Little Nikita (1988)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Blistering performances.

The Soviets suspect their agent nicknamed Scuba (Richard Lynch) is killing their deep agents and blackmailing them. They send agent Karpov (Richard Bradford) to stop him. In San Diego, FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney Poitier) has been hunting Scuba for killing his partner. He discovers false information on the Air Force Academy application of Jeffrey Grant (River Phoenix) and suspects his parents Richard (Richard Jenkins) and Elizabeth (Caroline Kava).There are a lot of dead bodies and it seems only Parmenter is on the case. The Russian characters are too Russian. They are literally meeting at the ballet. Despite having some great actors, this doesn't have the needed gritty realism. The idea of Russian sleeper agents in the suburbs could be interesting but this is not well executed. River Phoenix continues to be great. His next movie 'Running on Empty' has a superior family with secret identities.

We see so much of Joaquin Phoenix in hit movies it is easy to forget about his brother, River, who was very prolific as a teen but died of a drug overdose at only 23. He was a very good-looking kid and a good actor also.Here he is teenager Jeff Grant playing a high school student in Southern California, trying to get nominated for the Air Force Academy. He is interviewed by Sidney Poitier who plays Roy Parmenter, an Air Force officer. That is how you get into one of the military academies, you have to be nominated then impress enough people in the interview process.What Jeff didn't know, but Parmenter suspected, Jeff's parents were part of a sleeper cell of Russian spies. So most of the movie is Jeff trying to grow up while Parmenter is using this newfound relationship as a way to get closer to the spying activities.There is a chase scene of sorts, mostly a low speed effort where Jeff has been kidnapped and on a train headed towards the Mexican border while his mom and dad follow in their family car. There is a more exciting shoot-out at the Mexican border, where a couple of kids pick up the ice chest stuffed with money and take it with them into Mexico. Overall not a very exciting movie but good to see all the fine actors, including a young Richard Jenkins as the dad, Richard Grant. Caroline Kava as the mom, Elizabeth Grant. And Richard Bradford as the Russian agent Konstantin Karpov.The title comes from the fact that Jeff's real name was Nikita, and the Russian agent called him Little Nikita. Saw it on the "Movies!" TV network.

Irritating All - American Air Force recruit discovers his parents have a dark secret.They are Soviet "sleeper" agents,infiltrated into the U.S. twenty years earlier but never called upon until other "Sleepers" start turning up dead.Elderly FBI agent uses him to entrap a maverick Russian hit-man.Hard to say whether "Little Nikita" was aimed at the potential audience of irritating young All - Americans who might identify with the late Mr River Pheonix or the retirees who would root for Mr Sidney Poitier. Comic Book Russians flood San Diego to stop their "sleepers" from being assassinated,but are failing dismally until the FBI - in the form of "deniable" Mr Poitier - become involved. He is a frisky 60 -odd,still able to bed the local school Principal whilst wearing his underpants in case of unexpected visitors,a propitious action in the event as young Mr Pheonix bursts in on them in flagrante. In the era of Reagan - Gorbachov "Glasnost" Mr Poitier and his Comic Book Russian counterpart warily reach out and settle the problem without causing a Diplomatic Incident by hurriedly smuggling the villain across the Mexican border.Phew!That was a close call. Presumably the irritating Young All - American's Pinko - Commie illegal immigrant parents get a free pass because that's the way it is in California,folks. "Little Nikita" is not exciting,it's not funny,it just....well, "is"..I suppose.You watch it,there's a "yeah,well..." shrugging moment and you carry on worrying about when Russia is going to cut off gas supplies to the European Union.The Bear's claws may have been blunted but there's more than one way to skin a cat,Comrades.

I sat to watch this one because it came from the 1980s, and had (Sidney Poitier) in it. Although I know so well that this great icon made a lot of movies that didn't deserve his great talent at all. But let us watch this thriller from 1988.. At first some ridiculous questions were allowed to be asked such as : if the FBI knows the places of the Russian sleepers (temporarily retired Russian spies) why for god's sake they didn't warn them at all about this maniac killer ?! Or even arrest them in the first place?!!, and if (Poitier) already knew the truth of (River Phoenix)'s parents what exactly he intended to do with their son by telling him the hidden reality ?? Is it for using him to convince his father and mother not to obey (Richard Bradford) the Russian officer ?? Maybe. But what's the need of those ones in particular to hand over the money to the killer? And why on earth that very Russian officer phoned the sleepers themselves (after the ballet) from (Poitier)'s apartment ?? .. And if he didn't intent to kidnap their boy (who enters at the same time to the very place so easily !) by what he was going to threaten the previous agents ? Especially with the fact of their parents being dead ?? And let us look at that scene which HAS the Russian officer showering and the killer is here suddenly (with a knife !), menaces him quickly : (I Want My Money Fast) and runs away !!.. To have the miserable fat officer standing under the shower just offended ?? So you must ask yourself why in the world he didn't run after him (even nude ?!), or why he didn't hold his gun (if he had one !) to shot the evil guy who had just a knife ??.. For a second I thought that there was a secret relationship or undercover partnership between them BUT at the end I said to myself what a good twist it would've been if they did what I was thinking of !! Anyway I've got some things extra to bother : (Poitier) all his work at his office is just looking at the pictures more than 10 times ??, reading names from his computer to discover the reality of the sleepers in such too easy way to the extent that I was saying while watching : WaW, the job of the FBI agents is very simple ! Then what's the necessity of his love affair with the school's employee (Poitier was 61 years old at the time)?, and when it comes to the end of the movie I just wonder why the Russian officer kidnapped the boy to have this long chase?! I believe not to kill him for sure but to negotiate with the Americans to GET the killer in his custody, however the movie made him kill the killer with the American FBI agent in the same time ! So long live the peace agreement and good bye to the old cold war ! (must notice that the movie is produced at 1988. Not before. So the changes were very fresh !) but you must ask yourself first what the killer would have earned by throwing the boy out of the bridge ?! And what a shot when all the money went to the two very poor alien emigrants by pure coincidence just to till us how America is so generous and kind to anyone would resort to it ! By the way there is a strange guy appears in that scene out of the blue to stand beside (Poitier) and talk with him about the continuance of life ! so (Poitier) responds in his wise tone : yes, same all same all !!.. Who is that guy anyway ? And from where did he emerge ??!.. Well, It was so aspirant movie with a new catchy story which had unpredictable thrilling lines : The FBI old agent who wants to fulfill his old revenge, the nice relationship between the mentor (Poitier) and Little Nikita (Phoenix), what would you do if you discovered that your parents are not what you're used to know ?? and that serial killer for the old spies who was chased by the Americans and the Russians too. All of this was so bright and original but unfortunately the main big mistake was in the SCREENPLAY which was incapable of building solider plot without any holes. At last, the most enjoyable things in here would be : the potentials of the story, the magical charisma of the old (Sidney Poitier) and the young (River Phoenix) together, Marvin Hamlisch's stylish music, the good chase at the end, and the brief but unique presence of (Ingrid M. Rhoads) at the Air Force Academy as (Cpl. Hogan) in maybe 3 shots only ! (you maybe missed her.. but not me !) although she didn't talk but she was unforgettable sexy in the military suit.. Unforgettable unlike the movie itself for a lot of people and if you don't believe me just ask yourself (for the very last time) why there are no more than 9 comments in here about this one after nearly 20 years of its production ?!