The Number 23

Once again Jim Carrey plays a fairly serious role to brilliant effect as the loner who reads a book which convinces him the number 23 is after him. Indeed it seems Carrey's stock characters are completely zany (The Truman Show, The Mask) or lonely and pathetic (The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). But this time rather than simply being a bit upset about his girlfriend leaving him, he is trying to avoid murdering his wife.

The opening title sequence immediately convinces you that the 23s are after you, and it is clear that the makers of this film have done their research. But after this the rest of the film feels a bit of a letdown, and you end up wishing the plot was as cleverly constructed as the centeral numerological creepiness.

This is not saying that this is a bad film. It isn't. Carrey plays his slow 23-related breakdown perfectly, and is hilarious as his fictional counterpoint DI Fingerling (although I'm not sure he's meant to be). Some moments are genuinely terrifying, and the general premise is brilliant. But the film's problem is that whatever fantastic plot it comes up with, it's never going to be as interesting as all this business with the 23s, so inevitably becomes sidelined. Plus it lacks the emotional impact of Carrey's other 'serious' film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, opting for creepiness rather than pathos.

So on the whole it's a decent little thriller, but the main reason for watching is a scary number rather than an intricate plot.

Rating: 5/10