The Numbers Station

Starring: John Cusack, Malin Akerman, Liam Cunningham, Richard Brake, Bryan Dick
Directed by: Kasper Barfoed
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An agent (John Cusack) guarding a secretive code station teams with the code sender (Malin Akerman) after their station comes under attack.

Review:

Tim: It's a shame The Numbers Station didn't get a theatrical release in the United States. The film's not great, but it is a serviceable enough thriller. It's better than a lot of films released theatrically. I actually felt surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

The film does have a few things working for it. Chiefly, the cast. I'm always a fan of John Cusack, and I enjoyed his performance here. He is believable as a tired governmental agent who takes a job away from killing people, to babysit a quiet code station. Of course, there's a beautiful operator working there, played by Malin Akerman. And of course, the quiet little station just happens to be where the bad guys attack. I admit that this film is riddled with cliches, but they don't overly detract from the enjoyment of the film. I liked Cusack in this role, and he gives a good performance. Akerman might not have been great, but she works well with Cusack. I enjoyed watching these two interact on screen.

I found the whole premise of the numbers station interesting. I don't know how realistic the portrayal was here, or how much is Hollywood exaggeration. The idea that the government runs these secretive stations where they transmit a series of numbers to agents in the field is an interesting one. If you could infiltrate a station and send out your own broadcast, you could get the agents in the field to do whatever nefarious act you want. The whole idea requires some suspension of disbelief, but it makes for a thrilling story. It helps that the film spends enough time with the character so that we can identify with them and root for them against the bad guys.

I have to admit there's not a great deal of depth to this film. There's bad guys who want to access the station, and Cusack and Akerman try to stop them. It's a pretty simplistic tale. And yet, it's told in such a way that provides some entertainment for the audience. We identify with our protagonists, and we want them to come out of this alive. There's a number of twists and turns in the film, which kept me interested in the final outcome. I think this movie gets a bad rap because it wasn't theatrically released. Is this a great film? Certainly not. It features a redundant plot, occasionally feels too paint-by-the-numbers, and is slightly predictable. The ending feels forced and a far too convenient way to wrap up the story. While flawed, though, the film managed to engage me and keep me interested in what was going on. Despite the flaws, I was entertained. That's exactly what a movie is supposed to do.

I get that this movie is easy to criticize, and I probably wouldn't put up much of a fight against those who disliked it. Despite my own reservations, I found myself enjoying the film. Some of this is due to Cusack, who I'd watch in anything. While this is a by-the-numbers film, it's still a pretty good movie overall.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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