Little Nikita (1988)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers:

Bo Goldman (co-writer)
John Hill (writer)

Release Date:

18 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He went to bed an all-American kid and woke up the son of Russian spies.

Plot:

Roy Parmenter is an FBI agent in San Diego; 20 years ago his partner was killed by a Soviet spy, nicknamed Scuba...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | FBI Agent | Interview | Cigarette Smoking | Flower Shop

Cast

Sidney Poitier	...	Roy Parmenter
River Phoenix	...	Jeff Grant
Richard Jenkins	...	Richard Grant
Caroline Kava	...	Elizabeth Grant
Richard Bradford	...	Konstantin Karpov
Richard Lynch	...	Scuba
Loretta Devine	...	Verna McLaughlin
Lucy Deakins	...	Barbara Kerry
Jerry Hardin	...	Brewer
Albert Fortell	...	Bunin
Robert Madrid	...	Sgt. Leathers (as Robb Madrid)
Ronald Guttman	...	Spessky
Jacob Vargas	...	Miguel
Roberto Jiménez	...	Joaquin
Chez Lister	...	Tom

Also Known As:

The Sleepers

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-14 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Roy hands over the driving license to Jeff the birth date is August 23rd 1970, which was the real birth date of actor River Phoenix.

Quotes:

Jeff Grant: Spy on my parents? You gotta be kidding me! You want me to help you put'em away? Never!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light" (2000)

pleasure still with us

On one level, "Little Nikita" is just another silly action movie. But strong performances and some interesting turns keep this one afloat. FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney Poitier) interviews teenager Jeff Grant (River Phoenix), who is trying to get into the Air Force Academy. But while reviewing Jeff, Roy discovers the most surprising thing of all: Jeff's parents are Soviet "sleeper" spies who fled to the United States and never told him about their history. Moreover, there's renegade Soviet agent Scuba - who murdered Roy's partner many years earlier - looking for Jeff, while the USSR has sent someone to capture Scuba! Yeah, it's beyond convoluted, and - quite frankly - improbable. But director Richard Benjamin knows how to to do it. There isn't a dull moment anywhere in the movie. Pretty interesting. And playing Jeff's dad is Richard Jenkins, aka Nate Sr on "Six Feet Under".