The Number 23

"First it takes hold of your mind...then it takes hold of your life."

Feb 23 2007 R 1h 38m
Crime, Mystery, Thriller

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.

Plot

On his birthday, Walter Sparrow, an amiable dog-catcher, takes a call that leaves him dog bit and late to pick up his wife. She's browsed in a bookstore, finding a blood-red-covered novel, a murder mystery with numerology that loops constantly around the number 23. The story captivates Walter: he dreams it, he notices aspects of his life that can be rendered by "23," he searches for the author, he stays in the hotel (in room 23) where events in the novel took place, and he begins to believe it was no novel. His wife and son try to help him, sometimes in sympathy, sometimes to protect him. Slowly, with danger to himself and to his family, he closes in on the truth.

Written by

Fernley Phillips

Directed by

Joel Schumacher

Production Countries

United States of America, Germany

Production Companies

Contrafilm, New Line Cinema, Firm Films

Languages

English

Awards

5 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
216,645
Average Rating
6.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA