Knowing (2009)

Fair warning: Knowing ends so far from where it starts that you might check whether someone swapped the disc. For about an hour it’s a great campfire story: a page of numbers from a time capsule, a grieving dad with a marker, and a pattern that should not exist. Nicolas Cage plays John like a man who hasn’t slept since the funeral, and he commits to every wild-eyed second. Alex Proyas stages two disasters that are legit terrifying: a plane coming down beside a highway in one long unbroken shot, and a subway crash that doesn’t let up. Then come the pale strangers in long coats, whispering at the kids from the trees, and the movie never makes them less silly. Rose Byrne gets stuck playing panic on a loop. It made $183.7 million worldwide on a reported $50M. A 4.6 because the crash scenes are top tier and the payoff is a coin flip. $51.75 says you spot a long string of numbers on a receipt this week and quietly scan it for a date.

What works: The plane crash and subway sequences are staged with frightening skill, and Cage throws himself into the panic without holding anything back.

What doesn’t: The whispering strangers look silly from their first scene, and the final act swings so big it plays as either chilling or laughable.

Who it’s for: People who love a creepy end-of-the-world puzzle and don’t mind a giant swing at the finish.