Film Review: The Oxford Murders (2008). Director: Alex de la Iglesia.
A wise man once said, "you may feel like home is the anchor in your storm, but leaving may well save you from drowning". Many are lucky and leave their homes in the pursuit of making something of themselves, and many make their luck for this same pursuit. The reasons are the same and so is the driving factor behind the reason: The pursuit of truth. All the legendary dialecticians, right from Socrates to Nicomachus have advocated that the ultimate truth of the cosmos lies only in one science: the science of mathematics.
The American student Martin seeks this truth when he migrates to Oxford, United Kingdom for further studies in mathematics so that The Savant Professor Arthur Seldom can oversee his thesis. While he tries his best to secure the attention of the ever so busy Professor, Martin's landlady is murdered and only way to get to the murderer is a complex mathematical equation. Professor Seldom and Martin embark on a journey to find the murderer.
Films involving a mathematical premise based on a crime are essentially ingenious in nature, as they require not only a meticulous attention to understanding not only murder, a detective's perspective, a hook to keep the audience entertained and an accurate understanding of mathematical theorems and problems that would cogently solve these equations to achieve the ultimate objective: the truth of and behind the murder. While Sherlock Holmes' (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's) technique was using 'The Ockham's Razor' method when he removed all the possible subjects, and Hercule Peirot (Dame Agatha Christie's Detective) combined psycho-scientific and observational methods to get to the truth of the matter before him, 'The Oxford Murder' applies mathematics.
While Professor Seldom insists that mathematics is the only truth, he ignores the other one flagrantly staring him in the face: the truth of death. While this is a quest for intellectual supremacy for the Professor, it is a quest for the truth for Martin and the overlap of these quests is portrayed very well in the film. 'The Oxford Murders' in a parochial sense would be a 'whodunnit' but in the broader sense is a philosophy, perspective and a truth driven film that would keep the audience entertained and hooked, but leave them shocked out of their wits.
As Martin and Professor Seldom solve the equations and come closer to finding the killer, they understand that there are various factors surrounding a truth: the implicit and the explicit. The audience is sure to keep guessing what would happen next and is proven wrong, every time and that is the success of the film. A suspense thriller that would keep the audience guessing and proving them wrong.
The aesthetics and art direction of the film is on point. The rains in Oxford are picturized picturesquely and the audience would definitely feel like visiting the United Kingdom in the spring season. The commodious and state of the art libraries harboring classics shown in the film are sure to be every student's haven and every bibliophile's heaven. The film is carried by its script as it is exceptionally difficult to carry a heavy subject with levitation. A special mention of Guillermo Martinez for a brilliant and entertaining story.
The direction of the film is fast paced, edgy and places weaves incoherent moments into a very relevant and thrilling chain of events. John Hunt as Professor Seldom has carried the film on his shoulders by portraying the sarcastic, sanctimonious, presumptuous yet a good hearted person. The film is thrilling to say the least. Barring a few visuals, the film is decently suited for family viewing for an adult audience.
Overall, 'The Oxford Murders (2008)' is a brilliant, under-rated film that explores truth, murder, life, death and mathematics.
MY TAKE: 8/10.
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Very interesting plot, it seems. Different & worth a watch. I am sure, you have understood it well & hence, you could describe it so nicely.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up.
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ReplyDeleteReview is so beautiful.. Will add this film to my watch list ❤️
ReplyDeleteVery pricisly written , film is too good , mathematical equation and it's decoding at the end is just fantastic
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