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The Catcher Was a Spy

  • 2018
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Paul Rudd in The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
This gripping, stranger-than-fiction espionage thriller brings to life the incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional baseball player who became a World War II spy. A Jewish, Princeton-educated, multilingual catcher for the Boston Red Sox with a closely-guarded private life, the enigmatic Berg (Paul Rudd) was already a man of mystery when, in 1944, the US government's wartime intelligence agency enlisted his services. His mission: go behind enemy lines in Europe to assassinate the Nazi's chief nuclear scientist before the Germans develop an atomic bomb. Trading in his catcher's mitt for a trench coat, Berg must rely on his formidable, steel-trap intellect in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse - with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Play trailer0:31
3 Videos
57 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

Former Major League Baseball player Moe Berg goes undercover in World War II Europe for the Office of Strategic Services.Former Major League Baseball player Moe Berg goes undercover in World War II Europe for the Office of Strategic Services.Former Major League Baseball player Moe Berg goes undercover in World War II Europe for the Office of Strategic Services.

  • Director
    • Ben Lewin
  • Writers
    • Robert Rodat
    • Nicholas Dawidoff
  • Stars
    • Paul Rudd
    • Pierfrancesco Favino
    • Tom Wilkinson
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ben Lewin
    • Writers
      • Robert Rodat
      • Nicholas Dawidoff
    • Stars
      • Paul Rudd
      • Pierfrancesco Favino
      • Tom Wilkinson
    • 91User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos3

    UK TRAILER
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch UK TRAILER
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:07
    Watch Official Trailer
    'The Catcher Was a Spy' Is a Thinking Person's Spy Tale
    Video 2:32
    Watch 'The Catcher Was a Spy' Is a Thinking Person's Spy Tale

    Photos57

    Paul Rudd and Mark Strong in The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Paul Rudd and Sienna Miller in The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Paul Rudd in The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Paul Rudd at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin and Paul Rudd at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin, Paul Rudd, and Tim Kash at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Paul Rudd at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Paul Rudd at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin and Paul Rudd at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
    Ben Lewin, Paul Rudd, and Tim Kash at an event for The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Rudd
    Paul Rudd
    • Moe Berg
    Pierfrancesco Favino
    Pierfrancesco Favino
    • Martinuzzi
    Tom Wilkinson
    Tom Wilkinson
    • Paul Scherrer
    Connie Nielsen
    Connie Nielsen
    • Koranda
    Anna Geislerová
    Anna Geislerová
    • Rathe
    Mark Strong
    Mark Strong
    • Werner Heisenberg
    Simon Perina
    • First Baseman Boston
    John Schwab
    John Schwab
    • Lefty Grove
    Krystof Dupal
    • Second Baseman Boston
    Jirí Vavrusa
    • Shortstop Boston
    Shea Whigham
    Shea Whigham
    • Joe Cronin
    Bobby Schofield
    Bobby Schofield
    • Bill Dalton
    Philip Lenkowsky
    Philip Lenkowsky
    • NYC Taxi Driver
    Sienna Miller
    Sienna Miller
    • Estella
    Demetri Goritsas
    Demetri Goritsas
    • Clifton Fadiman
    William Hope
    William Hope
    • John Kieran
    Milan Aulicky
    • Oscar Levant
    Martin Janous
    • Franklin Adams
    • Director
      • Ben Lewin
    • Writers
      • Robert Rodat
      • Nicholas Dawidoff
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Moe Berg parachuted into Yugoslavia before his Heisenberg mission. The Yugoslavia mission was to determine which partisan group the Allies should back. Berg's report said that the group led by Tito was the strongest, and his report encouraged Allied leadership to back Tito. Tito ended up after the war becoming the dictator of Yugoslavia. None of this was shown in the movie, though it did portray him working a desk studying the Balkan region, which included Yugoslavia.
    • Goofs
      The Roman numerals for the newsreel of the All-Americans trip to Japan read 1944; the correct year was 1934.
    • Quotes

      William J. Donovan: You're an unusual man Mr. Berg, you speak 7 languages, you're an athlete, you're more than up to the physical requirements of the job...

      Moe Berg: What job?

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Failed Oscar Bait Movies of 2018 (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Rhythm for You
      Written by Eddy Christiani & Frans Poptie

      Courtesy of APM Music

    User reviews91

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    just a bit outside
    Greetings again from the darkness. World War II. Baseball. Spies. A true story. Assemble all those pieces and you have Morris "Moe" Berg. Director Ben Lewin (THE SESSIONS, 2012) brings the fascinating story to the big screen with Robert Rodat's (Oscar nominated for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) screenplay adapted from the 1994 biography "The Catcher was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg" written by Nicholas Dawidoff. This is neither your typical spy movie nor your typical baseball movie.

    Background information is provided by pre-movie title cards: in 1938 German scientists split the atom for the first time, ushering in the nuclear age; renowned German physicist Werner Heisenberg (1932 Nobel Prize winner) was charged with building an atom bomb; the United States responded by sending a baseball player to assassinate him. It's 1944 Zurich and two men exchange uncomfortable glances across a dimly lit room.

    We then flashback 8 years to see Moe Berg utilizing his gut instincts to survive as a veteran journeyman catcher for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. We later learn his sixth sense is not limited to the baseball diamond, and is used in situations much more important than whether a baserunner is stealing a base. Growing up Jewish, Berg had always been somewhat of an outsider, admitting, "I don't fit in." In baseball, they called him a walking enigma. Educated at Princeton, Columbia and Sorbonne in Paris, Berg spoke several languages, had a 'fake' wife, was a regular on quiz shows, and was constantly followed by insinuations of homosexuality ... though he only admitted to being good at keeping secrets.

    Berg's is a truly fascinating story, but unfortunately Paul Rudd is a bit overmatched in the lead role. He just doesn't quite have the dramatic acting chops to convey the intellectual depth of the man. However, the rest of the cast is stellar: Paul Giamatti (as Samuel Goudsmit), Connie Nielsen, Mark Strong (Heisenberg), Sienna Miller, Hiroyuki Sanada, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels (as William J Donovan), Tom Wilkinson (as Paul Scherrer), Giancarlo Giannini (a 50+ year career), and Shea Whigham (as Joe Cronin). Many of these are little more than cameos, and the choppy feel of the film's flow prevents us from ever really connecting to characters.

    An extended battle scene volleys from intense and well-filmed to slightly comical as Mr. Giamatti is forced to run and dodge bullets. The look, tone and color palette of the film is quite similar to Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES (another true story), though this current one pales in comparison, as director Lewin presents it as a "will he won't he kill the guy?" scenario. Berg's story is likely more suited to documentary treatment, as his time with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS, later the CIA), resulted in his being awarded the Medal of Freedom. Upon his death in 1972, Newsweek's headline read "3rd String Catcher, 1st String Spy".
    helpful•29
    17
    • ferguson-6
    • Jun 21, 2018

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 22, 2018 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • French
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Tay Bắt Bóng Làm Điệp Viên
    • Filming locations
      • Prague, Czech Republic
    • Production companies
      • PalmStar Media
      • Animus Films
      • Serena Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $14,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $725,223
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $114,771
      • Jun 24, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $953,953
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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