Mike Beranek
Having read a lot of lukewarm reviews I was relieved to find myself falling for this modestly produced work set in the kind of lonely British military base my Dad spent much of his NSA career in. Operators in US signals intelligence, like the heroine here, also a civilian technician, have to function without a clue about the wider global implications of their job. It's certainly worth a story or two. True as critics point out there's not a lot of story here or even much real danger, or body count. However the bleak dimly-lit scenes and Cusack's deadpan persona leave you thinking the worst might well happen just for the hell of it! Without giving anything away the film is pretty pessimistic from start to finish really. For me it is the contemporary Noir elements, the style and the brooding moodiness that give this film merit and individuality. It is actually more realistic than sexier spy thrillers -- real espionage is brutally dull and crushingly amoral so much of the time. The Numbers Station reminded me of Retford playing the man on the spot in the bookishness-meets-CIA-treachery in Three Days of the Condor, only this time mostly in the dark....just remember - don't trust trust anyone.
Reno Rangan
The idea for a film seems good, but it did not work out for this film. The screenplay lacks some good scenes. The suspense was weaker and so the action sequences. Though the film had good actors in the lead and visually looked fine, like the locations. Most of the story was set in a single location, except the opening sequence. Almost a minimal cast film. So it had all the qualities to succeed if the plot was developed smartly.The story of a CIA's field agent who has been assigned to one of their remote stations in England after he had failed to obey the order from his fellow senior officer. A code operator Katherine, whom he has to protect find himself in a tight position when their building was breached. Once again, his professional ethics are tested, but how he deals the situation is what covered in the remaining parts.Its most certain that John Cusack days are over in the entertainment industry, just like Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. But it's good to see them at least in small flicks like this. So I did not expect much from it, hence not got disappointed. But I thought it should have been better in a few areas, because I've seen lots of good B movies these days. One time watchable film, but looks like it is a simplified version of 'Wanted'.5/10
Guy
THE NUMBERS STATION is a mediocre thriller based rather loosely on fact. Numbers stations do exist, to broadcast coded radio messages to spies in the form of numbers. In the film it is actually how the CIA controls an army of assassins who not only operate in the USA but whose main roles seems to be to kill former CIA staff (presumably none of the assassins ever wonder if they'll be next). The hero - a rumpled John Cusack - is inevitably a burn out - he killed a couple of civilians on his last job of course - assigned to babysit a woman, whose only job is to read the numbers, in a bunker in the UK. Inevitably baddies get inside and proceed to do bad things: can our heroes reverse the false numbers they inserted and survive? The plot is full of holes, the story relies on wonky flash backs and the characters are stock but the Scandi director and short running time mean the film is just about watchable provided you leave your brain at the door.
Liam Blackburn
There is only one really decent thing about this movie and that is the audio. The sound of liquid dropping and echoing at the start is cool, and each gunshot makes your heart jump. Excellent on a home theater. And HOME is where this movie should be watched, and also for free, and also if you have absolutely NOTHING to do and are really bored and can't find another movie to watch. Other than that, the girl who played Merdith (Iphone app designer -turned secret agent code cracker), from Watchmen, the girl with yellow black suit ( I didn't even know that's who played it) she fails at her performance, her lack of real emotion after getting a 3 inch piece of metal shrapnel embedded in her leg and then getting it awkwardly yanked out by Cusak with no anesthetic, it's just poor. Pointless movie. I fast-forwarded through it a few times and then just wanted to get it over with, if I was watching this in the movie theater I would leave part way through.
AD
