'Murder by Numbers' deliciously diabolical

Murder by Numbers - RStarring: Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin
Directed by: Barbet Schroeder
Showing: Showplace East 11 Many murder mystery films have followed a somewhat simple formula -- present to the audience a bunch of suspects and then commence with the killing and the guessing games. "Murder by Numbers" begins with the murder, and the audience knows exactly who the guilty parties are. Sound interesting? Well, it is. Two crime-obsessed and brilliant high school students, Justin and Richard (Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling) begin an obsessive game of wits with a cold-blooded killing. Enter Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock), a hard-nosed and seasoned detective with more than a few inner demons of her own who is determined to crack the case wide open. Thereafter the tension builds regarding whether Richard and Justin can stay one step ahead of a clever and thorough detective force spearheaded by Cassie and her new partner Sam (Ben Chaplin). The two young psychopathic schemers believe they are the perfect match to get away with the crime -- with Richard's nerves of steel and Justin's diabolical vigilance. They even keep a composite picture that combines their facial features into one portrait. As Cassie's crew closes in, they attempt to keep their game -- and each other-- from being ruined. The writers of the film are almost uncanny at revealing each event in a manner that is progressively more pressure-filled. Don't be surprised if at some point you actually find yourself rooting for the bad guys just to keep the irresistible game going. The only aspects of the script that miss are the ending, which seems somewhat like it was drawn out of a hat, and the inclusion of Cassie's personal struggles, which are overplayed and just get in the way of an otherwise enjoyable story. Bullock shows her acting versatility in comparison with her "Miss Congeniality" (she played a cop in that one too, but with a sweetheart interior) and "Forces of Nature" characters. But one thing is certain -- Gosling and Pitt steal the show. Their relationship to each other is crucial to the film, and they pull it off more than adequately for being so young and relatively new to the big screen. For a running time of more than two hours in length, you won't realize how quickly it went... and you'll be sad it's over.