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Little Nikita

  • 1988
  • PG
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
6.3K
YOUR RATING
River Phoenix and Sidney Poitier in Little Nikita (1988)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
82 Photos
DramaThriller

An F.B.I. Agent works to uncover an All-American family as Soviet sleeper Agents, and gets caught up in friendship with their unaware son.An F.B.I. Agent works to uncover an All-American family as Soviet sleeper Agents, and gets caught up in friendship with their unaware son.An F.B.I. Agent works to uncover an All-American family as Soviet sleeper Agents, and gets caught up in friendship with their unaware son.

  • Director
    • Richard Benjamin
  • Writers
    • John Hill
    • Bo Goldman
    • Tom Musca
  • Stars
    • Sidney Poitier
    • River Phoenix
    • Richard Jenkins
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    6.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Benjamin
    • Writers
      • John Hill
      • Bo Goldman
      • Tom Musca
    • Stars
      • Sidney Poitier
      • River Phoenix
      • Richard Jenkins
    • 31User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Little Nikita
    Trailer 0:31
    Little Nikita

    Photos82

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    Top cast42

    Edit
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • Roy Parmenter
    River Phoenix
    River Phoenix
    • Jeff Grant
    Richard Jenkins
    Richard Jenkins
    • Richard Grant
    Caroline Kava
    Caroline Kava
    • Elizabeth Grant
    Richard Bradford
    Richard Bradford
    • Konstantin Karpov
    Richard Lynch
    Richard Lynch
    • Scuba
    Loretta Devine
    Loretta Devine
    • Verna McLaughlin
    Lucy Deakins
    Lucy Deakins
    • Barbara Kerry
    Jerry Hardin
    Jerry Hardin
    • Brewer
    Albert Fortell
    Albert Fortell
    • Bunin
    Ronald Guttman
    Ronald Guttman
    • Spessky
    Jacob Vargas
    Jacob Vargas
    • Miguel
    Roberto Jiménez
    • Joaquin
    Robert Madrid
    Robert Madrid
    • Sergeant Leathers
    • (as Robb Madrid)
    Chez Lister
    • Tom
    Billy Stevenson
    • Tony
    • (as Bill Stevenson)
    Thomas R. Zak
    • Brett
    • (as Tom Zak)
    Newell Alexander
    Newell Alexander
    • Drill Sergeant
    • Director
      • Richard Benjamin
    • Writers
      • John Hill
      • Bo Goldman
      • Tom Musca
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    5.96.2K
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    Featured reviews

    5ccthemovieman-1

    Involving, But Only So-So Overall

    This was a fairly involving story, although it's better in the first half. After that, the kid gets annoying but then the film picks back up in the last 15 minutes. The story is about this teen boy "Jeff Grant" (River Phoenix) who discovers his parents are "sleepr" KGB agents, spies are out of the business. They have come to the United States to start over with their kid.

    Meanwhile, an assassin is killing those former, or "sleeper," if you will, agents. "Roy Parmenter" (Sidney Poitier), an FBI man, is after anyone it seems. That last part is a bit confusing.

    The story taxes ones believability here and there but is interesting most of the way. However, I thought Phoenix overacts in a number of scenes. This was far from his best performance in his abbreviated film career.
    marcfantozzi

    A good thriller with some great acting.

    "Little Nikita" is a good thriller and I found it really enjoyable. I am glad that the lovely Loretta Devine (who played Reese in Urban Legend 1 and 2) had the honour of working with River Phoenix before his death. Sidney Poitier gives a good performance also. I found it highly entertaining and enjoyable. And once again, River Phoenix becomes his character in this taut thriller from Richard Benjamin.
    5bkoganbing

    Angst Ridden Identity Crisis

    I would bet that of all the films young River Phoenix did in his short and sweet life, Little Nikita is probably the one where he played the most normal of kids. But it's that very normality that is the basis for the shock unfolding before him.

    A rogue agent played by Richard Lynch who has specialized in playing really evil and loathsome types on the big and small screens is going around killing various sleeper agents that the Russians have planted over the years in America. Lynch is blackmailing the Soviets for big bucks to stop bumping off the deep cover spies. One of their top guys, Richard Bradford, is going to America to deal with the problem. As this is the time of Glasnost with Reagan and Gorbachev in some serious and far reaching negotiations, we don't want this to get public and blow up the summit.

    At the same time while Sidney Poitier as an FBI agent is running routine background checks for armed service academy admissions, something really doesn't compute in young River Phoenix's background. It turns out that his parents are deep cover agents who've never been activated to do anything. And by an incredible coincidence I just really couldn't buy, Lynch is a guy who killed Poitier's partner many years ago and he wants him too.

    You'd think that with this kind of problem a little below summit Glasnost would have been in order for the KGB and FBI. But no, they're both working at cross purposes for the same goal.

    What Little Nikita does have going for it to give it as many stars as it does have is River Phoenix's angst ridden performance of an All American kid whose whole world comes crashing around about him. River's screen characters were usually quirky, but he could play a normal kid and well.

    Phoenix's performance and the nice location shooting in and around the San Diego area are the only reason to watch this well meaning, but ultimately rather silly film.
    7lee_eisenberg

    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".
    marcfantozzi

    An enjoyable, well acted thriller.

    Little Nikita is a well done thriller. I found it entertaining and well acted. I am extremely glad that the lovely Loretta Devine (who played Reese in Urban Legend 1 and 2) had the honour of working with River Phoenix before he died. For fans of River Phoenix and taut thrillers, check this one out.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When new Columbia Pictures chief David Puttnam first watched this movie, he told Director Richard Benjamin that it was one of the worst movies he had ever seen, according to Editor Jim Clark, who was drafted in to see if he could rescue it.
    • Goofs
      Karpov says to Grant when he first meets him: "Call me 'tovarishch', which means 'friend'." Tovarishch is the Russian word for comrade, while Droog is the word for friend.
    • Quotes

      Jeff Grant: Shove this up your bladder Boris.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Little Nikita/Vice Versa/D.O.A./Off Limits/Stand and Deliver (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Sleeping Beauty
      Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (uncredited)

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 18, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Movie Channel (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Espías sin identidad
    • Filming locations
      • San Diego, California, USA(Location)
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,733,070
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $866,398
      • Mar 20, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,733,070
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 38m(98 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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