / Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pitt, Chris Penn: Clever psychological thriller about the planning and dispatching of murder. The killers in question are two high school students who are at the top of their education yet they share a bond that has them kidnap a young woman. Her body is found the following day and Sandra Bullock is assigned to the case along with her by-the-book partner played by Ben Chaplin. She is known for her instincts in solving cases but she is burdened by a past incident. Effective and provocative setup travels by formula until it hits a surprising conclusion. Director Barbet Schroeder details the film with information. He previously made another superb thriller called Single White Female. Excellent work by Bullock as a troubled police woman who ultimately brings down the case with grim discoveries. Chaplin is merely there for romantic possibilities in a role that is complete cardboard. Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt steal the film as the teenage suspects whose highlights comes at the conclusion where information takes an interesting turn and in unexpected ways. Chris Penn also shows up but he has been more interesting in other films. Well made thriller that tackles issues regarding teenagers and media influence that seem to be increasing by the numbers. Score: 8 ½ / 10

What happens when you take a classic whodunit murder plot, tell the viewer right away whodunit, and have the lead detective know who the killer is the whole time? You get a crappy movie. And unlike what the title suggests, there was hardly any math involved. It's not a bad story, just horribly executed for the film. Two high schoolers plot to get away with murder after one of them studies criminology and CSI textbooks. But because everything was known from the beginning, a huge part of the film is scenes questioning the boys, either at school or at the police station, and there's no build-up to catching them. And Sandra Bullock's character is absurd. She's a hard-ass, she's a slut, she's vulnerable, she's a victim, she's got it figured out, she doesn't know anything. Not worth it. Though Nick Offerman of "Parks and Rec" plays an unnamed police officer for about 6 seconds of film time. 2/10

Murder By Numbers has detectives Sandra Bullock and Ben Chaplin assigned to the murder of a young woman who was blitz attacked by an intruder in her home. Bullock gets the right scent on things, but the 'facts' keep getting in her way.This updating of the Leopold/Loeb story that has seen such films as Rope and Compulsion inspired by that famous true thrill kill story has as its protagonists Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. I think that the author gives us a big hint to the characters of these two right in the beginning when we see Pitt reading a paper he's written for a class about Nietschean superman philosophy and Gosling just pretending to be asleep in class.The homoerotic tension crackles off the scene with Gosling and Pitt. They are truly into each other until Agnes Bruckner enters their lives. After that it's every bisexual for himself.These two go far beyond Loeb and Leopold. Not only do they randomly pick some poor women for their kill experiment, but Pitt is a science wiz and he manufactures the forensic evidence that throws suspicion on Chris Penn the school janitor. Unfortunately Gosling really rubs her the wrong way when he's questioned. He's the kind of rich kid you love to take down.But speaking of rubbing the wrong way, Bullock is rubbing her own superiors just that way. Part of it is male chauvinism, part of it is they don't want to ruffle the feathers of Gosling's father who's the richest guy in town. Bullock and Gosling dominate the film. Her with her dogged determination to take down the rich kid and him with a terrifying charisma that just about everyone is taken with. Loeb and Leopold never had problems like these.