THE NUMBER 23

Walter Sparrow is a quiet and happy man: he has a secure job as a dog catcher, a beautiful wife, a teenage son, and a comfortable home. On his birthday, however, a mishap with a lively dog makes him late for his appointment with his wife, and she, while waiting, finds and buys a used bookstore novel titled "The Number 23" and gives it to her husband. From the moment Walter begins to read the novel, his life will undergo a drastic change because what is written between the pages of "The Number 23" will appear to the man as his own novelized life. Moreover, just like the protagonist of the novel, Walter will begin to be obsessed with the number 23, a figure that seems to return forcefully in everything around him. 23 are the degrees of inclination of the Earth's axis; 23 is the number of knife wounds that killed Julius Caesar; 23 is the day of birth of Charles Manson; 2012 (20 + 1 + 2 = 23) is the year the world will end according to a Maya prophecy; 2:3 makes 0.666, or the devil's number. These and many others are the reasons that push Jim Carrey in the film and with him many numerology scholars in reality to wonder if something truly unsettling lurks behind the number 23, a diabolical prime number that inexplicably manages to be found everywhere. The starting point of the film is really good, one of those ideas that could make several "intelligent" producers drool and could interest a large part of thriller genre fans, and in fact the film, directed by the all-rounder Joel Schumacher, seems to have hit the target. Paranoia, obsession, madness, are the main ingredients that make up "Number 23", well blended with a story that unfolds between mystery and noir, resulting extremely gripping despite the pace not being the liveliest. However, it must be said that the film works better in its first part, when the mystery takes shape and the transformation of the protagonist, from a quiet citizen all work and family into a paranoid and disturbed tending to uxoricide, begins to make itself felt; in the second part, which includes the search for the author of the novel and the resolution of the mystery, even if the twist and surprises are never obvious, the film tends to conform to the new generation thriller that revolves around the theme of guilt, losing some of the originality of the premises. Despite this, "Number 23" works quite well, its mechanism does not creak and will surely not fail to be appreciated by those seeking bizarre stories and unhealthy atmospheres. Although Joel Schumacher has never distinguished himself for particular cinematic flair, proving to be one of Hollywood's most inflated and active factotums (producing good films but more often unjudgeable flops), with "Number 23" he demonstrates a good ability, especially with very suggestive visual solutions, such as the beautiful scenes that summarize the novel and the suggestive digitized long take that shows the protagonist's childhood. Applause, then, for the photography of Matthew Libatique, capable of rendering in the best way the sensation of estrangement and rarefaction that permeate throughout the story. Good also the "bad guy" performance provided by Jim Carrey who once again demonstrates being a full-fledged actor, not only capable of making laugh, but perfectly at ease also in "serious" roles, even borderline, as in this case. A solid thriller, therefore, and technically excellent, which has the only flaw in the conventional resolution of events; a more "mad" ending would surely have gained points for the film. To see. Curiosity. The film is strewn with hidden clues that refer to the number 23, among the most evident are: the street number of the bookstore is 599: 5 + 9 + 9 = 23; the street number of the store where the protagonist's wife works is 689, the sum of which is 23; the asylum room is 318: 31 - 8 = 23; 23 is the number of letters that make up "Animal Control Department", the company for which the protagonist works; the numbers of Walter's car license plate (906 8HT) added give 23; while on the license plate of Isaac's car, the family friend, the figure 23 clearly appears. In America, the film was released on February 23, in Italy on April 23. Jim Carrey, fascinated by the number 23 even in life, named his production company "JC23".