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IMDbPro

The Catcher Was a Spy

  • 20182018
  • RR
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
9.6K
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
56 Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
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.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
9.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ben Lewin
  • Writers
    • Robert Rodat
    • Nicholas Dawidoff(based upon the book: Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by)
  • Stars
    • Paul Rudd
    • Pierfrancesco Favino
    • Tom Wilkinson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ben Lewin
  • Writers
    • Robert Rodat
    • Nicholas Dawidoff(based upon the book: Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by)
  • Stars
    • Paul Rudd
    • Pierfrancesco Favino
    • Tom Wilkinson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 88User reviews
    • 51Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos3

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

    Photos56

    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(based upon the book: Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details 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 reviews88

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    The Difference Between Spy Flicks and Spy Biopics
    What comes to mind when we talk about a spy films? Something like Mission Impossible, James Bond or a little different ones like Salt, Red Sparrow and so on... ?

    Well there is a basic difference between spy fiction and the reality of spy trade-craft. Although the most exciting of the spy thrillers try to capture some of the elements of real world spying but those are mostly technical aspects which are adopted to give these movies a certain credibility; to make them believable to some extent.

    Spy biopics like 'The Catcher Was a Spy' are different from these spy action thrillers because the titular characters are not out there to perform stunts. They are out there to gather real and sensitive information. Information which could decide the fate of a real war and a real man's life. The thrill in this movie comes from the grand scope of the mission and the conversely understated actions of a spy so as to avoid all attention. There are no guns blazing here.

    This is Paul Rudd's classic regular guy performances at it's best. The real life Moe Berg was an anomaly. A sportsman with unexceptional career but a genius mind of sorts. Quite simply a good candidate for a spy in second world war but not of much use afterwards.

    If you are watching this movie for the spy thrills then you might be disappointed. However, if you want to get a glimpse of what an American spy must have found out after talking to people like Werner Heisenberg about the nuclear weapons program of Nazi Germany, then it might be worth it.

    I can compare 'The Catcher was a Spy' to a bit more contemporary spy biopic like 'Snowden'. Although completely different in tone and nature, both these spy biopics have something in common. They are about getting to know the mind of the person. Both these movies try to bring out the inner complexities of these people who are quite literally doing a job that demands them to be secretive, deceptive and yet charming.
    helpful•77
    12
    • organicsocial
    • Jul 17, 2018

    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
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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