The Number 23 is better then most thrillers, due to its attention to detail.

Rating: 6/10 (20 April 2007)

My first impressions of "The Number 23" from the advertisements were that this was going to be another horror/thriller dud. Hollywood seems to be filled with them recently, and the reason they keep getting pumped out is that they make plenty of money.
Luckily, "The Number 23" is better then than most. It definitely stands out from the others as it has quite an intriguing mystery to it.
The film tells the story of Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) an animal control worker that is given a book by his wife (Virginia Madsen). The book just happens to be called The Number 23.
Sparrow begins reading the book and becomes startled when the book has many similarities with his life. He becomes engulfed in the book and obsessed with the number 23 because it is everywhere he looks. As he continues reading, the character in the book commits a murder, but Sparrow is too nice to kill anyone. Right?
The idea for this film may not be as original as one might think. The premise of the film actually reminds me of Darren Aronofsky's "Pi." In which a man become obsessed with the mathematical figure of pi (3.14) and discovers the number everywhere and it begins to ruin his life.
"The Number 23" really goes all out in convincing the viewer just how crazy the number 23 can be. The writers find its existence in everything. Whether or not they are real, I have no idea; but it sure sounds good.
The movie gets you so convinced that everywhere the viewer looks in the movie they can find 23. It's on the license plates, the cash registers, and anywhere else you look. That is one of the great aspects about the film. The film constantly barrages the viewer with subliminal messaging of 23. Also I noticed when Sparrow goes to the King Edward Hotel, with its neon sign the O and T are not light up. Nifty isn't it?
Not by coincidence the movie was released Feb. 23. See what I mean by they went all out?
"The Number 23" is directed by Joel Schumacher who has had his good films ("Phone Booth," "The Lost Boys") and his bad films ("Batman and Robin"). I think you can chalk this film up as one of Schumacher's better films.
Schumacher does an interesting trick while Sparrow is reading the book. The audience is vicariously shown what Sparrow is imagining as he is reading that has this surreal and slightly out of focus look to it. I have never seen a movie recreate the mental process of reading before. It definitely works though, and it adds to the film.
Unfortunately, the ending is not as bombastic as the movie wants it to be. It's not bad, but it's just not really shocking. Or at least I thought so. Not to mention the ending probably takes about 23 minutes to wrap everything up.
You are never on the edge of your seat and that is where this movie really fails. As a thriller it is important that you are constantly tense about what is going to happen next.
I give "The Number 23" three out of five (2+3) stars. Uh oh! I gave a two on my last movie review and now I give this movie a three. Put them together and you have23!