Movies - Murder by Numbers

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	Movies - Murder by Numbers

Murder by Numbers is a 2002 motion picture that tells a story of two teenage killers. Directed by Barbet Schroeder, it is quite loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case, the Columbine case, and the Dartmouth Murders.

Tagline: Let the mind games begin.

Cast

Cassie Mayweather--Sandra Bullock
Sam Kennedy--Ben Chaplin
Richard Haywood--Ryan Gosling
Justin Pendleton--Michael Pitt
Ray Feathers--Chris Penn
Captain Rod Cody--R. D. Call
Asst. D.A. Al Swanson--Tom Verica
Lisa Mills--Agnes Bruckner

Behind The Characters

Sandra Bullock also starred in Miss Congeniality and Practical Magic
Ryan Gosling- The Notebook and The Believer
Michael Pitt- The Village
Ben Chaplin-The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Synopsis

When a dead female body is found in the woods near the river, Cassie Mayweather and Sam Kennedy, homicide detectives, are assigned to the case. Mayweather follows the smallest pieces of evidence to solve the case. She follows two teens, Justin Pendleton and Richard Haywood. Pendleton is a brilliant, but misunderstood teen who develops a secret friendship with the spoiled, rich kid, Haywood. They attempt to commit the perfect murder and try to experience complete freedom. Both of the boys come from broken homes.

The evidence leads to Haywood whose pair of boots could have been worn by the killer at the crime scene. Haywood had reported those same boots stolen earlier that week. Haywood happens to have a strong alibi which makes the detectives work a little harder. Cassie suspects that there is more to Haywood's perfect story.

Cassie digs in her haunted past to find something to help her solve this crime. She breaks away from her partner and the other detectives to work on her own theories, which jeopardizes her job. Even though this case may end up costing her job she stills plans to solve it. She will not let these boys get away with murder.

Haywood and Pendleton have developed a plan that shows their loyalty to one another. They are going to plan the perfect murder. This murder may end in their own death.

Based On

The Leopold and Loeb Case

On May 21, 1924, fourteen year old Bobby Franks was kidnapped and beat to death with a chisel wrapped in electrical tape. His body was found dumped in a watery ditch under a railroad bridge.

There were a pair of eyeglasses that were found at the crime scene which led to a nineteen year old boy, Nathan Leopold. When the detectives questioned the boy he explained that he must have dropped them when he was bird watching. His alibi for the time of the murder was his good friend Richard Loeb who was eighteen. The alibi was tight until the detectives questioned Loeb. He told them everything that had happened.

People wanted to know why these intelligent boys would commit such a heinous act. The answer was simple yet twisted. They had done it out of pure excitement. They wanted to do something exciting and something that would make their twisted fantasies come true. They assumed that they were smarter and they thought that they could outwit the detectives.

The Columbine Shootings

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were young teens who shot twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School. There were twenty-three people who were wounded also all before Harris and Klebold took their own lives.

The same questions was presented. Why would they commit such a crime? The answer was the same as in the Leopold and Loeb case. They had just wanted the attention and wanted to be known. Now both of their names are known around the United States.

The Dartmouth Murders

Two teenage boys had a plan to rob and kill for over a year. They wanted to raise money to pay for a trip to Australia. They ended up murdering their victims. They claimed that crime was an easier, faster and more exciting way to make money than just a normal job.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Murder by Numbers ]

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