The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition)
by Joel Schumacher
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Danny Huston, Jim Carrey, Logan Lerman, Rhona Mitra, Virginia MadsenDirector: Joel Schumacher
Brand: NEW LINE HOME VIDEO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-24
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: N10688
Studio: New Line Home Video
Product features:
- In Joel Schumacher s psychological thriller THE NUMBER 23, Jim Carrey takes on another dramatic role. Carrey s character is similar to his roles in THE TRUMAN SHOW and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: he portrays an average man thrust into quite extraordinary situations after a series of strange events cause him to question everything he s ever taken for granted. On his birthday, Walter Spar
Movie Reviews of The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition)
Movie Review: Be sure your sin will find you out. - Numbers 32:23
Summary: 5 Stars
The Number 23 is a film noir built around a dog catcher named Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) who becomes obsessed with a book he finds about a detective who calls himself Fingerling, also played by Jim Carrey (in what we assume are scenes from Walter's imagination). Fingerling is obsessed with the number 23, and Walter Sparrow shares his obsession, and as he falls under the number's spell, he feels more and more of a connection to Fingerling. Fingerling is a tattooed, saxophone playing, hard boiled detective, and his obsession with the number 23 is taking him down a very dark path. There is a woman named Fabrizia who is an integral part of his obsession. She is played by Virginia Madsen, who also plays Walter's wife, Agatha.
Walter Sparrow: A week ago, the only thing I thought was out of the ordinary was that it was my birthday.
Jim Carrey is a very funny guy, but he is not content to just be The King of Comedy. He plays dark, dramatic roles as well. The Cable Guy was very funny, but in a dark and disturbing way. He also played comedian/performance artist/multiple personality disorder sufferer Andy Kaufman in The Man on the Moon. Kaufman's comedy could be pretty dark and disturbing, too. The character he plays in The Number 23, Walter Sparrow, is kind of low key and reminds me of his Joel Barish in 2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Fingerling on the other hand, is a total psycho. The Cable Guy on crack and steroids? Robin Williams is another comedian who seemed like he really wanted to play the boogie man for a change: Death to Smoochy, One Hour Photo, Insomnia, he's not a very nice guy in August Rush, either. Just an observation that two of filmdom's funniest fellows have a similar obsession with playing against type.
Walter Sparrow: Of course time is just a counting system... numbers with meanings attached to them.
Speaking of obsession, in The Number 23 Fingerling the detective had an obsession with the saxophone. The saxophone has 23 keys. A lot of the "23" connections seem a little far fetched, like if you are looking for any number you can find it everywhere, but the number 23 in particular has held a fascination for many people, and even Jim Carrey claims to have a "23" obsession. William S. Burroughs, the Beat author of Naked Lunch, The Wild Boys, and The Nova Express, also came to believe that the number 23 held mystical significance after encountering it during significant moments in his life. He wrote "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz" where he took the recorded tape of the mobster's rambling last words and wove a story based on Schultz's life, and the way that Burroughs told it, it revolved around recurrences of the number 23. "The Number 23" is loosely based on Burroughs' "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz."
Walter Sparrow: I once read that the only philosophical question that matters, is whether or not to commit suicide... I guess that makes me a philosopher.
The Bottom Line is that The Number 23 is entertaining on several levels: It is a good film noir, murder mystery, and also delves into obsessions, numerology, and the mystical significance some see in certain numbers (another good film that I would recommend if you like this aspect of The Number 23 is Pi). The Number 23 was well directed by Joel Schumacher. Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, and the rest of the cast did a superb job. Included on the DVD is some great bonus material that deals with the psychology of OCD, phobias and obsessions about certain numbers. There is even a Numerologist who shows how you can determine your significant numbers, much like in astrology. The Number 23 was the 23rd film directed by Joel Schumacher.
Walter Sparrow: I'd like two words on my tombstone: what if.
8MM (1999) Directed by Joel Schumacher
Batman Forever (1995) Directed by Joel Schumacher; Jim Carrey was Riddler / Dr. Edward Nygma
Yes Man (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2008) Jim Carrey was Carl
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Widescreen Edition) (2004) Jim Carrey was Joel Barish
Man on the Moon (Ws) (1999) (also as Tony Clifton) Jim Carrey was Andy
The Cable Guy (1996) Jim Carrey was The Cable Guy
Dumb and Dumber (1994) Jim Carrey was Lloyd Christmas
A Prairie Home Companion (2006) Virginia Madsen was Dangerous Woman
Sideways (2004) Virginia Madsen was Maya
Dune (Extended Edition) (1984) Virginia Madsen was Princess Irulan
Be sure your sin will find you out. - Numbers 32:23
Summary of The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition)
Walter sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel he believes was written about him. As his obsession increases more & more similarities seem to arise. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 08/19/2008 Starring: Jim Carrey Virginia Madsen Run time: 100 minutes Rating: UrJim Carrey as a schizophrenic murderer isn't convincing, in this melodramatic film about a man obsessed by the Number 23. Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, St. Elmo's Fire) has unintentionally managed to make a comedy of horrors that really is quite humorous in parts. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes engrossed in a homespun novel about Detective Fingerling, whose life degrades into mayhem because of his obsession with 23's esoteric numerical puzzles. Sparrow's preoccupation with the book follows his botched attempt to catch a nasty dog that bites him, leading one to believe that Sparrow's contraction of rabies might be the cause for his mental degradation. As the story progresses, Sparrow retreats further into Fingerling's world, rife with suicidal sexpots and hardboiled detective sleuthing. His wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), also plays Fingerling's girlfriend, sex-crazed Fabrizia, who taunts Fingerling until he stabs her. Back in reality, Walter aims to solve the unresolved crimes in the book, taking it as a murderer's diary rather than as an imagined work. The story is half-baked, though Carrey's portrayal of a mentally disturbed person is what makes The Number 23 comedic. Long, contemplative stares, and over-dramatized acting renders Sparrow a clichéd character, rather than one odd enough to engage viewers. For a better version of almost the exact plot but with a terrorist's twist, see Thr3e instead. --Trinie Dalton
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