Little Nikita
| Little Nikita | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Richard Benjamin |
| Produced by |
Harry Gittes Art Levinson |
| Written by |
Bo Goldman John Hill |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
| Cinematography | László Kovács |
| Edited by | Jacqueline Cambas |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
March 18, 1988 |
|
Running time
|
98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $1.7 million (North America) |
Little Nikita is a 1988 American cult drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring River Phoenix and Sidney Poitier. The film marks the first collaboration between Phoenix and Poitier (the second being Sneakers in 1992).
Jeffrey Nicolas Grant (River Phoenix), a brash hyperactive high school student lives in a San Diego suburb with his parents, who own a successful garden center. Keen to fly, he has applied for entry to the Air Force Academy.
During a routine background check on Jeff, FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Poitier) finds contradictory information on his parents, making him suspect that all is not as it should be. Further investigations reveal that they may be sleeper agents for the Soviet Union with a teenaged son.
Unable to arrest them as they have not done anything illegal, Roy continues his investigation, moves into the house across the street from the Grant family, and worms his way into their confidence.
He eventually confronts Jeff with his suspicions and seeks Jeff's cooperation to learn more about his parents. Initially unbelieving, Jeff is soon forced to accept the facts and discovers that even his name is fictitious and that his real name is Nikita.
Roy confides to Jeff that twenty years earlier, his partner was killed by a Soviet agent, known only as 'Scuba' (Richard Lynch), and that he is still at large. 'Scuba' is now a rogue agent, killing KGB agents one by one, including "sleepers". Meanwhile, a Soviet spy-catcher, Konstantin Karpov (Richard Bradford), has been sent from the Soviet embassy in Mexico City to 'reel in' Scuba.
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Wikipedia