The Defection of Simas Kudirka

Based on the true story of the attempted defection in 1970 by a Lithuanian seaman seeking political asylum in the United States. Kudirka was denied asylum and returned to the Soviets, charged with treason, and sentenced to ten years of hard labor. It was later discovered and verified that his mother had been born in Brooklyn and gone to Lithuania at a young age, which meant she was a U. S. citizen. As a result, Kudirka was declared a U. S. citizen and in 1974 released by the Soviets.

Cast

Alan Arkin

as Simas Kudirka

Richard Jordan

as Cmdr. Edward Devon

Donald Pleasence

as Capt. Vladimir Popov

George Dzundza

as Gruzauskas

John McMartin

as Phillip Chadway

Shirley Knight

as Genna Kudirka

Marvin Silbersher

as Cmdr. Burkalis

Peter Evans

as Mott

Ted Shackelford

as Blain

Barton Heyman

as Dr. Paegle

Reviews

Similar Movies

Dummy

The real-life account of an illiterate, deaf-and-mute, black youth who was accused of murdering a prostitute, and the relationship that developed between him and his court-appointed attorney, who also was deaf, and the events leading up to his precedent-setting trial.

⭐ 8.5

Manhattan

Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.

⭐ 7.7

The Last Emperor

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

⭐ 7.6

GoodFellas

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

⭐ 8.5

Papillon

Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld, is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, where he forges a strong friendship with Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who needs his protection.

⭐ 7.3

City of Lies

Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole has spent years trying to solve his biggest case -- the murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur -- but after two decades, the investigation remains open. Jack Jackson, a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies.

⭐ 6.4

All the President's Men

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

⭐ 7.7

Heavenly Creatures

Precocious teenager Juliet moves to New Zealand with her family and soon befriends the quiet, brooding Pauline through their shared love of fantasy and literature. This friendship gradually develops into an intense and obsessive bond.

⭐ 7.0

Sommersby

Set in the South just after the US Civil War, Laurel Sommersby is just managing to work the farm without her husband, believed killed in battle. By all accounts, Jack Sommersby was not a pleasant man, thus when he suddenly returns, Laurel has mixed emotions. It appears that Jack has changed a great deal, leading some people to believe that this is not actually Jack but an imposter. Laurel herself is unsure, but willing to take the man into her home, and perhaps later into her heart.

⭐ 6.3

The Queen

The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.

⭐ 6.9

The Fire Inside

Claressa Shields, a high school junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

⭐ 7.3

Gran Turismo

The ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.

⭐ 7.8

Zmowa

Christmas Eve night of 1976. In a village in the newly formed Tarnobrzeg province, a local bus hits a young married couple and a twelve-year-old boy. In the presence of numerous witnesses, the victims are beaten to death with a wheel wrench. In the aftermath of this crime, all the villagers are united by a conspiracy of silence. The dramatic scenario is freely based on the authentic case of the shocking 1976 Polanieck case.

⭐ 7.5

A Day and a Half

In a desperate bid to reunite with his daughter, an armed man bursts into the medical center where his estranged wife works and kidnaps her.

⭐ 6.3

Braveheart

Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.

⭐ 7.9

Dead Poets Society

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

⭐ 8.3

Boys Don't Cry

A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.

⭐ 7.4

My Penguin Friend

A lost penguin rescued from an oil spill transforms the life of a heartbroken fisherman. They become unlikely friends, so bonded that even the vast ocean cannot divide them.

⭐ 7.5

Pulse

As a result of a terrible car accident, young Ukrainian athlete Oksana Boturchuk suffers several serious injuries, almost losing her eyesight. However, after long rehabilitation and a returning to incredible training, she is able to conquer a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

⭐ 6.8