The Oxford Murders (2008)

IMDb plot summary: At Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try to stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols.

Directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Stars Elijah Wood, John Hurt, and Leonor Watling.

The Oxford Murders stars Elijah Wood as an American graduate student who comes to Oxford to try and study with a particular professor. To his disappointment, the professor refuses to work with him, but then the two become entangled in a serial murder case when the first victim is a mutual friend. Oh, this one is a mess. It's one of those fairly obnoxious mysteries that things it's being much, much cleverer than it is, when really it just feels pretentious. On top of that there are weird small dialogue issues, like the fact that they cast Elijah Wood as this character and yet everything he says is very British, in very British dialect. I don't know if that was an initial issue with the script, or if they didn't intend to cast an American at the beginning and then never adjusted the script afterward, but it's jarring and immediately sets the tone that this is going to be a movie that does not care with its text. That continues on for the rest of the movie, with really clunky exposition and really underwhelming twists and turns throughout the mystery, all culminating in an ending that doesn't work. Not a lot that I liked about this one.

🎥 The Oxford Murders (2008)

📊 Ranked #3686/4195 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 12

lost to The Lair of the White Worm (held at #2094)

lost to Two for the Money (held at #3147)

lost to Bus Stop (held at #3674)

beat Little Miss Marker (#3933 → #3934)

beat The Battle of Algiers (#3803 → #3804)

beat Epic (#3738 → #3739)

beat Baby Mama (#3706 → #3707)

beat For Love of the Game (#3690 → #3691)

lost to Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (held at #3682)

beat Bohemian Rhapsody (#3686 → #3687)

lost to Holy Ghost People (held at #3684)