Little Nikita
Encyclopedia
Little Nikita is a cult 1988 American
drama film
directed by Richard Benjamin
and starring Sidney Poitier
and River Phoenix
.
student lives in San Diego with his parents, who own a successful garden centre
. Keen to fly, he has applied for entry to the Air Force Academy.
During a routine background check on Jeff, FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney 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 teenager son, Jeff Nicholas.
Unable to arrest them as they haven't actually done anything yet, Roy continues his investigation, and moves into the house across the street from the Grant family. He worms his way into their confidence.
He eventually confronts Jeff with his suspicions and seeks Jeff's cooperation to learn more about his family. Initially unbelieving, Jeff is soon forced to accept the facts and discovers that even his own name is fictitious, 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's still at large. It transpires that 'Scuba' is now a rogue agent, killing KGB
agents one by one, including "sleepers". Meanwhile, a spy-catcher, Konstantin Karpov (Richard Bradford), has been sent from the Soviet embassy in Mexico
to 'reel in' Scuba.
Jeff is captured and held as a hostage at gunpoint by Karpov, as he and 'Scuba' make their way to the Mexican border on the San Diego Trolley
. Roy has also confronted them and is holding Karpov at gunpoint. At the border, the situation resolves itself; Karpov and 'Scuba' cross into Mexico, and the Grant family remain in the USA. It remains unclear what their fate will be.
Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix would team up again in the 1992 feature Sneakers
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
and starring Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
and River Phoenix
River Phoenix
River Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
.
Plot synopsis
Jeff Grant (River Phoenix), a brash hyperactive high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student lives in San Diego with his parents, who own a successful garden centre
Garden centre
A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business. It is open to the public, with facilities to care for and display plants.- UK :...
. Keen to fly, he has applied for entry to the Air Force Academy.
During a routine background check on Jeff, FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney 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
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
with a teenager son, Jeff Nicholas.
Unable to arrest them as they haven't actually done anything yet, Roy continues his investigation, and moves into the house across the street from the Grant family. He worms his way into their confidence.
He eventually confronts Jeff with his suspicions and seeks Jeff's cooperation to learn more about his family. Initially unbelieving, Jeff is soon forced to accept the facts and discovers that even his own name is fictitious, 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's still at large. It transpires that 'Scuba' is now a rogue agent, killing KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
agents one by one, including "sleepers". Meanwhile, a spy-catcher, Konstantin Karpov (Richard Bradford), has been sent from the Soviet embassy in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to 'reel in' Scuba.
Jeff is captured and held as a hostage at gunpoint by Karpov, as he and 'Scuba' make their way to the Mexican border on the San Diego Trolley
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ...
. Roy has also confronted them and is holding Karpov at gunpoint. At the border, the situation resolves itself; Karpov and 'Scuba' cross into Mexico, and the Grant family remain in the USA. It remains unclear what their fate will be.
Cast
- Sidney PoitierSidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
- Roy Parmenter - River PhoenixRiver PhoenixRiver Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
- Jeff Grant / Nikita - Richard JenkinsRichard JenkinsRichard Dale Jenkins is an American stage, film, and television actor. After beginning his career in theatre, Jenkins made his film debut in 1974, and appeared in supporting roles in numerous film productions in the 1980s and the 1990s. His breakthrough came in the 2000s for playing the deceased...
- Richard Grant / Mikhail - Caroline Kava - Elizabeth Grant / Elisabeth
- Richard BradfordRichard Bradford (actor)Richard Bradford is an American actor, known for his lead role as former CIA agent turned private eye McGill in the British TV adventure series Man in a Suitcase, made by ITC in 1967....
- Konstantin Karpov - Richard Lynch - Scuba
- Loretta DevineLoretta DevineLoretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
- Verna McLaughlin - Lucy DeakinsLucy DeakinsLucy Deakins was known for being an American child actress.Deakins was born in New York City, the daughter of Alice, a professor at William Paterson University, and Roger, a retired New York University professor. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School and enrolled in Harvard University in 1988....
- Barbara Kerry - Jerry HardinJerry HardinJerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
- Brewer - Albert Fortell - Bunin
- Robert Madrid - Sgt. Leathers
Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix would team up again in the 1992 feature Sneakers
Sneakers (film)
Sneakers is a 1992 caper film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, written by Robinson, Walter F. Parkes, and Lawrence Lasker and starring Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier and David Strathairn...
.