The Central Intelligence Agency, which has rarely been treated sympathetically by Hollywood, scored positive portrayals of its agents last year in both “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
But the agent in this interesting little thriller — well played by John Cusack — is up to the Company’s usual dirty tricks.
After pulling off an assassination job in New Jersey, in a rare show of conscience Cusack’s hard-drinking CIA veteran fails to eliminate a witness. His boss (Liam Cunningham) yanks Cusack from the field, reassigning him to the seemingly easy job of protecting a remote short-wave radio station in England from which the agency sends out kill orders using encrypted numbers read by civilian employees.
One day the station’s security is breached by bad guys who force an announcer to send out orders to assassinate the CIA’s top 15 employees.
Can the survivors — Cusack and announcer/cryptology expert played by Malin Akerman — elude the bad guys and figure out how to reverse the orders in time?
And will Cusack carry out orders from his bosses to dispose of Akerman for security reasons once she helps complete this mission?
“The Numbers Station” — already available on video-on-demand and out on DVD next month — is several cuts above most movies that receive token theatrical releases shortly before or concurrent with their video releases.
Kasper Barfoed, a Danish director in his English-language debut, makes great use of the main location, a bunker on a former airbase in the UK, as well as a novel premise. With Cusack’s help, Barfoed holds your interest without resorting to car chases, a rarity in a contemporary thriller.