Synopsis
Roy Parmenter is an FBI agent in San Diego; 20 years ago his partner was killed by a Soviet spy, nicknamed Scuba, still at large. Scuba is now trying to extort the Soviets; to prove he's serious, he's killing their agents one by one, including "sleepers," agents under deep cover awaiting orders. Roy interviews a high school lad, Jeff Grant, an applicant to the Air Force Academy. In a routine background check, Roy discovers that Jeff's parents are sleepers. He must see if Jeff is also a spy, confront the parents yet protect them, and catch his nemesis. Meanwhile, the Soviets have sent their own spy-catcher, the loner Karpov, to reel in Scuba. Alliances shift; it's cat and mouse.
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Cast
- Sidney PoitierRoy Parmenter
- River PhoenixJeff Grant
- Richard JenkinsRichard Grant
- Caroline KavaElizabeth Grant
- Lucy DeakinsBarbara Kerry
- Richard BradfordKonstantin Karpov
- Richard LynchScuba
- Jerry HardinBrewer
- Loretta DevineVerna McLaughlin
- Albert FortellBunin
Recommendations
- 88
Chicago Reader
Directed by Richard Benjamin from a screenplay by John Hill and Bo Goldman, Little Nikita is quite a surprise-a film that moves through several layers of irony and absurdism to arrive at a strong and solid emotional core. [18 Mar 1988, p.A] - 80
Los Angeles Times
A refreshingly original thriller that is also a wrenchingly poignant family drama. - 60
The Guardian
The film never really carries out its implied deconstruction of the all-American family, but Poitier and Phoenix form an enjoyable bond. [23 Jun 2007, p.53] - 50
Variety
Little Nikita never really materializes as a taut espionage thriller and winds up as an unsatisfying execution of a clever premise - a teen's traumatic discovery that his parents are Soviet spies. - 50
Miami Herald
Benjamin's creative visual style isn't enough to lift a weak story. [18 Mar 1988, p.D7] - 40
The New York Times
Richard Benjamin's strategy in directing Little Nikita seems to have been to paper over the holes in the plot with routine moves from spy shows past, in hopes of making the improbable passable. - 40
Time Out
Despite a screenplay by the esteemed Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Scent of a Woman), this lacklustre espionage thriller is bogged down with the sort of clichés you'd expect from the height of the Cold War. - 40
TV Guide Magazine
The premise of LITTLE NIKITA is a great one--worthy of Alfred Hitchcock--but the execution here by director Benjamin is as rickety as can be. About two-thirds into LITTLE NIKITA, the film deteriorates so rapidly that the characters cannot help but fall through the holes. Adding to the frustration of watching this otherwise-promising movie fall apart are the superb performances by Poitier and Phoenix.
