Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Jump

Play trailer Poster for The Jump 2021 1h 24m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
It's Thanksgiving Day, 1970, the Atlantic Ocean. A US patrol boat meets a Soviet fishing vessel. A Soviet sailor jumps across the icy water onto the American boat in a frantic bid for freedom. To his horror, and to the outcry of the world media, the Americans return him to the Soviets. Through rare archival footage and a dramatic, first-person re-enactment by the would-be defector, 86-year-old Simas Kudirka, we relive one of the most unpredictable Cold War muddles.

Where to Watch

The Jump

Critics Reviews

View More
Dmitry Samarov Chicago Reader Mar 8, 2022
The man himself remains a cipher. Deciding late in life to move back to the homeland he once rejected, he leaves the viewer wondering why he ever wanted to escape in the first place. Go to Full Review Ben Kenigsberg New York Times Mar 1, 2022
In its first half-hour, the documentary “The Jump” brings a bracing immediacy to a 50-year-old Cold War incident. Go to Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Mar 4, 2022
B
Of course, a documentary about such a significant event is rich in archival information, including the photograph of Simas, in mid-air, making the famous jump. Go to Full Review Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews Feb 22, 2022
B
ickyt opens with vintage U.S. news coverage, immediately engaging his audience with the need to know just why the U.S. would have handed a defector back to the Soviets...Kudirka is an entertaining guide... Go to Full Review Chris Knight National Post Jan 15, 2022
4/5
I won't spoil any of the diplomatic twists that followed. But it's worth noting that Kudirka is a natural raconteur with the soul of a poet. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
The Jump

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Giedre Zickyte

Director

Henry Kissinger

Self

Ralph W. Eustis

Self

Daiva Kezys

Self

Simas Kudirka

Self

Grazina Paegle

Self
View All

The Jump

The Jump (2020) The Jump (2020) The Jump (2020) The Jump (2020) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis It's Thanksgiving Day, 1970, the Atlantic Ocean. A US patrol boat meets a Soviet fishing vessel. A Soviet sailor jumps across the icy water onto the American boat in a frantic bid for freedom. To his horror, and to the outcry of the world media, the Americans return him to the Soviets. Through rare archival footage and a dramatic, first-person re-enactment by the would-be defector, 86-year-old Simas Kudirka, we relive one of the most unpredictable Cold War muddles.
Director
Giedre Zickyte
Producer
Jim Butterworth, Uldis Cekulis, Daniel J. Chalfen, Vesna Cudic, Catherine Simeon, Giedre Zickyte, Andrius Korvel
Screenwriter
Giedre Zickyte, Giedre Zickyte
Production Co
Moonmakers, France Télévision, VFS Films, SVT
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 26, 2021, Limited
Runtime
1h 24m
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings