Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- mysterious
- cerebral
- serious
- historical film night
- spy movie marathon
What critics said
Critics found the fact-based story and Paul Rudd’s lead performance appealing but felt the film underused its intriguing subject and left its protagonist stranded in a thin dramatic treatment.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Moe Berg moves from a Major League Baseball career into covert OSS work during World War II.
Berg’s secretive personality and divided public and covert lives drive the film’s characterization.
The plot follows Berg’s undercover mission and intelligence gathering in Europe around concern over German nuclear research.
The film’s source material and keywords identify LGBT elements alongside Berg’s wartime service and relationships.
Films like The Catcher Was a Spy, and why
A Most Wanted Man
fact-based espionage drama centered on an unconventional American operative during wartime
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
historical spy drama with restrained tension, morally complex intelligence work, and a cerebral tone
The Imitation Game
biographical World War II espionage film balancing covert missions with conflicted personal identity
Movie Details
- Director
- Ben Lewin
- Release Date
- 2018-06-22
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (329)
Cast
- Paul Rudd
- Mark Strong
- Sienna Miller
- Connie Nielsen
- Shea Whigham
- Hiroyuki Sanada
- Tom Wilkinson
- William Hope
- Giancarlo Giannini
- Pierfrancesco Favino
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Catcher Was a Spy about?
- A multilingual baseball catcher becomes an enigmatic OSS operative tasked with assessing Nazi Germany’s nuclear ambitions.
- What is The Catcher Was a Spy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Catcher Was a Spy as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Catcher Was a Spy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Catcher Was a Spy as mild.
- What did critics think of The Catcher Was a Spy?
- Critics found the fact-based story and Paul Rudd’s lead performance appealing but felt the film underused its intriguing subject and left its protagonist stranded in a thin dramatic treatment.
- Which films are like The Catcher Was a Spy?
- Films with a similar feel include A Most Wanted Man, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Imitation Game.
- How long is The Catcher Was a Spy?
- The Catcher Was a Spy runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Catcher Was a Spy?
- In United States, The Catcher Was a Spy streams on fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
