Murder by Numbers is one of those thrillers that are easy to watch, but also easy to predict. It works, moves along smoothly, and never completely collapses, but from very early on it makes clear that it’s playing it safe. Every twist, every suspicion, and every reveal seems placed exactly where you expect it, as if the film were following an overly familiar manual. The story unfolds competently and with a certain sense of rhythm, but it’s hard to shake the feeling of always being one step ahead of the script. Not because the viewer is especially clever, but because the film doesn’t truly try to mislead. Everything is underlined, anticipated, or prepared well in advance so that nothing unsettles or challenges too much. Sandra Bullock is, without a doubt, the film’s strongest asset. She makes a clear effort to move away from her more approachable persona and build a character who feels worn down, guarded, and emotionally distant, and for the most part she succeeds. There are moments where her presence carries scenes that would otherwise feel quite flat. The rest of the cast does its job, but without leaving a strong impression, functioning more as well-oiled parts of a very prefabricated machine. The main issue isn’t a lack of tension, but a lack of risk. The film rarely makes obvious mistakes, but it also rarely hits with real force. Everything feels correct, clean, and professional — and also far too comfortable. Even when it flirts with darker or more psychological territory, it pulls back before truly unsettling the viewer. In the end, it leaves the impression of a perfectly serviceable thriller, the kind you can put on one afternoon with modest expectations and no effort. It entertains just enough, goes down easily, and is forgotten just as quickly. Not a disaster by any means, but not something that lingers either. A film that does its job… and little more.

Chris Penn’s character rivals the burnout greats. Living the double life of high school janitor and schwag weed dealer who watches BDSM porn in his living room at full volume while hosting teenage customers. That is plenty enough to make him memorable but one of the plot twists reveals his illegally owned pet baboon named Mr. Poopy complete with a satisfying set up and pay off explaining his name. My favorite performance aside, this is a mediocre thriller (that appears queer coded through a 2024 lens) with inadequate special effects that somehow manages to be entertaining.

>"You're supposed to identify yourself with the murderer, not the victim." What to say about this... horrible CGI, mediocre plot inspired by real life murderers, and Ryan Gosling let's out one of the funniest screams I have heard in a movie. Random Trivia: Gosling and Bullock dated for a year after working on this.