Murder by the Numbers - PG13 (Violence, language, some adult situations)
Stephanie Plum (Sandra Bullock) is a Jersey girl. When she loses her latest job, she's left with a broke-down car, too many bills and facing a very bleak existence, especially if she has to move back home with Mom (Meryl Streep), Dad (never seen on screen) and Grandma (Estelle Getty).
Short on opportunity, Stephanie has one ace up her sleeve. She knows a secret or two about good ol' cousin Vinnie (Danny DeVito) he certainly wouldn't want the family to know. Armed with the knowledge she has him over a barrel, Stephanie heads down to his place a business - a bail bond agency - and asks/tells him she needs a job. Reluctant at first, Vinnie soon realizes he has little choice. He gives her a couple of bail forfeiture cases to track down, not having any idea of the can of worms he's opened up.
Ranger (Antonio Banderas) is a former black ops specialist who does the real tough bounty cases. He and Stephanie have a chemistry that creates sparks whenever they're in the same room. He keeps an eye out for her and more than once has come in at just the right moment to save her from disaster.
Stephanie's first tough case involves former vice cop Joe Morelli (Brad Pitt) who jumped bail on a murder charge. Stephanie has a long history with Morelli - he was the suave BMOC in high school who took Stephanie's virginity and then wrote all the sordid details on the bathroom wall of the local pizzeria. That hasn't stopped Stephanie and Morelli from hooking up on occasion, and she doesn't think he's capable of murder. She wants to find him both for the bounty and to help him clear his name.
While Stephanie is trying to track Morelli down, her Grandma Mazur comes to her with another problem. Mazur has a hobby - she goes to funerals and neighborhood wakes. For a while now, the funerals have been a little off, she tells Stephanie. None of them are open caskets and that's just not right. People in the neighborhood have a RIGHT to see their dear departed friends one last time and she wants Stephanie to check out the new - and positively creepy - undertaker (Peter Lorre) in town.
Stephanie has her hands full, both with trying to do a credible job as bounty hunter, and with her self-appointed assistant Lula (Queen Latifah). Lula was a hooker, until she decided it was too dangerous. Vinnie had given her a job in his office but when Stephanie came along, Lula realized it might be a lot more interesting to do field work. Lula drives a bright red Firebird, carries a loaded 9mm Glock in her purse and wants more than anything else to find a reason to use it. Connie (Conchetta Ferrell) also works in the office, but only part time. She's the one link Stephanie can depend on, the one who lets her know what's going on even when Vinnie thinks he's keeping things quiet. Connie knows where all the bodies are buried and no secret in Jersey is safe from her eventually finding it out.
Ranger, who has a business that encompasses a lot of different activities - most of which are top secret - depends on Tank (Vin Diesel), his trusted friend and assistant, to keep things running when he's out of town. He also entrusts Tank with making sure Stephanie hasn't gotten in too far over her head in trying to track down Morelli.
Out of nowhere comes Joyce Barnhardt (Eliza Dishku), the "other woman." Joyce and Stephanie have known and hated each other since high school. She was responsible for Stephanie's marriage breaking up after she caught her husband and Joyce "doing the deed" on their kitchen table. Joyce has almost as much dirt on Vinnie as Stephanie, and has also entered the field of bounty hunting, possibly for the money but possibly to keep Stephanie from finding out the truth. She seems to be paying very close attention to Stephanie but asking way too many questions about Morelli and Ranger.
Did Morelli commit the murder? Is there something sinister going on at the funeral parlor? Will Stephanie solve the crimes or make things worse? And what is Joyce up to?
This is a crime drama with suspense, comedic overtones and fast-paced action that will entertain from start to finish. It's based on the books of Janet Evanovich, who has done an incredible job of combining the plots of a couple of her novels into a cohesive screenplay by adding a few new twists.
Music by Henry Mancini sets the tone without being a distraction and Wilder's direction keeps the film on pace with the perfect blend of elements.
Cast and crew:
Antonio Banderas -- Ricardo Carlos "Ranger" Mañoso
Sandra Bullock -- Stephanie Plum
Brad Pitt -- Joe Morelli
Queen Latifah -- Lula
Danny DeVito -- cousin Vinnie Plum
Estelle Getty - Grandma Edna Mazur
Peter Lorre -- Undertaker
Meryl Streep -- Mrs. Plum
Vin Diesel -- Tank
Eliza Dushku -- Joyce Barnhardt
Conchetta Ferrell -- Connie
Billy Wilder -- Director
Janet Evanovich - Screenwriter
Henry Mancini - Score
