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Little Nikita

He went to bed an all-American kid and woke up the son of Russian spies.

1988 · 1h 38m · PG Action, Drama, Thriller
Directed by Richard Benjamin

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Overview

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.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
54%
Tomatometer
Rotten

Never really materializes as a taut espionage thriller and winds up as an unsatisfying execution of a clever premise ...

Variety Staff, Variety
Rotten

This lacklustre espionage thriller is bogged down with the sort of cliches you'd expect from the height of the Cold War.

Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Rotten

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.

Walter Goodman, New York Times
Rotten

"Little Nikita" would be nothing without River Phoenix's hair. It's the most engaging, the most watchable thing in the film.

Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Rotten

It turns all of the characters into chess pieces, whose relationships depend on the plot, not on human chemistry. Since the plot is absurdly illogical, you're not left with much.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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