When Walter Sparrow is given a book called 'The Number 23' by his wife he becomes convinced that the events and characters contained within mirror his own life and that the number 23 has a sinister and insidious meaning. Terrified that he is destined to follow the same murderous path as the novel's protagonist, Walter embarks on a paranoid odyssey to find the author and unravel the truth. A rather pedestrian plot is lifted by a good performance by Carrey, stylish cinematography and an intriguing premise. NB as all you connoisseurs of magic numbers know 23 = 24-1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!