“The Stunt Driver”: the comedy about the “mad Canadian” who wanted to jump the St. Lawrence, now in cinemas

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Marlene Landu (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The new comedy film “The Stunt Driver” hit cinemas today, September 26, 2026, bringing to the big screen the true — and unbelievable — story of “the mad Canadian” Ken Carter.

Directed and written by Michael Dowse, the film brings together a star cast with Ed Helms, Jay Baruchel, Ben Foster, Laurence Leboeuf and Dan Bakkedahl.

The historical biographical comedy follows Carter, known by the nickname “The Mad Canadian,” on his daring mission: to jump the St. Lawrence River in a rocket car, launching from a 27-meter-high ramp — a leap that would cover more than a mile in the air.

The film is inspired by the 1981 cult documentary “The Devil at Your Heels.” In real life, Carter never performed the jump: at the last moment he was replaced by his friend, American stuntman Kenny Powers, whose jump failed and left Powers with serious injuries.

“The Stunt Driver” had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) and has been met with mostly positive reviews: 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and 58/100 on Metacritic (“mixed to average”). Critics have particularly praised Jay Baruchel’s performance as Carter — despite the film’s comedic nature, Baruchel portrays the protagonist with respect and dignity, as ComingSoon.net reports.