Review: The Oxford Murders

Elijah Wood plays an American Maths student who idolises professor John Hurt, a rather jaded sort who claims that there’s no way of ever really knowing the truth. Life is full of uncertainties, randomness, irrational behaviour that makes it impossible to ever truly know anything. Wood disagrees, citing pi as an example, i.e. Mathematics, which earns him the derision of both the cynical Hurt and his classmates. The two end up teaming up to solve a series of murders with mathematical calling cards (the first of a sequence), after the body of Wood’s elderly landlady (Anna Massey) turns up, Hurt being a friend of the family. Jim Carter plays the plain-speaking copper constantly feeling like a dummy opposite the two Brainiacs, Leonor Watling plays Wood’s buxom nurse girlfriend, and Julie Cox plays Massey’s long-suffering musician daughter, who is perhaps a bit unstable. Dominique Pinon and Burn Gorman turn up as a glum father with a very ill daughter, and an embittered Russian student who has a grudge against Hurt.

Call it “The Da Vinci Code” for maths nerds with a helping of Agatha Christie, this 2008 mystery/thriller from director and co-writer Alex de la Iglesia (“Day of the Beast” and something called “Ferpect Crime”) is compulsively watchable. Unfortunately, what starts out seemingly really intelligent proves to be otherwise by the conclusion. There’s enough red herrings to make the culprit hard to pin down (and none of them seem like mere red herrings) even towards the end, but even if you don’t end up ultimately guessing it, the solution is certainly one you will have considered one of the most likely, and thus will likely feel a bit disappointed. It’s not a bad ending by any means, but given all the early talk about there being ultimately no truth save perhaps for mathematics (something I wish the film focused even more on), and ‘the perfect crime’ etc, the solution can be picked up by audiences quite easily with knowledge of cinema rather than maths (Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering I’m crap at maths anyway). That is, if you’ve watched a lot of films, you’ll have all the tools you need to solve the puzzle, even if the maths is completely over your head (as it largely was for me).

Also, what’s with all the different nationalities hanging out in and around Oxford? The characters run the gamut from Brits (Hurt, Massey, Carter, Cox), to Americans (Wood), Spaniards (Watling, who in real-life is half-Spanish, half-Brit), Russkies (Gorman), and a Frenchman (Pinon).

Still, it’s an enjoyable watch, even if Elijah Wood is a much easier sell as geeky maths student than ladies man. Co-star Leonor Watling, meanwhile, has one of the most incredible bodies I’ve ever seen. I mean goddamn that girl is hot (and thankfully willing to disrobe). Nice to see the late Anna Massey in one of her last roles, too, and John Hurt is spot-on.

The screenplay by the director and Jorge Guerricaechevarria is based on a novel by Argentinean author Guillermo Martinez, unread by me. It was apparently a big hit in Spain, a flop in the UK, and not released in theatres here in Australia. I think it’s definitely worth a look if you’re a mystery buff or a fan of the naked female form in its most exquisite state.

Rating: B-