Moe Berg was a remarkable person.  He was a catcher and coach for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball.  He spoke seven different languages and had degrees from Princeton and Columbia.  His ability to recall number sequences and inconsequential facts was phenomenal.

He was spotted by the Office of Strategic Services shortly before World War II, recruited and trained, then sent to Germany to learn of their progress in developing an atomic weapon.  His target: physicist Werner Heisenberg. If necessary, he was to assassinate Heisenberg to thwart the Nazi nuclear program.

Berg’s missions are intriguing and more realistic than the flashy James Bond escapades.  But there is no doubt that Berg, played by Paul Rudd, is going to complete his assignment regardless of any impediments. 

The “The Catcher Was a Spy” is a great spy tale brought down to earth.  It gets a Must See overall rating and an A for acting. View this film at the Rialto Theater in The Villages.

Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com