The Numbers Station (2013) User Reviews

Better than the numbers indicate

[erostew · 7/10 · 25 May 2013]

I won't try and stretch your credulity by saying this is a must see movie. You could give it a miss and your life will be just the same as if you saw it. However... It really isn't a bad little flick if you can get past the misleading posters, etc. They say "Action Movie" and the reality is that it is a character piece. A definite case of poor marketing.

John Cusack plays a burnt out CIA black ops guy that is assigned to watch over Malin Akerman after screwing up a job. The movie is more about him confronting his demons than about fighting off some nameless terrorist types. He does a decent and believable job.

Malin Akerman's character is somewhat under-developed. Her acting wasn't terrible, I just think the role could have been better written. I just couldn't seem to care all that much about whether she lived through it.

The one really jarring note was the location. It is supposed to be a remote secret base, but they used one of the many former air bases scattered through England as the setting. The thing is none of those bases are all that remote and it is a large complex with bunkers and electric gates and crap like that which kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. They would have done better to set it on an island off Scotland or something.

Over all it was worth seeing but it's better to rent than to buy.

Tight, Exciting, Unpredictable Thriller

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 11 July 2013]

"The Numbers Station" is another one of those quiet movies with an uninteresting title that wallow in obscurity, undeservedly.

"The Numbers Station" refers to a remote un-mapped location where secret encoders broadcast missions in highly secret numeric ciphers. After a flubbed mission and a severe attack of conscience, hit man Emerson (John Cusack) gets reassigned to provide security to Katherine (Malin Ackerman), one such code broadcaster. One day, their base gets compromised and Emerson and Katherine to promptly contain the problem before the false codes achieve their misguided missions.

John Cusack plays the cool-as-nails but conscience-stricken Emerson very well, both in the action scenes and the quiet scenes. His character is the heart of the film and he carried the role with dignity. Malin Ackerson did well as the traditional damsel in distress, but to her credit, her character did not just sit there waiting for things to happen.

I liked the tight and exciting pace of the story told within the limited confines of the numbers station. The emotional story within the heart of a supposedly unemotional killer was also well-told. This suspenseful and thoughtful film is recommended for viewers who like a neat claustrophobic thriller.

pretty good!

[ssto · 7/10 · 15 May 2013]

i enjoyed it!

the story was pretty well told. the background of John Cusack's character was well revealed, so we can better understand his motives and feelings during the unfolding action, the female character was somewhat underdeveloped i think, not that it impacts the story much, but we could have gotten some flashbacks on how she ended up in the station as well, not only in words - but thats all minor mumblings

although it may seem to some as a 'B' rated movie - it is a much, much better than that, you can easily tell that much effort has been put in this movie by a serious team

7/10

Surprisingly good!

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 7/10 · 13 September 2015]

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by The Numbers Station. Going on John Cusack's recent venture into silly, inconsequential direct to video thrillers without depth or heft, I expected a mind numbing cash grab with his moniker shamelessly plastered in pre title billing. I only watched it for a couple of actors I really enjoy, and what I got was thoroughly fun, slow burning spy thriller that took its time, built the characters and focused on mood and story instead of just action filler. During and after the Cold War, Numerous 'Numbers Stations' were planted all over Europe, facilities where operatives would reside, broadcasting codes in the form of random sequences of digits, all over the region to various agents, who would read them, and carry out the orders embedded within. Cusack's plays a disgraced agent who is assigned to accompany a coder (Malin Ackerman) to a remote station, and protect her and the premises. They arrive and are immediately at odds with each other. Ackerman is a rookie spook with idealistic values and a sunshiny demeanour that irks Cusack right off the bat. He has acres of tragedy behind him, curdling his personality into a jaded, hangdog presence, essentially just wearily carrying out the motions with listless resignation. The script wisely gives them time to bicker about their differences, learn a bit about each other and form a shaky bond before the inevitable conflict rears its head, in the form of a rogue special ops unit led by a determined psychopath (Richard Brake). Their aim is to hijack the numbers stations broadcasting capabilities and send out codes of their own containing orders to do God knows what. It's up to Cusack to prevent this, giving him new purpose. The underrated Liam Cunningham briefly shows up as Cusack's morally bankrupt partner who ends up having a crisis of conscience, and portrays it really well as only Cunnningham can do. It's not a movie to rave about, but it's a solid, moody thriller for lovers of the genre, perfect for a lazy rainy night.

very watchable if compared to so many lousy movies so far in 2013

[rightwingisevil · 16 April 2013]

well, guys who gave low scores for this movie better getting off their high horses and at least having some solid feelings where they stood. this movie actually is quite watchable and i wouldn't mind telling you that i'm one of the arrogant, cynical, and hair-splitting picky guys who never had patience to any and all kinda bad movies, yet this one surprisingly surpassed my expectation. john cusack looked quite old in this film, his hairs looked quite stiff and unnatural due to so much hair dye was used that had made his hairs looked so disgusting. his facial features also looked quite messy.....but he did a great job here and malin akeman also performed so well. the screenplay was well crafted and the "panic room" replaced by some military bunker was also not bad at all. this film looked quite low budget but never gave you a B movie feeling and it's quite smart to have limited money well spent and turned a film into a quite watchable suspenseful one. if you by any chance want to watch a film without being foolish and make your money worthwhile, then watch this one, at least it won't let you down too much.

Competent Elements and a Familiar Story

[Simon_Says_Movies · 7/10 · 25 April 2013]

Sometimes when venturing into in a film, either big or small, hedging your expectations, or even avoiding details in their entirety can be a hidden channel to satisfaction. More than ever in today's overexposed world (not to mention the industry of which I am a part) maintaining an iota of naïveté when if comes to movies is a burden all its own to carry.

The great Gene Siskel famously avoided all movie trailers and ventured into screenings blind, and what he saw he saw with virgin eyes. With thriller The Numbers Station such was the situation and while an air of mystery can only go so far to elevate the material at hand, this modest production still has enough going for to warrant a recommendation. The irony is not lost on me that I'm about to, with this review, do away with the very blindness that served my particular viewing experience but as they say the show must go on.

The elements warranting a peak in The Numbers Station generally stem from three areas: the performance of John Cusack as a world-weary hit-man, that of the lovely Malin Akerman as a chipper civilian analyst and the gloomy aesthetics of the number station where the film takes place (and where it draws its name). These highly secure facilities, remnants of conflicts long past, serve to transmit coded messages to men and women in the field. With no visual manifestation of orders and only those with the ciphers able to decipher the command, it's a one way dictation which almost always ends in bloodshed.

The Numbers Station is reminiscent of last year's Safe House in a number of ways, particularly the bleak, monotonous way the facility is presented and that it is nowhere near as secure as initially thought. However that's where the similarities end as Cusack's Emerson and Akerman's Katherine are trapped within the building with enemy insurgents at large. From the initial setup, the film descends into your "one location" thriller with these two trying not only to stay alive but uncover why this particular installation was targeted for siege. It's standard order stuff but is presented capably enough to be rather enjoyable.

What is far less boilerplate, especially in fare many (myself included) would consider being of the direct-to-DVD variety is how The Numbers Station wraps things up and how un-clichéd it winds up being – not unique mind you, just not moronic and conventional. From simple things like avoiding an affection-driven dynamic between the two protagonists to sidestepping things that, well, I don't really want to say were bypassed. It's not that the film hinted at banal, hackneyed things to come but rather that it's just how these types of movies play out. The fact it didn't go in those directions was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

Back to the visuals which I inferred were a significant asset, those employed by The Numbers Station are welcomingly dour and dreary even when the maze of dimly lit corridors does get a tad repetitive. What I enjoyed most was that instead of emitting a sense of claustrophobia it instead oozes dread – not that the walls are closing in but rather this is the place these characters will die. Even the exterior of the station looks like a graveyard.

Likewise, the performances from these two leads is deserving of some level of praise even when the writing that shapes these characters is superficial to say the least (and I won't even go into the further mounting conventions associated with an assassin questioning his morals). Especially when a good portion of the running time is dedicated to the interaction between these two refugees, we should get something meatier than Emerson breaking out your standard-order, dossier-brand psychoanalysis.

But I digress, as Cusack in particular surprised me simply because he wasn't on autopilot and at some turns even emoted more than the material demanded him too. He sells the conventional character and how he plays off of the naïve, sprightly Katherine generally works well. While she in particular may exude a tad too much zest and isn't given much to do in the way of ass-kicking, her glowing presence is welcome nevertheless.

It's somewhat unfortunate that the welcome elements swirl amongst mediocre writing and pacing issues more times than can be overlooked, but some slick kills and the aforementioned avoidance of over-the-top genre tropes still makes The Numbers Station better than your average bargain bin thriller.

6.5/10

bare bones thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 6 August 2016]

Emerson Kent (John Cusack) and his superior Michael Grey (Liam Cunningham) are American secret agents sent to kill in New Jersey. Grey kills a young girl which leaves Kent struggling with the morality. Grey assigns him to a bland job to protect code operator Katherine (Malin Akerman) in a number station near Suffork, England. They are one of three two-men teams that maintain the station around the clock. One morning, they arrive and are attacked by mysterious gunmen. They get into the station to find the previous team had been forced to transmit instructions for 15 unauthorized missions and then killed. Kent calls for extraction but is told to kill Katherine to save the secrets.

This has too many questionable events to be a realistic spy thriller. There are lots of gun fights and action scenes to try to keep the interest. It's a lot of fighting in an underground bunker. It doesn't succeed in creating thrills. The cat-and-mouse game is not that well thought out and not that compelling. It may be necessary to do some minor exposition on what the station does and where that phone connects. This movie has some good actors but it's too bare bones.

The numbers stack up in this one.

[StevinTasker · 7/10 · 2 June 2013]

The cavernous corridors of a secret CIA facility provide the claustrophobic setting for this tense, nervy thriller. I was gripped from the first ten minutes when the hero carries out some wet work, show's us his moral side and whose actions explain the function of these numbers stations. Cusack has massive appeal as a cerebral hero and he's no slouch in the action stakes either. When his moral code interferes with an assignment, he's given the task of watching over Katherine (Malin Ackerman), a cryptanalyst working at a lonely station nestled in the English countryside. The stars display strong screen chemistry, they're both effortlessly charming and I found them easily convincing. Arriving for their shift, they find the station attacked and the code compromised; the tension shifts up a gear as the two defend themselves and figure out what's going on. The screenplay, which is tidy and uncomplicated, draws to a satisfying conclusion but the ending is a tiny bit long. It's clear that this didn't have blockbuster financing but as a mainstream feature from a fledgling but talented director it compares favourably to many major studio offerings that don't show nearly as much class. Be warned though, this isn't a meat head's action picture with car chases and explosions all over the place.

Lazy potboiler accomplishes nothing.

[mwburrows · 1/10 · 14 April 2013]

Lazy paragraph of exposition in opening credits? Check. Lazy acting? Check. Lack of literary devices? Check. Unnecessary CGI squibs? Check. Spy clichés? Check. Phone in performance from big movie star? Check.

The Number Stations literally has no reason to exist. I really don't understand why films like this get made. This movie is like those novels from authors you've never heard about sold at petrol stations and supermarkets, the kind of fiction that exists purely to shift a small portion of units to generate some kind of income. A potboiler, really. Just a way to keep food on the table for the screenwriter and add to the revenue streams of the film company, in some small way.

There is precisely nothing exciting, interesting or original about this movie. It's just a copy-paste straight to DVD thriller flick about spies and stuff. Hire the cameramen, find some location to shoot it, get the actors there on time, let's get this crap over and done with and move on with our lives. That's all I got from the Numbers Station. Nothing but a money grab.

No suspense, no flair, no charisma, minimal special effects, actors and directors who don't really care what the end product looks like.

This is why piracy exists, because film companies are so utterly uncompetitive.

90 minutes of your life you won't get back.

An Above Average Straight-to-Video Movie Released Theatrically

[DetectJohnKimble · 6/10 · 28 April 2013]

There is nothing terribly wrong with The Numbers Station. I was able to maintain a certain level of interest throughout the film when I saw it just a few hours ago. John Cusack and Malin Akerman are both decent. The story is fairly interesting and moderately suspenseful.

That being said, there's nothing terribly special about The Numbers Station either. As said, it's only moderately suspenseful. Despite being labeled as an "action/thriller", it's more thrill than action. There is not a specific villain or antagonist in the film. We learn moments into the film that three unidentified men have attempted to access the numbers station. These men are seen via flashbacks. However, they are not seen on screen, outside of flashbacks, until the final minutes of the film. It's Cusack's own internal struggle to do his job or do what is right that is the villain/hero of the movie.

I give the film a 6/10. It's not terrible, it's not amazing. It's slightly above "Meh".

A movie I found slow and really hard to get into. Just a step above a made-for-TV movie. Do not expect action. I say C.

[cosmo_tiger · 5/10 · 25 May 2013]

"You keep the station safe, the code safe, whatever it takes." After Emerson (Cusack) has a problem during a routine assignment he is reassigned to a safe house type area making sure secret codes are transmitted out to the government properly. When the boring routine job becomes infiltrated it is up to him and his new partner to protect the house. I have said this the last few Cusack movies but I think I need to say it again...does he need help? The movies he is picking are really just a step above made-for-TV and I wonder why. The idea for this movie is a neat idea but the overall execution of it is a little slow and really hard to get into. I tried hard to get into it but for me it was a struggle and I lost interest pretty quick. The end I will admit was OK but getting to that point almost didn't seem worth it. Even though it may not sound like it but I have seen worse lately but don't expect a full on action movie from this. Overall, slow and hard to get into, a movie I think Cusack did for money. I give it a C.

Captivating thriller with Cusack in top form

[Hylton-Stark · 8/10 · 29 October 2013]

I saw that this movie only scored 5.4 on IMDb and I wanted to quickly write that it's a whole lot better than that. The movie kept me interested from start to finish. It doesn't slow down appreciably at any point. There isn't an overwhelming amount of action but there is a tense atmosphere throughout. The location is also great. A moody, grey numbers station right out in the middle of nowhere. But the main reason for watching this movie is Cusack who perfectly plays the loner, haunted, tough guy, with a conscience. He's supremely watchable in every frame. In fact, Cusack plays these types of characters better than anything else. He has that suitably detached, dangerous look, down to a tee. He also does ambiguity very well. All of this is displayed really well in the movie. Ackerman is also well cast as the enthusiastic, smart code girl.

Another Aspect of Intelligence Work Worldwide

[bob-rutzel-1 · 7/10 · 29 May 2013]

Former field agent Emerson (John Cusack) is reassigned to a Numbers Station due to a botched field assignment and it is hoped that he will resolve his demons in this new assignment. His job at the station is to protect the station and Katherine (Malin Akerman) who is a civilian but also a very good cryptologist. All goes well until the station is attacked as the bad guys want to send false messages to agents who immediately act upon them. This could be disastrous.

We are told in the beginning that Numbers Stations do not exist and that governments deny their existence; however the codes can be still be heard worldwide. Cryptic messages are sent to agents in the field for their next assignments.

If all the above is true about Numbers Stations, this is a pretty good look into another aspect of intelligence work worldwide. The pacing is spot on and we see that the station itself was constructed like a bomb shelter and is very difficult to breech.

This doesn't have a lot of the action most thrillers have and no CGI; however, there is good suspense and tension throughout and you become engaged. John Cusack's Emerson character does a very good job selling the importance of a Numbers Station.

The only downside I saw was most of the movie is shot in the dark and in low light within the station. Otherwise the acting performances were very good. Also this movie seemed to incorporate a new technology for the sounds of gunfire. I jumped several times as the shots really boomed. Maybe you will jump too. HA ! (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

Psychological locked room thriller

[caninepasta · 3/10 · 28 March 2013]

A lethargic movie that cannot decide if it is a spy movie, a horror flick, or film noir. John Cusack has two expressions, which he deploys randomly. The female lead character is a strange combination of competent, highly skilled intelligence and clichéd helplessness of the sort that is so old fashioned it's laughable. Malin Ackerman is OK in the role, managing to wring out a slight bit of sympathy for her character, but for me it was mixed with disappointment she did not have a stronger character to work with. Liam Cunningham just phoned in this one. I had some hope after the beginning, which sketched the outlines of a possibly interesting variation on the familiar jaded-spy-has-revelation, changes-life-saves-the world script, but murkiness, un-engaging flashbackiness and poorly staged action followed. It's grim, but not in a good way, and utterly, utterly humorless. Confusing sequences do not make you want to watch it two or three more times to figure it out; you know it's like that because its not well done, not because there's anything more there. The plot is barely glimpsed, and the action is not enough to matter. It's possible to make tense, interesting, well paced movies set in limited spaces- Alien comes to mind- but this is not one of them.

Starts off slow, but gets a lot better

[gilknut · 14 April 2013]

About 15 - 20 minutes in, I was very close to giving up on this. I'm glad I didn't. It's no masterpiece, but what you'll get is a very authentic, at times claustrophobic and thoroughly convincing thriller.

This is a *british* production, and it shows. There are very few Hollywood stereotypes here, just a believable story that avoids most of the action blockbuster clichés and that actually manages to keep you on the edge of your seat as soon as the "situation" starts. There's an obvious reason why it seems a bit slow in the beginning, and the impact is all the more effective when it hits.

I was slightly worried that Cusack might be miscast in this (that happens frequently with him, I find), but he's actually quite convincing as the suddenly conscience-ridden sociopath assassin he plays.

All in all I'm pretty sure this will be both too low-key and a bit slow in the build-up for younger audiences, but it's certainly one of the more intense thrillers I've seen in a while. Mostly, I realize now, because they manage through a thorough build-up, an authentic frame and good acting to actually make me care about what happens to the lead characters. And that's increasingly rare in movies these days, I think.

Worth watching, but could be better...

[killgamers · 7/10 · 6 May 2013]

This film had so much potential, yet was wasted in my opinion. The film could have been longer; filmed in more global locations and gone deeper into the plot's story, before the end of it kicked in.

I was a little disappointed with Cusack, he could have put more into his performance. He needed to be more serious and basically "Hard." Similar to the performance by Gerard Butler, in law abiding citizen.

Would have been nice to see more believable fighting moves. For someone who supposedly had top training the fights lacked creditability. The gun scenes too were not that believable.

I found the plot could have been better than bourne, if the creator had the guts/financial backing to develop it.

Malin Akerman was the star of the show in my opinion as was Liam Cunningham's role. I found both to be very convincing.

All in all though it was a good film. Just it was a shame it was not made better. For it had the makings of a real blockbuster in-terms of plot and action possibilities.

Difficult to Understand

[guney-sadik · 6/10 · 30 May 2013]

The numbers Station is a high tension film.But it is difficult to understand something,or I don't understand something.Firstly,there are some secret agents(or something like that) who kills somebody without any mercy.And of course they have some missions to do as you guess.I will not tell what's happening at the movie,you know what happens if you watched it.But film is not showing us who are these agents?Which country are they work for?Who are the enemies of them?You just see the what happens at the moment.For me,I don't understand the movie.But anyway it was some enjoyable to watch this movie.So I gave six to this movie.

Fairly boring...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 20 December 2015]

For an action thriller then "The Numbers Station" wasn't particularly interesting or impressive. In fact it was so predictable to the point of where it was almost ridiculously predictable. And this was a hard blow to the movie, which dragged it down.

And while both John Cusack and Malin Åkerman performed quite well, then they just had very little to work with in regards of script and direction from Kasper Barfoed. Liam Cunningham also did a good job acting in this movie, as he always does.

The plot in "The Numbers Station" had an adequately enough foundation, it just never took hold. But director Kasper Barfoed swung wide and missed even wider with this movie.

If you enjoy thrillers then there are far, far better thrillers available, and "The Numbers Station" is worth your time only if you are a fan of John Cusack or Malin Åkerman. But even then, don't get your hopes up too high.

Its a Disturbing Movie.

[lois-lane33 · 7/10 · 17 June 2015]

Everybody has seen films about 'black ops' stuff. This film is completely different. In this film you see 'black ops' guys acting like barbarians towards other human beings who did nothing to deserve it. The fact that 'they might compromise something' is hardly a qualifier for shooting down an unarmed teenage girl-which is what the film depicts. The term 'disgraced black ops person' as that applies to John Cusack's character has about as much meaning as a poem from Pol Pot. I have never seen the world of clandestine operations depicted in quite this way before. It of course makes me wonder if it is true. The acting is as usual great from all involved. I think movies are not about the actors anymore-they are about the ideas presented in the movies. This isn't a very glossy film but it is thought provoking-if making people think was the filmmakers objective I think they achieved their objective.

Die Hard in Suffolk

[bowmanblue · 5/10 · 8 August 2014]

Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, 'The Numbers Station' is sort of like Die Hard, but set in leafy Suffolk (as opposed to the Nakatomi Plaza). Here, John Cussack plays... well, some sort of agent who has to protect your typical gorgeous codebreaker from... whoever the bad guys are who want her, him and probably everyone else dead as well.

The plot is pretty unimportant. It clearly doesn't have the budget to have the big action scenes that Die Hard has, but it plays to its strengths and, what it lacks in action, it makes up for with a reasonably claustrophobic atmosphere and a few good tense moments.

The whole film is completely adequate. It's the sort of film you find on TV late at night and, if you don't have to be up too early in the morning, then you probably won't mind staying up until you see the ending. Then again, if you fall asleep, you probably won't care that much either.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

NO LOOSE ENDS

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 5 August 2018]

Emerson (John Cusack) is a government assassin who grew a conscience and failed to kill an innocent witness. He is given a desk job at a secure bunker in England. He will work with a woman (Malin Akerman) and together they transmit codes to agents operating in Europe performing all kind of black ops...or something. When the station is compromised, Emerson has orders to "retire the broadcaster."

Most of the action takes place within the Numbers Station with the two main actors. The strength of this light spy action thriller rests on their performances as they fight for survival.

Cusack was more convincing in this film than he was "The Factory." The movie holds your interest as you wonder what Emerson will ultimately do, why the station was compromised and by who. It is a film you will find "okay" and then forget about it as it blends into everything else you have seen.

Parental guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

A pretty awkward Hollywood debut for Barfoed

[dima-12 · 5/10 · 15 April 2013]

Kaspar Barfoed is the Danish director whose debut The Numbers Station is an actual rip-off of Daniel Espinosa's Safe House. While Espinosa is Swedish he also hails from the Danish film scene since he studied film school there so I guess the fact that he not only made the rip-off of a far superior film but also of a compatriot's Hollywood debut, makes Barfoed's entry into the English-speaking game quite humiliating. Truth be told, I am very surprised that Barfoes's debut is such a lukewarm concept since Kandidaten did well, got picked up for a remake and Barfoed himself was attached to a handful of projects.

The Numbers Station shares not only the plot with Safe House but also Liam Cunningham in a role of a seasoned professional spy. It only adds to this overwhelming feeling of deja vu.

The Numbers Station feels like an extended TV pilot. John Cusack and Malin Akerman seem to be fully focused on their roles but the screenplay is simply underdeveloped and even Barfoed's very decent direction cannot elevate this material.

Cusack's role of CIA hit-man has nothing to do with stuff that he delivered on this same subject in Grosse Point Blank or War Inc in particular. Obviously, this film is his step towards DTV productions, even if this film is upscale DTV.

Fast, Suspenseful, Secret

[in1984 · 8/10 · 4 May 2013]

7.6 of 10. Fast moving film that says a lot about intelligence operations and the mental state of the operatives, why they do what they do, and the risks/prices they pay.

In these, it's easy to get hung up in details of is it real or is this done exactly like that, or is the cryptography accurately handled. For the most part, this successfully portrays the details. Are there actually numbers stations? That's not the question to ask. Are there secret communications operations? Yes. Once you get past that, most people already know and accept there are secret killings, so you can simply enjoy the story (except for the product placement, of course).

Another problem with these films is they get too caught up in the message, talking, and forget about action, thrills, and the story. This does a surprisingly good job quickly setting up the plot and keeping the pace fast (best of all, without any car chase scenes or similar gimmicks). The soundtrack/score helps too.

Something like a simplified, but not dumbed down, Bourne Identity film.

Just sort of going through the motions.

[innocuous · 6/10 · 26 June 2013]

I think that I liked TNS more than some of the other reviewers did, but that's not to say that I thought it was an exciting or thoughtful film. It's always enjoyable to see John Cusack in the role of a burned-out something, and he steps right up to the plate here.

Some of the reviewers have pointed out that the location (and this is basically a single-location film) seemed unlikely. Plus, it was not realistic to have (literally) one burned-out field operative protecting the whole place. I don't really have a big issue with this, but that's just me.

The problem for me was that the film is poorly-paced. It's pretty much the same all the way through. There's minimum tension and not much mystery. If something is foreshadowed, it happens in the next few minutes. Mysteries are resolved shortly after being introduced. And even the fights are pretty lukewarm. In this respect, it's somewhat similar to the B&W spy thrillers of the 60s and 70s, but without the "whodunnit" factor. (Now that I think about it, I didn't even notice or care "whodunnit.")

Pretty much for Cusack fans. Those interested in gratuitous nudity or violence need not apply.

Starts off poorly, but gets a lot worse,

[doorsscorpywag · 1/10 · 18 April 2013]

We begin by seeing Liam Cunningham and our hero John Cusack doing a quick Pulp Fiction style bit of chatter which will come back at the end and tie things up. then we see some numbers as that is the title of the film and John then wanders into a bar and kills everybody in it. A consequence of this attack causes John to question his role in the US security organisation he works for and to help him make up his mind he is sent to deepest darkest Suffolk to look after an isolated broadcast station for the numbers which equate to field agent assignments.

Now I have been to Suffolk many times and it is not quite as deep and dark as the film makes out and is not quite as isolated either as rather a lot of people would notice this ultra secret installation. The director obviously knows little of the way things work in Suffolk as the scenes at the railway station show clearly. You can't just turn up at a station and wander on a train which then conveniently moves off after you get on. We have things called guards who ensure that the passengers have gotten on before allowing the train to move off safely. Though obviously not in Suffolk which is deep and dark and an ideal place to hide US skulduggery.

The shift he looks after comes back and finds the station under attack and that's where the film dives for the ditch and we get a bog standard so called thriller that makes little sense and whose plot is rather ridiculous. How the attackers got in and managed to compromise the station is not explained and a few cut scenes of attackers overwhelming the shift Cusack came to replace contradict the segment where they are now somehow unable to repeat what they did before and now reduced to having to drill their way in.

Anyway everything ends well except for a few bullet injuries and Cusack takes the female code breaker to a mysterious Suffolk hospital that the staff place gunshot victims in rooms on their own and then just go home leaving the hospital unmanned. Said staff seem to think nothing odd that two people with gunshot injuries, one armed with a gun, crash into their car park and don't think to contact the local police allowing the US security organisation to just wander into the place armed and unchallenged by anyone. Well that's Suffolk for you.

After sorting everything out with the coda to the bit of chat at the beginning Liam Cunningham, who has magically appeared from the US, says 'we were never here' which is probably what the audience were wishing half way through this tripe.

Lazy writing, lazy acting by the cast which is a shame as Cunningham and Cusack are excellent actors and some ridiculous scenarios and situations. Overall a boring mess of a film that defies common sense and makes Suffolk look a lot stranger and menacing than it actually is. By the way I am NOT from Suffolk.