The Number 23 (DVD, 2007, Unrated & Theatrical Versions)

In case you weren't aware, there's a real-life longstanding belief that all incidents and events can be directly connected to the Number 23. (Ex: 9/11/2001, take Month 9 + the 2 & 1 off 2001 = 12; 12 + Day 11th = 23 !! Oklahoma City and Atomic Bomb happended on the 23rd !! Etc....) - Part phenomenon, part cult, it's spawned quite a bit of literature, lots of conjecture, and now a major motion picture.
"The Number 23" (UNRATED) is the first-time screenwriter Fernley Phillips and Director Joel Schumacher have teamed up to create an eerie, absorbing, massive over-the-top thriller that swiftly reaches an unfathomably unnerving conclusion. - As an Animal Control Officer who finds himself sucked into a weird vortex of paranoia and obsession and HELL upon reading a vorasciously disturbing book called "The Number 23", Jim Carrey makes for a completely effective lead choice. He brings a dramatic and edgy-irony to a very serious role, impressively handling a wide range of emotions as an ordinary Joe caught in an extraordinary evil web.
Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, a loving husband and father who slogs through his thankless job rounding up the town's wayward animals. One day, his wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen) randomly buys him a copy of "The Number 23" from a used bookstore, intrigued by the tattered old novel after a quick read. Though Agatha finds it a noirish story of a brooding Detective fixated on the "Hidden Power" of the Number 23, Walter takes the book seriously. He begins seeing signs of the mysterious digits everywhere. (We're talking everywhere). From his birthday (2/3); to the day He and Agatha first met (the 23rd); to the number of letters in his full name (23); to every other date, address, parking space, and room number he sees, one way or another it all adds up to the same strange thing.
What's worse, Walter finds that "Number 23" parallels his own life — from childhood on up — and becomes convinced that the books passages are telling him something. The fact that the novel abruptly ends at Chapter 22., adds to his anxiety. He's sure the missing final chapter holds the key to his own future; a matter of life and death.
Increasing frenzy ensues; over what he believes is more than just numerical happenstance. Eventually prompting the downward spiral that spawns Walter's desperate search for the novel's author, the oddly-named Topsy Kretts (say it slowly...)
Walter's downward spiral is so well done. Carrey has gone where only someone in his caliber could take such over-the-top material., yet derive a horror fulfilled story. (Leaving his stereotyped comic genius behind).
He remains sympathetic, despite a slew of shadowy possibilities. This helps keep Carrey's performance more human and grounded as he separates from his family, for fear of doing something "he might regret"; as madness creeps in. Madsen provides solid support as the wife, who only wants the best for her decent husband; with Danny Huston also credible as a professor friend who may or may not have alterior motives.
Stylized visualizations of the book's various passages, as imagined by Walter as he reads along, provide graphic paralyzing fear. These recreations feel heated and vortexed; as you travel the spiral downward with Walter., and amidst the horrors awaiting the shadows behind the truths., of "The Number 23".
A MUST SEE !!!! Cannot Disappoint !!!! Standing Ovations to Jim Carrey

This movie is a bit like Jim Carry, just a bit off. Storyline was made for a lot younger folk then the 65 year olds we are. Did not like this movie and would not tell oters to go and see it.

this was a very interesting, movie awesome suspense. loved it!!!
started counting 23 lol. you really are left guessing through the whole movie and all my kids started counting everything for weeks after. love the characters and the plot was so good.
i love jim carey anyway.

“The Number 23” can’t seem to figure out whether it wants to be a paranoid thriller, a kinky murder mystery, or an M. Night Shyamalan-style Hook Movie. In the end, it’s all of these things, but it’s not any one of those things long enough to matter. New Line has a history of mucking up movies like this. “Frequency,” the 2000 drama starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel, suffered from a similar problem. It started off as a heartwarming father-and-son time travel movie, and then morphs into a hunt for a serial killer. These kinds of movies are clearly not New Line’s thing. They would be better served sticking to genre flicks like the “Final Destination” movies and “Snakes on a Plane.”

Jim Carrey is Walter Sparrow, a dog catcher who’s late for a date with his wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen) thanks to a scuffle with a feisty dog. Agatha peruses a nearby book store while she waits, and finds a fascinating little book called “The Number 23” that she thinks Walter will like. Walter is instantly fascinated with the book; the tales of its protagonist, an investigator named Fingerling, draw so many parallels into Walter’s own life that he’s convinced that the book is about him. One of the story’s plot threads involves a girl that’s referred to as Suicide Blonde (Lynn Collins), who is obsessed with the number 23, convinced it can be found in literally anything and everything. Walter falls under its spell as well, and before long his life spirals out of control in near-perfect sync with Fingerling’s.

I’ve just explained the paranoid thriller part of the story. Seems pretty entertaining, even if the theory itself is complete bunk, right? By and large, that part is entertaining; unfortunately there’s not enough of it to go around. Director Joel Schumacher, a man who has a tendency to get lost in the spectacle of things (though not always, as “Falling Down” and “Tigerland” will attest), directs the movie with flair but keeps the proceedings as grounded as the source material will allow. He certainly directs Carrey with more authority than he did in “Batman Forever,” but then again, he did allow Carrey to actually say the line, “I’m a killer! I have killed someone!” And for that, he should be punished, as should screenwriter Fernley Phillips for writing the line in the first place.

Even at a short 95 minutes, I found myself checking my watch at the 50-minute mark, which is probably the moment when the movie shifted into kinky murder mystery mode. It never recovers from this point on, though even the murder mystery seems tolerable in light of the Hook Movie twist they throw at us at the end. They were clearly going for the surprise ending of a certain grisly ‘80s thriller that will go nameless here for fear of spoiling it for anyone, but suffice it to say that they didn’t come remotely close.

It’s easy to see why Jim Carrey was drawn to “The Number 23.” He didn’t have to be rubber-mask-faced funny man, and he didn’t have to be Overly Dramatic Man, either. These movies, however, are all wrong for him (assuming, of course, that they’re right for anyone else), and if he’s smart, he still has Peter Weir and Milos Forman on speed dial. His salvation lies in their hands, not the hands of some clumsy pulp fiction writer with a De Palma fixation.

YOU STARTED OFF THINKING OK,THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD THEN.
BAM IT SWOPE ARROUND AN YOU GET TOTALLY CONFUSED AN THEN YOU
LOOSE INTREST IN IT.

This was a good movie. Another great role by Jim Carrey! Really had ya thinking! Its kinda cool how they come up with the things they do to equal 23. The best part is the author of the book that the wife finds and gives him as a gift, his name is Topsy Kretts (Top Secrets). Very suspenseful when you find out who the author really is! Just goes to show you what the mind can do to protect itself. You'll definitely enjoy this movie.

Difficult to follow with a fractured story line. Not one of Careys better performances. I wish I hadn't purchased the dvd....just rented it. wnp

i bought it cuz its a great movie...i love jim carry and the movie is very mind twisting and keeps you on the edge..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Very good movie!! Keeps your interest the whole time! Really keeps you guessing all the way through this weird, but cool, movie!! Could have done with out the sex scenes, but otherwise I really liked this movie a lot!

Great Movie. Great Price. Fast Shipping
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i bought the movie used at a fraction of the cost of a new one and closer to the cost of a rentil the dvd was in good shape and works like a new one and i bought it on ebay because i dont like driving all around searching to find what i was looking for its just quicker and easyer to buy it on ebay

I have seen the movie before and really enjoyed it so I wanted to have it. Its a great psychological movie!

I LOVED this movie. Yea Jim Carrey Is a comedian, but I think he did a fantastic job on this movie. I could watch this movie over and over again.
If you like thriller movies with a twist, watch this movie.

it was great!! tahnk u for sending it so quickley and its in great shape!!! i really appreciate it!!

This movie was pretty dran inense. Jim carrey i thought did a a great job and played the chrarcter very well.

this was a great movie and jim carey was at most his best preformance to date. its a must see for fans of thriller movies and jim carey fans

i enjoyed the movie very muchi like the story i like jim carrey in a more serious type role. i liked the strangeness of it

I was great overall great price and i got the DVD super fast shipping!!!! it was exactly what the description said it was going to be.

i bought this item for a gift.it is new still in package. i have not personnaly watched it. thank you. jim carrey is a versatile actor though.

Loved the whole concept of the movie; editing was great. Carrey broke from comedy and this thriller makes more than obvious his great range as an actor. Virginia Madsen played her part beautifully and in some scenes she was more than HOT! I bought this movie because now I am obessed with the number as I'm sure that many others are, too.

i just watch it, it was so good the movie was so good you just couldnt move had to watch didnt want to missed any part of it

Over all a good movie. It keeps you guessing. The whole movie you switch back and forth trying to guess who did it. And is this story real or is it his imagination. And did he or did he not kill his wife.

I liked this movie. It was unusual. I love Jim Carey in this role. It not what your used to seeing him do. I haved wathced this movie several times and it full of suspense. I reccomend this movie.