There was a time when Joel Schumacher was a director to watch out for, right from FLATLINERS (1990), DYING YOUNG (1991), the masterpiece FALLING DOWN ( 1993) to THE CLIENT ( 1994). However the worst thing he did was touch the Batman series with the atrocious BATMAN FOREVER (1995) and BATMAN AND ROBIN (1997) though even then he managed to surprise with the poignant A TIME TO KILL (1996) however since then it’s been one disappointment after the other (and yes I thought PHONE BOOTH was a huge letdown). This brings me to his latest film, THE NUMBER 23 which surprisingly didn’t even get a theatrical release in New Zealand despite boasting of Jim Carey in the leading role. A thriller about conspiracy and obsession does the movie salvage Joel Schumacher? Sadly not, and the fault here isn’t Schumacher’s direction as it is his leading man’s ability to carry off the role.
The story by Fernley Phillip’s is well done. The movie revolves around Walter Sparrow (Jim Carey) family-man married with Agatha Sparrow (Virginia Madsen) who works catching dogs in the Department of Animal Control and has a teenager son very close to his wife and him. On the day of his birthday, he is bitten by a dog and comes late to meet Agatha. While waiting for him, Agatha buys a detective book with a novel about the mystery around the number 23 in a bookstore as a gift to Walter. He becomes captivated with the story and obsessed with the number 23, finding many coincidences with his own life, and he decides to find the author, believing the story is about him. His further investigation discloses a mysterious situation that makes Walther paranoid. Whats the mystery behind the number 23?
The story catches the viewer from the start, the mystery, and slow obsession that engulfs Walter has been superbly written, and gets the viewer more and more hooked as the movie progresses. The lead-up to the mystery is wonderful, and the revelation (or “twist) is truly a surprise here. However it’s the final act where the movie doesn’t quiet work.
Psychological thrillers are a tough gig. You need an ending. The build-up, the suspense, the rising action, all that squirmy paranoia, it's easy enough to build. It's the ending that's the tricky part. Films like MEMENTO do it right; films like FIGHT CLUB and THE MACHINIST too. Their twist, the unraveled knot of anxiety that splays out in explanation and relief, comes with another bulge of knots; it leaves you breathless and troubled, disturbed if you're lucky. But without the ending, without the final flick in the nose and punch in the gut, a psycho-thriller is just a bunch of untied shoelaces. As a director Joel Schumacher directs the first and second act like a true veteran. Parts of the movie reminded me of Richard Donner’s immensely entertaining THE CONSPIRACY THEORY, and indeed the viewer is left questioning at times “is he mad or not”? However he isn’t sadly able to offer a worthy explanation to such a wonderful build-up which is truly a letdown.
Comedians who try and step over to serious roles have a tough time. Robin Williams pulled it off with panache with INSOMNIA and ONE HOUR PHOTO; however since then he’s confused his own career as he isn’t accepted in either now. Though in saying that recent comedians like Will Ferrell (STRANGER THAN FICTION) and Steve Carrell (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) have been smart not to get type-cast so quickly. Jim Carey certainly succeeded with THE TRUMAN SHOW and more-so ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND; however this performance falls in to the same category as THE MAJESTIC where he simply isn’t able to pull off the character with conviction. The complexity of the character seems out of his depth at times (see Depp in SECRET WINDOW who pulls off a similar role to perfection) and Carey simply falters. Yes there are moments where he truly impresses, but sadly, on the whole the performance fails to live up to expectations. The supporting cast is apt in their part, though nothing extraordinary.
All up THE NUMBER 23 is an intriguing movie, which warrants a watch once for the sheer creativity and imagination that the first half has been captured with, however be prepared for a second half which is a letdown.
Overall Rating: 5.5/10.0
0 comments:
Post a Comment