Knowing gives off strong vibes from the ludicrous (but still somewhat fun in a guilty pleasure sort of way) The Number 23. Both films deal with a mystery surrounding numbers, and both are set up using mystery after mystery to intrigue the viewer along the way. But where The Number 23 sort of just strung along the audience to a silly and unsatisfying ending, Knowing, although still not that much better on the conclusion front, is far more exciting, intriguing and satisfying; this is the first really good Nicolas Cage movie in at least three or four years.
In 1959 a group of school children were given a task to draw what they think the future is going to look like, and their drawings are put in a time capsule that's to be opened 50 years later. In 2009, a new group of school children open the capsule to see what the drawings show, and while most are just simple children's drawings, one is a page full of numbers. Nicolas Cage plays John Koestler, a teacher and the father of the young boy who receives the numbered piece of paper. He realises that each few numbers in the sequence have accurately predicted every major global disaster between 1959 and 2009, in perfect sequence. But three sets of numbers show dates that are in the future, and John must try and figure out what to do about the events that have yet to unfold.
Where The Number 23 used its premise in a really gimmicky way, Knowing almost strives against that, and a lot else of what you would expect from a thriller like this. On paper, the premise is indeed a bit gimmicky, but director Alex Proyas is clearly knowledgeable about this, and he makes the best of fact that savvy audiences will expect some tiresome, ridiculous thriller by trying some really unexpected things. He sets up everything very well, creating intrigue and interest from the get-go, and once settled into the pace, he keeps that consistent and entirely satisfying.
Article comments
1 - Anita Peralez
Some people will recognize things and intent where others will merely pass it off as "just a movie." You will either relate to it or find its conjecture or "one of many possibilities. 'One thing is for certain if this particular situation were true, scientist would have already discovered it and the government would suppress it in order to prevent anarchy. I loved this movie and would highly recommend it. But then again, I don't see this as "just another movie."
2 - Mike
Good movie.