Quick Look: The Number 23 (2007)

The film stars Jim Carrey, in one of his non-comedic roles, and is directed by Joel Schumacher.  This is a tale of obsession and a downward spiral to the discovery of a hidden truth about one's past.  Good script, very good direction, and an engrossing story make The Number 23 one to see.
**spoiler alert**
Walter Sparrow (Carrey) begins to read a book called The Number 23, given to him by his wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen) on his birthday.  The book is about a detective named Fingerling who comes across a woman obsessed with the number 23 who then murders her boyfriend and commits suicide.  The detective then also becomes obsessed, murders his girlfriend, and is ready to commit suicide himself - and all things seemed to be tied to the number 23.
At first Walter finds the book amusing noticing the similarities between himself Fingerling, but then becomes increasingly obsessed, himself, with 23 and noticing that he can find the number 23 attached to almost to almost every facet of his life.  His wife and son dismiss this, but Walter will not stop reading the book and driving himself into a paranoid state and soon fearing that he and/or his family is going to end up hurt or killed.
The story takes on a darker feel, and we soon realize Walter was not so paranoid, after all.  He is in fact tied to The Number 23 in ways which we maybe were not expecting.

Schumacher does a great job with the crescendo from beginning to end, and while I did not personally like the ending, it plays out very well.  I think Schumacher also did an excellent job with the camera work and environments to mount tension, seemingly giving us a glimpse through the eyes of Walter's increasingly paranoid mind.  Madsen, a highly underrated actor, does an outstanding job in this film.  I admit it was a little disjointing to see Carrey doing drama - you almost expect him to bust out with a comic sequence at times - but once you settle a few minutes in, you forget all about the Ace Ventura persona.  My problem with the ending stems from the fact that everything on the "screen" we are witnessing points to the inescapability of fate and human obsession.  It seems to be too "feel good Hollywood" for me, and ever so slightly incongruent, but not enough that I would have to add to the "worst movie endings" list.
I recommend see the expanded DVD version, and also checking out all the extras, including the alternate ending.  Carrey drives the movie well, and it was a very pleasant surprise to see him a role like this one.
'R' rating is for language, violence, and sexuality.