Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- paranoid
- lurid
- foreboding
- late night thriller viewing
- dark mystery marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a lurid, overheated, confusing, and self-serious psychological thriller despite Jim Carrey’s attempt at dramatic acting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter repeatedly finds the number 23 embedded in his life and follows its apparent pattern toward the novel’s mystery.
Walter reads a murder novel whose characters, locations, and events begin to mirror or invade his own experience.
Walter’s pursuit of the book’s author gradually connects his present personality with buried memories and a violent past.
The blood-red book cover and stylized murder-story sequences give the film a lurid, ominous visual signature.
Films like The Number 23, and why
Fight Club
psychological thriller built around obsession, fractured identity, and an increasingly unstable perception of reality
Identity
mystery-driven psychological drama using dual identities, unreliable perception, and grim visual stylization
Memento
dark, twist-oriented thriller about memory, guilt, and a protagonist pursuing an elusive truth
Secret Window
surreal psychological mystery where symbolic clues and inner turmoil blur reality and fantasy
Movie Details
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Release Date
- 2007-02-23
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (3644)
Cast
- Jim Carrey
- Virginia Madsen
- Logan Lerman
- Danny Huston
- Lynn Collins
- Rhona Mitra
- Mark Pellegrino
- Ed Lauter
- David Stifel
- Corey Stoll
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Number 23 about?
- A gentle dog-catcher’s fixation on a mysterious numerological novel turns an ordinary family life into a paranoid descent through murder, memory, and identity.
- What is The Number 23 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Number 23 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Number 23 violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Number 23 as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Number 23?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a lurid, overheated, confusing, and self-serious psychological thriller despite Jim Carrey’s attempt at dramatic acting.
- Which films are like The Number 23?
- Films with a similar feel include Fight Club, Identity, Memento, and Secret Window.
- How long is The Number 23?
- The Number 23 runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Number 23?
- In United States, The Number 23 is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
