SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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.

While not a "great" film, I actually think this is pretty decent.You begin with an interesting premise -- a husband and wife were a Communist sleeper cell in America, but have lived their lives here long enough that they have adapted to and enjoy American culture. Suddenly, the Russian government calls on them to do a job...and they refuse. Caught in the middle is their teenaged son who wants to go to the US Air Force Academy and had no idea his parents weren't everyday solid Americans. He becomes the pawn in an international game of intrigue.The cast here is very good, as well. Sidney Poitier is fine as an FBI agent, but -- and this is a significant flaw in the film -- he tries to hard to befriend River Phoenix's character; in today's world, people would have assumed he was a predator. River Phoenix is superb as the teen; makes you wonder what would have been had he not succumbed to drugs. Richard Jenkins is one of this country's great unsung actors; always dependable, as he is here. Richard Grant is fine as the Soviet agent, as in Caroline Kava as the mother. Richard Bradford is very good, but the way in which he was directed to portray his role seems very stereotypical. Richard Lynch is dependably slimy as the really bad guy! Interesting to see a young and svelte Loretta Devine; a fine actress.All in all, a pretty decent film, and probably far more realistic than most "spy" movies.

This is the type of film that Hollywood was producing tons of in the mid 1960's, so by 1988, it seemed "old hat". But, if you are going to give it a sort of "brat pack" touch, then this is an acceptable variation of the familiar story. River Phoenix, really hot in 1988, was the Leonardo di Caprio of his time, and he is well cast as a really nice teen who wants to go into the Air Force Academy. Little does he realize that his parents have a secret, and this is where Sidney Poitier comes in. Poitier is a FBI agent who has been trying to find Scuba, the man who killed his partner years ago, and now, he learns that the killer is blackmailing the KGB into paying him off or he will kill the remainder of the Russian spies they sent over during the cold war. Guess who two of those spies are. Poor River Phoenix has his whole world turned upside down when the truth comes out, and its up to Poitier to prevent him and his family from becoming Scuba's next target.News shots of former movie star Ronald Reagen making peace with the Russian government are briefly seen which sort of the dates the purpose of having even made this movie since the cold war was obviously long over. But it is still presented in an interesting light and is generally entertaining. This is what we referred to in 1988 as a "popcorn movie", something we went to see strictly for entertainment and forgot about by the next day. I will say that the finale is pretty exciting, though, set on the tram that goes from San Diego to the Mexican border. The much missed River Phoenix was a fine young actor whom we lost too early. Along with the excellent nature-battling thriller "Shoot to Kill", this film marked Sidney Poitier's return to acting after a decade, and he is more than welcomed back. The lovely Loretta Devine has a nice small role as the big-hearted guidance counselor Poitier becomes involved with. Richard Jenkins and Caroline Kava are fine as DiCaprio's parents, while Richard Lynch and Richard Bradford are nefariously interesting as the Russians.

On one level, "Little Nikita" is just another silly action movie. But strong performances and some interesting turns keep this one afloat. FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney Poitier) interviews teenager Jeff Grant (River Phoenix), who is trying to get into the Air Force Academy. But while reviewing Jeff, Roy discovers the most surprising thing of all: Jeff's parents are Soviet "sleeper" spies who fled to the United States and never told him about their history. Moreover, there's renegade Soviet agent Scuba - who murdered Roy's partner many years earlier - looking for Jeff, while the USSR has sent someone to capture Scuba! Yeah, it's beyond convoluted, and - quite frankly - improbable. But director Richard Benjamin knows how to to do it. There isn't a dull moment anywhere in the movie. Pretty interesting. And playing Jeff's dad is Richard Jenkins, aka Nate Sr on "Six Feet Under".