better than I was led to believe..

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2008)

A natural characteristic of films with many plot twists are occasional holes in the story. Movie's aren't required to fill in these holes but their void doesn't mean a film is terrible.
I found 'The Number 23' to be an entertaining thriller that kept me guessing. Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen both give good performances and sell a complex, perhaps too complex, story about one mans'...make that two mens' obsession with the number 23.
I found the symbolism relating to the dog was a nice touch. Reading some of the reviews here it is obvious that some didn't pull anything at all from the dog in the story...I thought it added a nice touch...and really led the audience to believe that Jim Carrey's character was destined for death. An earlier review said that they didn't like Jim's(Walter Sparrow's) narration because it gave away his fate..that because of it they knew he would live...?????......what planet was that reviewer from... narrators die all the time...and then many times they talk after their own death... terrible comment... this selection has been nitpicked to death... surely not for the acting, or the direction, or the story... but because of the uncomfortable ending, the fact that Jim Carrey is playing an unfamiliar role... and because it's hard to predict what's going on... THis isn't a fantastic film but it is MUCH better than I expected....so if you're like me....and have put this one off because of all the negative press... go ahead and give it a whirl.. you might be pleasantly surprised. 60/100
You MIGHT like it if you liked:Stigmata, Session 9 , and Angels and Demons.