These Numbers Don't Quite Quite Add Up

 

Directed by Kasper Barfoed

 

Starring John Cusack, Malin Åkerman, Liam Cunningham

 

There’s a lot to like about this movie. In the end, it can’t maintain a steady tempo of interest. The movie’s start is slow. It picks up as it goes along, but then it bogs down again.  The bits between the slow downs are enough to make it worth watching. Those slow parts keep it from being something to get excited about, however.

I first heard of number stations back in the ’70s. Shortwave radio broadcasts that consisted of strings of numbers, nothing else. Who used them? What were the numbers? The general consensus was that they were part of the secret communication network of international intelligence services. But who? The U.S., the U.S.S.R, Israel, China, aliens from outer space?  It was fascinating mystery that airspeed to the teenage boy I was. So the title alone was irresistable for me.

 

Then there’s John Cusack. Even in bad movies he’s fun to watch. He’s on my “Actors I’ll Watch In Anything” list. Cusack is not perfect casting as the emotionally compromised killer.  I didn’t quite believe him as the man without a conscience, not did his emotional “breakthrough” feel convincing either.  There’s enough there for him to carry the movie along.

Malin Åkerman is solid as the code expert for the station. She’s also not given much to work with, ending up with a “female in need of rescue” role. No reason for it, and a bit dull.

The rest of the cast is solid but unexceptional. That’s really the best summary of this movie overall. Solid, but unexceptional. If you’re looking for something to fill a little time on a slow weekend, this will fill the bill.