| Reviewed by KC Ifeanyi Director: Joel Schumacher
Studio: New Line Cinema
Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen
Genre: Thriller Water Cooler Buzz: This Infinifilm version allows you to watch the movie with pop-up special features about specific scenes (FYI: The featurettes are more interesting than the actual movie). Although it's not a remake, Schumacher's film was heavily inspired by Hans-Christian Schmid's 23 (1998). Also, pay attention to what chapter the movie ends on. Description: Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow, a mild-mannered family man whose life seems to be on cruise control - that is, until a series of events puts him in possession of the foreboding novel The Number 23. Completely losing himself in the novel's seedy realm of sex and violence, Walter begins to notice unmistakable similarities between his life and that of the main character, Detective Fingerling. When Fingerling comes across the alluring case of the "Suicide Blonde" who's been haunted by the number 23, he begins to obsess over the mysterious number - in turn, causing Walter to become just as consumed with it and the ominous conspiracies to which it's linked. In a state of paranoia and passion, Fingerling commits a grizzly murder, which sets Walter on the path to find the author of the graphic novel, fearing his own fate is headed toward the same disturbing destiny as Fingerling's. Kudos to Carrey for stepping out of his comedic comfort zone and biting into a juicier role, one that he, surprisingly, pulls off. Madsen also makes a noteworthy - and slightly shocking - transformation into Fingerling's kinky, wanton, sex-crazed girlfriend, Fabrizia. Despite solid acting from both Carrey and Madsen, The Number 23 falls flat with a storyline that's far from engaging and is borderline boring. The concept of a "killer number" also fails to evince any sense of thrills or danger, with far-fetched connections that even the most paranoid person would find esoteric. Even the jaw-dropping twist ending that seems like the movie's salvation immediately loses steam once the origin of the novel is exposed. Try this out for a number conspiracy: Take 23, add the two digits together, subtract four, and there you have what this film is worth on a good day. Spooky, huh? Image courtesy of moviepublicity.com | 
