Sandra Bulllock’s film “Murder and Numbers” OK but not outstanding
Sandra Bullock, fresh off wining an Academy Award, stars in
this crime-thriller from 2002, available at the Carson Library. It’s a crime
scene kind of story with Cassie Mayweather (Bullock), teamed with former vice
cop Sam Kennedy (Ben Chaplin) investigating the murder of a housewife for no
apparent reason.
The cops look at a high-school pair, Ryan Gosling (Richard
Haywood) and Justine Pendleton (Michael Pitt).
Back story is that the pair wanted to do a perfect murder to
show how superior they were to the rest of humanity, including the cops.
Also as back story, seems that Cassie was involved in an
another murder and the killed is up for parole. The story gets sticky when
Cassie and Sam become lovers, while Cassie has a reputation for being a cold
fish.
The plot isn’t exactly straightford and the turns are not
always logical, but Bullock gives a fair performance. She is simply a cop
trying to find the killer(s). She goes out on a limb and pays for some medical
documents on her own after being ordered off the case. The climatic scene comes
after she finds the pair of teens in a mountainside hideaway and nearly dies
when the porch gives way, but is rescued by one of the killers.
A tangled story never quite clear but fun anyhow. Rated RE,
it was released in 2002 and runs 120 minutes.
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