The Number 23 (2007)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A man becomes dangerously obsessed with a mysterious book that seems to mirror his own life.
The story
On his birthday, Walter Sparrow receives a book titled 'The Number 23' by Topsy Kretts. As he reads it, he notices striking similarities between the book's protagonist, a detective named Fingerling, and his own life. Walter becomes increasingly obsessed with the '23 enigma'—the belief that all events are connected to the number 23. While his wife Agatha dismisses the obsession as superstition, Walter's son Robin becomes interested in the mystery. Walter begins a desperate search to uncover the truth about the book's author, leading him into a labyrinth of secrets and unsettling coincidences.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Walter Sparrow receives 'The Number 23' as a gift and becomes obsessed with the '23 enigma' described in the book. He discovers that the book's protagonist, Fingerling, mirrors his own life, including a murder involving a woman named Fabrizia. Walter believes the book's author is a prisoner named Kyle Flinch, but Flinch denies it. Walter and his son Robin eventually find an address leading to Dr. Sirius Leary, who commits suicide but tells Walter's wife, Agatha, to visit an abandoned mental institution. There, Walter finds a box with his name on it and a code leading to a skeleton. After Agatha admits to moving the skeleton, Walter accuses her of being the author, Topsy Kretts. However, Agatha reveals that Walter actually wrote the book himself. It is revealed that Walter had killed a woman named Laura, who left him for Flinch. After Flinch was imprisoned, Walter wrote the book as a suicide note in a hotel room. He survived a jump from a balcony but suffered amnesia. Dr. Leary had read the book and published it under the pseudonym Topsy Kretts. Walter eventually decides to turn himself in to the police for Laura's murder, choosing to face the consequences for his family's sake.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joel Schumacher
- Writers
- Fernley Phillips · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jim Carrey · Walter Sparrow; Virginia Madsen · Agatha; Logan Lerman · Robin; Danny Huston · Kyle Flinch
- Genres
- psychological thriller; mystery
- Themes
- Obsession; Amnesia; Superstition; Guilt
- Tone and mood
- Lurid; Overheated; Self-serious; Confusing
- Premise and plot tags
- Unreliable Narrator; Mystery; Psychological Thriller
- Content notes
- Suicide
- Reception
- The film was a financial success but received generally negative reviews from critics, described as clumsy and confusing.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7% · review count: 189
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actor · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was the second to pair Schumacher and Carrey.; Jim Carrey renamed his production company to JC23 for the film.; The parking space assigned to Virginia Madsen during shooting was numbered 23.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…