The Number 23

The Number 23 is a 2007 American thriller film written by Fernley Phillips and directed by Joel Schumacher, his 23rd film. Jim Carrey stars as a man who becomes obsessed with the 23 enigma once he reads about it in a strange book that seemingly mirrors his own life. The film was released in the United States on February 23, 2007. This is the second film to pair Schumacher and Carrey, the first being Batman Forever. The film was a financial success, grossing $77.6 million, but received generally negative reviews from critics. Despite this, Carrey was proud of the film, saying: "I was able to explore the darker edges of my personality, which really was a blast and something different for me." Plot On Walter Sparrow's birthday (February 3), his wife Agatha gives him a book titled The Number 23, written by Topsy Kretts, as a birthday present. Walter starts reading the book and notices striking similarities between himself and the main character, a detective named "Fingerling". Fingerling is obsessed with the 23 enigma, the idea that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23. Walter too becomes obsessed with the number and attempts to uncover the mystery of the book's author, but he can't find any information. Walter's son, Robin, is interested in the enigma too, but Agatha dismisses it as superstition. In the book, Fingerling then discovers that his lover, Fabrizia, is having an affair, and he stabs her to death. The police arrest her lover because he found her body and picked up the murder weapon, assuming it was a type of sexual roleplay. Fingerling then prepares to commit suicide by jumping from a hotel balcony, and the book ends abruptly. Walter later learns of a murder victim named Laura Tollins, whose body was never found, and whose murder is similar to the death of Fabrizia in the book. Walter believes that the man who was sent to prison for her murder, Kyle Flinch, wrote the book. Walter visits Flinch in prison, but he denies killing Laura or writing the book. Robin discovers an address hidden in the book and they hope that it will lead them to the book's true author. When Walter confronts the man, Dr. Sirius Leary, he commits suicide by cutting his own throat. Before dying, Leary tells Agatha to go to a now-abandoned mental institution that he used to work at. At the institute, Agatha discovers a box that has Walter's name on it. Walter discovers a code in the book that tells the reader the location of Laura Tollins' body.