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IMDbPro

Knowing

  • 20092009
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
237K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,373
1,465
Knowing (2009)
Here is the TV trailer for Knowing, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicholas Cage.
Play trailer0:32
4 Videos
91 Photos
ActionMysterySci-Fi
M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
237K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,373
1,465
    • Alex Proyas
    • Ryne Douglas Pearson(screenplay)
    • Juliet Snowden(screenplay)
    • Stiles White(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Nicolas Cage
    • Chandler Canterbury
    • Rose Byrne
    • Alex Proyas
    • Ryne Douglas Pearson(screenplay)
    • Juliet Snowden(screenplay)
    • Stiles White(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Nicolas Cage
    • Chandler Canterbury
    • Rose Byrne
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 285Critic reviews
    • 41Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos4

    Knowing: TV Spot
    Trailer 0:32
    Watch Knowing: TV Spot
    Knowing: Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:30
    Watch Knowing: Trailer #2
    Knowing: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:19
    Watch Knowing: Trailer #1
    Knowing: Subway Clip
    Clip 0:41
    Watch Knowing: Subway Clip

    Photos91

    Lara Robinson in Knowing (2009)
    Chandler Canterbury in Knowing (2009)
    Knowing (2009)
    Chandler Canterbury and Lara Robinson in Knowing (2009)
    Rose Byrne and Lara Robinson in Knowing (2009)
    Rose Byrne in Knowing (2009)
    Rose Byrne in Knowing (2009)
    Alex Proyas in Knowing (2009)
    Alex Proyas in Knowing (2009)
    Alex Proyas in Knowing (2009)
    Alex Proyas, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson in Knowing (2009)
    Nicolas Cage in Knowing (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nicolas Cage
    Nicolas Cage
    • John Koestler
    Chandler Canterbury
    Chandler Canterbury
    • Caleb Koestler
    Rose Byrne
    Rose Byrne
    • Diana
    Lara Robinson
    Lara Robinson
    • Abby…
    D.G. Maloney
    D.G. Maloney
    • The Stranger
    Nadia Townsend
    Nadia Townsend
    • Grace
    Alan Hopgood
    Alan Hopgood
    • Reverend Koestler
    Adrienne Pickering
    Adrienne Pickering
    • Allison
    Joshua Long
    • Younger Caleb
    Danielle Carter
    Danielle Carter
    • Miss Taylor (1959)
    Alethea McGrath
    Alethea McGrath
    • Miss Taylor (2009)
    David Lennie
    • Principal Clark (1959)
    Tamara Donnellan
    • Lucinda's Mother
    Travis Waite
    • Lucinda's Father
    Ben Mendelsohn
    Ben Mendelsohn
    • Phil Beckman
    Gareth Yuen
    Gareth Yuen
    • Donald
    Lesley Anne Mitchell
    Lesley Anne Mitchell
    • Stacey
    • (as Lesley-Anne Mitchell)
    Liam Hemsworth
    Liam Hemsworth
    • Spencer
      • Alex Proyas
      • Ryne Douglas Pearson(screenplay) (story)
      • Juliet Snowden(screenplay)
      • Stiles White(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The school in the movie is William Dawes Elementary. William Dawes was one of the riders who, like Paul Revere, warned the minutemen that British troops were coming, just as a child at his namesake school was trying to warn people what was coming.
    • Goofs
      When the police and teachers go searching for Lucinda in the school at night, they all use flashlights. They could have easily put the lights on instead, as nothing indicates a power outage.
    • Quotes

      Stacey: Well, what do you believe?

      John Koestler: I think shit just happens. But that's me.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits start with numbers which become/decode into words and names.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Duplicity/Knowing/I Love You, Man (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      The Planets: Op. 43: IV Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity
      Written by Gustav Holst

    User reviews1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    And in the end...
    What has happened to Alex Proyas? Back in the '90s, he directed dark, edgy pieces of sci-fi/horror, like The Crow and Dark City, that didn't necessarily pander to studio or audience expectations. Nowadays, he's gone in exactly the opposite direction, first with the fun but uneven Will Smith vehicle I, Robot (which doesn't have much in common with Asimov, despite the title) and now with the Nicolas Cage-starring Knowing. Entirely bad it ain't, but boy, does it struggle from time to time.

    Cage plays a physics professor at MIT, named John Koestler, who teaches students about the notion of determinism, i.e. the theory that everything is part of a precise, already established plan. The irony is that he doesn't believe any of that stuff since his wife died in a tragic accident, leaving him alone with his young son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury). One day, something special occurs at Caleb's school: a time capsule, which was buried fifty years earlier, is unearthed so that the new generation can see what kids thought the future would look like back then. Instead of a drawing, Caleb ends up with a page containing a bizarre sequence of numbers. John takes a look at the sequence, and quickly (?) realizes that the numbers represent the dates and body count of every major disaster of the last five decades, including 9/11, Katrina and - big surprise - the death of the missus. Three of the predictions, however, have yet to come true, so John must find a way to prevent them from happening. Additionally, he has to deal with a group of weird-looking people who are interested in Caleb.

    If it all sounds a bit familiar, that's because it is: while the story develops on its own terms, the premise alone, coupled with the creepy atmosphere, could come from an episode of The X-Files. In case the similarities weren't clear enough, the writers have even replicated the Mulder-Scully dynamic in the shape of John and his reluctant partner Diana (Rose Byrne) and added the inevitable religious subtext, which is hinted at from the very beginning (John's dad is a preacher). Also, the Strangers look kind of... In short, it's the sense of déjà vu that brings down most of Knowing: the third act is very easy to guess, the father/son relationship is sketchy, yada yada yada.

    And yet Proyas manages to get some things admirably right: the tension is actually pretty consistent, with a few professionally delivered jump-scares along the way, and the visual effects are state-of-the-art, most notably in the impressive central set-piece which - a true stroke of genius, this one - is depicted in a single, continuous shot. Additionally, Cage's performance is one of his most convincing in quite some time. Okay, so it's not that difficult given his recent body of work includes the likes of The Wicker Man, Ghost Rider and Next, but his portrayal of a man who questions his beliefs (there we go again) adds some emotional weight to the picture. And that's without mentioning the refreshingly merciless conclusion...

    Knowing is nothing new, meaning that the few unexpected elements it contains are rapidly sidelined by textbook scripting. Still, even on an off-day Proyas manages to pull off a collection of oddly compelling images (Cage's hair not included). Not quite enough, but we already sort of knew that, right?
    helpful•55
    37
    • MaxBorg89
    • Jul 11, 2009

    FAQ15

    • Is 'Knowing' based on a book?
    • Is there an ancient document that predicts a doomsday date?
    • What type of aliens are represented in the movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 20, 2009 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Australia
      • Summit Entertainment (United States)
      • Vidio (Indonesia)
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Camberwell High School, Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Summit Entertainment
      • Escape Artists
      • Mystery Clock Cinema
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 1 minute
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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