Movie Review: The Number 23

    

The Number 23
2007, 97mins, R
Director: Joel Schumacher
Writer: Fernley Williams
Cast includes: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Danny Huston, Logan Lerman, Rhona Mitra, Lynn Collins
Release Date: 23rd February 2007

When trailers for The Number 23 first surfaced in December last year one was promised a film that looked like Se7en + The Omen x pi. All of those three movies are brilliant in their own right, and indeed with the promsing casting of Jim Carrey this movie looked like it could be every bit their match. Unfortunatly The Number 23 despite a decent first hour only display’s how we all liked Carrey more when he took himself less seriously. That’s not to say the man can’t act, but his best movies at least have some comic value (Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Liar Liar and even The Truman Show was mined for laughs in parts)and whilst it would be folly to criticise the film because it’s not funny (hell even Schumacher can’t have wanted it to be), The Number 23 isn’t taught or tense enough either.
The story starts well but quickly loose’s any of it’s pent up impact. Carrey plays Walter a man who lives a normal life and indeed has a wife and a son. After being held back at work Carrey meets his wife at an old bookshop where she comes across an interesting looking novel called The Number 23, and ends up buying it. Walter begins to read the book but finds it has weird links to his life and indeed seems to be of the persuasion that the number 23 is behind nearly everything in his day to day world. Family friend Danny Huston suggests he is seeing the number only because he wants to, but Walter ignores his advice and starts to link both book and number to sinister events and murder.
The film is advertised as a supernatural thriller, but the film never really plays with the idea at all, which was somewhat a shock as previews spoke of 666 and more epic scale 23’s such as the earth’s axis. As I said the first half is intriguing and provides the odd shock or two, but after that the film falls apart. I thought Carrey and Madsen where strong as the leads, both are very talented actors and indeed are above this sort of fare. In the neo-noir sequences where Carrey takes the form of the books main character and Madsen his sex crazed girlfriend Fabriza the two go over the top in a convincing and entertaining manner. It’s rare for me to salute overacting but here it does the film no harm.
Director Schumacher presents a visually appealing film, but at times the camera does the most ridiculous things, and whislt for the most part I applaud the movie’s style, sometimes it was to glossy. Schumacher has made alot worse (Batman and Robin, Bad Company) but he’s made plenty better to (Phonebooth, A Time to Kill)
The finale isn’t that predictable but not complicated enough to warrant the filmakers 20 minute kiss off, in which they act as if their thriller is the most intelligent ever made. They almost point a finger at the audience and scream (we’re ever so clever!) but in reality it may not be see through but the twist isn’t as strong as they seem to think.
The cinematography is wonderful however, I realise with enough money anyone can make a movie look good, but this film looks really good. The colours used make for a haunting and at least easy to look at series of scenes. However even it can’t disguise a flawed and often smug movie.