The story of a major league baseball player who was a spy in Europe during World War II is the subject of “The Catcher Was a Spy.” Moe Berg was catcher with the Dodgers (then the Brooklyn Robins), White Sox, Indians, Senators, and Red Sox from 1923 to 1939. The U. S. government then employed him as a spy to look into Nazi Germany’s efforts to build an atom bomb.
As exciting as this sounds, the film does not capture the possibly electrifying elements of his life and career as a spy. Director Ben Lewin (“Please Stand By” 2017) lost focus and the mediocre screenplay by Robert Rodat are to blame. It was adapted from Nicholas Dawidoff’s 1994 novel “The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg.”
The cast was headed by Paul Rudd in the title role; his performance was at best adequate. Others include Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Jeff Daniels, Tom Wilkinson, Giancarlo Giannini, Guy Pearce, Paul Giamatti, Connie Nielson, and Jordan Long as Babe Ruth.
“The Catcher Was a Spy” is a so-so independent production which earned zip at the box office.
The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)
cinema
My Review
The story of a major league baseball player who was a spy in Europe during World War II is the subject of “The Catcher Was a Spy.” Moe Berg was catcher with the Dodgers (then the Brooklyn Robins), White Sox, Indians, Senators, and Red Sox from 1923 to 1939. The U. S. government then employed him as a spy to look into Nazi Germany’s efforts to build an atom bomb.
As exciting as this sounds, the film does not capture the possibly electrifying elements of his life and career as a spy. Director Ben Lewin (“Please Stand By” 2017) lost focus and the mediocre screenplay by Robert Rodat are to blame. It was adapted from Nicholas Dawidoff’s 1994 novel “The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg.”
The cast was headed by Paul Rudd in the title role; his performance was at best adequate. Others include Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Jeff Daniels, Tom Wilkinson, Giancarlo Giannini, Guy Pearce, Paul Giamatti, Connie Nielson, and Jordan Long as Babe Ruth.
“The Catcher Was a Spy” is a so-so independent production which earned zip at the box office.