The Numbers Station (2013)

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The Numbers Station

Taglines: The code has never been compromised. Until now.

After his latest mission goes disastrously wrong, veteran CIA black ops agent Emerson Kent is given one last chance to prove he still has what it takes to do his job. His new assignment: guarding Katherine, a code operator at a top-secret remote CIA Numbers Station where encrypted messages are sent and received. When an elite team of heavily armed assailants lays siege to the station, Emerson and Katherine suddenly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle against an unknown enemy. With the station compromised and innocent lives at stake, they must stop the deadly plot before it’s too late.

The Numbers Station is a British-American action thriller film, starring John Cusack and Malin Åkerman, about a burned-out CIA black ops agent assigned to protect the code operator at a secret American numbers station somewhere in the British countryside.

The film was directed by Danish director Kasper Barfoed, and the camera work was by Icelandic cinematographer Óttar Guðnason. It was produced by brothers Sean and Bryan Furst of American Furst Films and Nigel Thomas at British production and film finance company Matador Pictures.

The Numbers Station - Malin Akerman

About the Story (2013)

A CIA operative, Emerson Kent, is sent to kill a man who owns a bar. Before being killed by Kent, he reveals he is a former agent who wanted to retire. A witness flees the scene, accidentally leaving his wallet behind. Kent finds the wallet and tracks the witness to his home, where he kills him. Kent spares the life of man’s daughter, who follows him outside, hysterical. As Kent tries to convince his boss, Michael Grey, not to kill her, Grey strikes Kent on the back and he falls to the ground.

Kent and the woman share a last look at each other as Grey kills her. Kent is transferred to Suffolk, England to watch over a numbers station. While there, he befriends Katherine and is haunted by memories of the woman who was killed. When the numbers station comes under attack, Kent and Katherine barricade themselves inside. One assassin is already inside the secure station and, after a lengthy shootout, is killed by Kent.

Kent requests assistance, and the operator tells him help will arrive in four hours; since the code has been compromised, he must kill Katherine. Kent notices that Katherine has a serious leg wound and dresses her wound. Kent receives an update from the operator, and, when he reports that he has not killed Katherine yet, the operator orders him to do so immediately.

The Numbers Station

Kent contemplates her death but ultimately decides to recruit her help in tracing fifteen unauthorized messages sent from the station. On the computer, Kent and Katherine discover dossiers of fifteen different government officials, including Grey. The unauthorized codes are instructions to assassinate the officials, and Katherine is to be eliminated so she can’t cancel the broadcasts. Kent says that the assassinations would leave the intelligence world crippled and the world unrecognizable.

Kent tricks the telephone operator by giving him a false confirmation code; the operator offers Kent a deal, and Kent pretends to have killed Katherine. Kent escapes to his car, where he recovers a cell phone, and then races back to protect Katherine, who has cracked the code and is broadcasting orders to cancel to previous instructions. Katherine leaves her station when she sees the assassin, but he manages to wound her before Kent kills him.

Katherine insists that Kent complete the final cancellation order, and he leaves her side briefly. When he returns, he administers an anesthetic, and she asks him if she will wake. Kent reassures her that he will not kill her, but he reports her as dead to Grey. Kent spreads C4 explosives throughout the base and drops Kathetine’s jewelry on the floor. After he carries Katherine outside, the base explodes, destroying all evidence.

The Numbers Station Movie Poster

The Numbers Station (2013)

Directed by: Kasper Barfoed
Starring: Malin Akerman, John Cusack Hannah Murray Liam Cunningham, Lucy Griffiths, Hannah Murray
Screenplay by: F. Scott Frazier
Production Design by: Ged Clarke
Cinematography by: Óttar Guðnason
Film Editing by: Chris Gill, Per Sandholt
Costume Design by: Sian Jenkins
Set Decoration by: Liz Griffiths
Music by: Paul Leonard-Morgan
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language.
Studio: Image Entertainment
Release Date: April 26, 2013

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