The Number 23
2007 · Directed by Joel Schumacher
Original language: English
- thriller
- mystery
- crime
- drama
The story
Animal control officer Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him, as more and more similarities between himself and his literary alter ego seem to arise.
What it’s like
Washed-out, grimy blues and sickly yellows give this film a feverish, paranoid surface, with handheld and sharply cut sequences that tilt and lurch as a man's sense of order breaks down. Hotel rooms, cramped apartments and rain-slicked city streets are lit by flat fluorescents and dim lamps, and the framing keeps closing in on faces and the scrawled numbers on walls. The score is a restless, string-driven unease that surges at moments of revelation, with long stretches of silence to heighten the dread. Its vibe is feverish, claustrophobic unravelling, best suited to a late night alone when you want something gripping rather than cosy. Pacing is brisk and escalating, and the emotional register swings between bleak, manic and tense; the central arc follows a stable man slowly consumed by a fixation that turns him against those closest to him. Intensity is moderate to high: there are suicide references, some violence and menace, and frequent psychological cruelty, with dread rather than gore as the main force. It is for viewers who enjoy obsessive, twisting psychological thrillers and can handle a dark, disturbing ride.
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