Little Nikita poster
Director Richard Benjamin
Screenplay John Hill, Bo Goldman

Little Nikita

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

Release Date: 1988-03-17

Duration: 98 minutes

Synopsis

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.

Casting

  • River Phoenix
    Jeff Grant
  • Richard Jenkins
    Richard Grant
  • Richard Lynch
    Scuba
  • Biff Wiff
    Bucky
  • Jacob Vargas
    Miguel
  • Lucy Deakins
    Barbara Kerry
  • Sidney Poitier
    Roy Parmenter
  • Loretta Devine
    Verna McLaughlin
  • Richard Bradford
    Konstantin Karpov
  • Lou Hancock
    Nursery Customer