the audience applauded

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

The Soviets suspect their agent nicknamed Scuba (Richard Lynch) is killing their deep agents and blackmailing them. They send agent Karpov (Richard Bradford) to stop him. In San Diego, FBI agent Roy Parmenter (Sidney Poitier) has been hunting Scuba for killing his partner. He discovers false information on the Air Force Academy application of Jeffrey Grant (River Phoenix) and suspects his parents Richard (Richard Jenkins) and Elizabeth (Caroline Kava).There are a lot of dead bodies and it seems only Parmenter is on the case. The Russian characters are too Russian. They are literally meeting at the ballet. Despite having some great actors, this doesn't have the needed gritty realism. The idea of Russian sleeper agents in the suburbs could be interesting but this is not well executed. River Phoenix continues to be great. His next movie 'Running on Empty' has a superior family with secret identities.

It's easy to look back now at this film as a very average Cold War thriller, but that is with the benefit of hindsight. It's difficult for today's generation, those of the age that the Phoenix character plays, to appreciate that the world really was living with a possible Nuclear destruction if there had been an accident or serious misunderstanding.The action and drama is really primarily psychological, with the heart of the film hinging on the Poitier and Phoenix performances. It's easy now to pass off the whole thing as a trivial character piece, but, then, the stakes were sky high and the Cold War themes were progressive and unusual. In our post Cold War world where Gorbachev and Reagan slowly recede into the mists of history it would be a shame to write of this movie without understanding the atmosphere it was made in.

"Little Nikita" is just another thriller with one difference. It has two great actors: Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix. Poitier is great actor and I have to say that R.Phoenix was that too. Phoenix is great in this role and he really showed bags of abilities. It is petty that we can't watch Phoenix brothers together on screen today. So story of this movie is pretty messed up. There is lot of going on but I just don't have the felling that there is right connection with everything and that director Benjamin did his job well. His filming is like we're watching B movie with two star actors (what it is). There is particularly one scene that I disliked: when River almost hits the camera, in that scene in a living room when he's with his parents and Russian Konstantin is on the phone. Why this wasn't cut, I don't know. One thing that I also didn't liked is that again the whole story is about Americans and Russians. About Russian spies and agents who are bad and American FBI agents who are all of course good.I have nothing to recommend, you really don't have to watch this movie. I just watched it because of late River Phoenix. Actually he's the only reason why you should decide to watch this movie ever.

I sat to watch this one because it came from the 1980s, and had (Sidney Poitier) in it. Although I know so well that this great icon made a lot of movies that didn't deserve his great talent at all. But let us watch this thriller from 1988.. At first some ridiculous questions were allowed to be asked such as : if the FBI knows the places of the Russian sleepers (temporarily retired Russian spies) why for god's sake they didn't warn them at all about this maniac killer ?! Or even arrest them in the first place?!!, and if (Poitier) already knew the truth of (River Phoenix)'s parents what exactly he intended to do with their son by telling him the hidden reality ?? Is it for using him to convince his father and mother not to obey (Richard Bradford) the Russian officer ?? Maybe. But what's the need of those ones in particular to hand over the money to the killer? And why on earth that very Russian officer phoned the sleepers themselves (after the ballet) from (Poitier)'s apartment ?? .. And if he didn't intent to kidnap their boy (who enters at the same time to the very place so easily !) by what he was going to threaten the previous agents ? Especially with the fact of their parents being dead ?? And let us look at that scene which HAS the Russian officer showering and the killer is here suddenly (with a knife !), menaces him quickly : (I Want My Money Fast) and runs away !!.. To have the miserable fat officer standing under the shower just offended ?? So you must ask yourself why in the world he didn't run after him (even nude ?!), or why he didn't hold his gun (if he had one !) to shot the evil guy who had just a knife ??.. For a second I thought that there was a secret relationship or undercover partnership between them BUT at the end I said to myself what a good twist it would've been if they did what I was thinking of !! Anyway I've got some things extra to bother : (Poitier) all his work at his office is just looking at the pictures more than 10 times ??, reading names from his computer to discover the reality of the sleepers in such too easy way to the extent that I was saying while watching : WaW, the job of the FBI agents is very simple ! Then what's the necessity of his love affair with the school's employee (Poitier was 61 years old at the time)?, and when it comes to the end of the movie I just wonder why the Russian officer kidnapped the boy to have this long chase?! I believe not to kill him for sure but to negotiate with the Americans to GET the killer in his custody, however the movie made him kill the killer with the American FBI agent in the same time ! So long live the peace agreement and good bye to the old cold war ! (must notice that the movie is produced at 1988. Not before. So the changes were very fresh !) but you must ask yourself first what the killer would have earned by throwing the boy out of the bridge ?! And what a shot when all the money went to the two very poor alien emigrants by pure coincidence just to till us how America is so generous and kind to anyone would resort to it ! By the way there is a strange guy appears in that scene out of the blue to stand beside (Poitier) and talk with him about the continuance of life ! so (Poitier) responds in his wise tone : yes, same all same all !!.. Who is that guy anyway ? And from where did he emerge ??!.. Well, It was so aspirant movie with a new catchy story which had unpredictable thrilling lines : The FBI old agent who wants to fulfill his old revenge, the nice relationship between the mentor (Poitier) and Little Nikita (Phoenix), what would you do if you discovered that your parents are not what you're used to know ?? and that serial killer for the old spies who was chased by the Americans and the Russians too. All of this was so bright and original but unfortunately the main big mistake was in the SCREENPLAY which was incapable of building solider plot without any holes. At last, the most enjoyable things in here would be : the potentials of the story, the magical charisma of the old (Sidney Poitier) and the young (River Phoenix) together, Marvin Hamlisch's stylish music, the good chase at the end, and the brief but unique presence of (Ingrid M. Rhoads) at the Air Force Academy as (Cpl. Hogan) in maybe 3 shots only ! (you maybe missed her.. but not me !) although she didn't talk but she was unforgettable sexy in the military suit.. Unforgettable unlike the movie itself for a lot of people and if you don't believe me just ask yourself (for the very last time) why there are no more than 9 comments in here about this one after nearly 20 years of its production ?!