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by Sebastian Kluth

The Oxford Murders (2008) - The bad acting and the mediocre character development is saved by a strong and twisted plot and a good atmosphere - 7/10 (28/11/11)

The Oxford Murders (2008)

 

The Oxford Murders is a dark crime movie that convinces with a charming location, many mathematic mysteries and puzzles and several twists in the end of the movie that you simply can't see coming.

I really liked the unusual technical approach and the scientific and especially philosophical content of the movie as well as the fact that a slow tension is built up that is hold on until the very last seconds of the film. The soundtrack of the movie is interesting and the camera work an interesting nod to the works of Brian De Palma and therefor quite artistic and interesting. This movie got some very good inspirations.

But this film also has a few important flaws. First of all, the acting is somehow weak. All characters have different interesting aspects and a good book surely makes these factors evolve but the movie fails to do so. The film is overall too short and the acting is rather mellow. The main actors and especially Elijah Wood seem emotionless and uninspired at some points. You don't feel with the characters that all seem rather antisocial and not very attracting.

The characters are simply not develop profoundly enough. Especially the main role should have been developed more: where does the American student come from? Why is he so interested in meeting Seldom? The backgrounds of the other characters are also not very clear. We can't really understand the despair of Beth and the role of her assassinated mother Mrs. Eagleton. The reactions of Lorna are also strange. She meets with her old lover Seldom and the American student Martin in a restaurant even if she obviously can't stand the first one anymore. She doesn't want to get in touch with Seldom or Martin as she says towards the second third of the movie just to meet and sleep with Martin again after a short while and little discussion. In the end, she suddenly wants to leave the country with a young man she barely knows and even though she has a good job. There are many confusing aspects like these that seem random and even strange. It seems as if some important scenes or details have been cut and that there must be a director's cut that explains it all in a better and more coherent way.

There are many missed occasions in this movie. The plot is great, the locations are amazing and the budget was there. But the acting is disappointing, the characters remain superficial and strange and the movie seems sometimes too intellectual. Mathematically, there are as many positive points as there are bad points. But as we learned from the movie, not everything can be simply explained by mathematics and that's why I still give a rather favourable rating. The ending reserves many surprises and is definitely worth the wait and there are a couple of truly original ideas in this still very solid European movie. If you like dark British crime movies and surprising plots, you should definitely not miss the chance to check this film out. If you expect a strong acting, an amazing Elijah Wood as in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy or simply several addicting characters, you may be disappointed and should skip this movie.

 

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