It’s been a long time coming, but it appears that The Oxford Murders is finally set for a US release. Álex de la Iglesia’s adaptation of Guillermo Martinez’s mathematical thriller has already been released widely around the rest of the world since early in 2008, but is now due for a domestic theatrical release on August 6th. The film stars John Hurt as an Oxford professor of logic and Elijah Wood as an exchange student who team up to solve a series of murders that are linked by a sequence of mathematical symbols.
The trailer, which you can view below, gives off a similar vibe to “A Beautiful Mind” but don’t be fooled, we’re not even in the same ballpark here. This writer was unfortunate enough to experience “The Oxford Murders” way back when it was released in the UK and can safely advise not to hold your breath over this one. Elijah Wood is horrendously miscast and the mystery isn’t all that intriguing; you’d have altogether more fun watching a re-run of “Diagnosis Murder.” In fact the only this has going for it is a strong performance from John Hurt, but then again you could just about claim that for any film starring John Hurt.
But hey, don’t let us put you off. In case you can’t wait until August 6th, Magnolia Pictures also have plans for a release on Xbox Live, Playstation, Amazon, VOD and Vudu a month earlier on July 2nd.