When writing stories for the Grand Theft Auto games, Rockstar writers were often inspired by famous films. Moreover, the developers did not hide this, but on the contrary, they left many references to cult films of the past. Our article is dedicated to them.
Where did the name Grand Theft Auto come from
Let's start with the fact that the name Grand Theft Auto refers us to the 1977 film of the same name, which we translated as “Great Auto Theft.” In it, the newlyweds steal the bride's father's Rolls-Royce in order to go to Las Vegas. A chase begins after them, which is accompanied by ridiculous situations, accidents and explosions. The crazy atmosphere of the film is perfectly recreated in the games in the series.
Grand Theft Auto 3
GTA 3 is the first game in the series to feature a full-fledged plot. Of course, by modern standards it may seem simple. Meanwhile, it contains many references to gangster films of different years. The main plot of the third Grand Theft Auto is taken from the 1999 film Payback with Mel Gibson. He plays the role of bandit Porter, who is engaged in robberies with his lover Rosie and partner Val Resnik. However, at some point the girl decides to betray the protagonist, shoots him and disappears with the money. But he survives, after which he decides to take revenge. In essence, this is a brief description of the plot of GTA 3, only instead of Porter in the game, Claude played the role of Val, and Rosie became the prototype for Catalina.
Mel Gibson's character shows no emotion. He calmly and calmly goes against the most powerful mafia structures, and to achieve his goals he uses a variety of methods, from shooting with a pistol to using explosives. Claude also does not feel fear or remorse when he sends to the next world dozens of strangers who stood in his way. As the story progresses, both heroes eliminate their enemies and go off into the sunset with another girl. But we'll talk about Maria from GTA 3 later. The film features an Asian character, Pearl, played by Lucy Liu. In one scene, her character tortures Val Resnick, Porter's former partner. She became the prototype for Asuka from the third Grand Theft Auto, who also extracted confessions from Miguel. Note that the heroine of the game acted on the side of the Japanese yakuza, and Pearl turned out to be a representative of the Chinese triads.
The parallels don't end there. You can also note the gray, cold color scheme of the game and the film, as well as the fact that they tried to kill the main characters with the help of planted explosives. One of the tunnels in Liberty City is called the Porter Tunnel, after the protagonist of Reckoning. The plot of the third GTA was also influenced by other films. For example, the appearance of the Italian mafia boss Salvatore Leone is based on Vito Corleone from the first The Godfather. Moreover, both live in their own mansions, which have a similar interior. The character is voiced by Frank Gattuso, who starred in such gangster films as Goodfellas and Casino.
Tony Cipriani is a clear allusion to Tony Soprano from The Sopranos. They are similar in appearance, have capo status and often behave aggressively. Moreover, both men have problems with their mothers, who clearly do not like them. They constantly reproach their sons and use other people, such as their fathers, as examples. At the same time, both Tonys feel guilty and try to please, but every time they hear only dissatisfaction. As a result, both mothers allow the killers to kill their sons. Note that Cipriani's story is most clearly revealed in Liberty City Stories, a prequel to GTA 3, where Tony appears as the main character.
Maria Latore, the mistress of Salvatore Leone, with whom Claude ended up staying, is based on Adriana La Cerva from The Sopranos. The same appearance, clothes with tiger colors, volatile relationships with men, as well as sympathy for high-ranking representatives of the mafia.
You can also remember that in “The Sopranos” the mafiosi cut up corpses in a meat processing plant. At the same time, there was a hint that eventually the ground up parts of human bodies might end up in stores. Similar stories were played out in GTA 3 and Liberty City Stories. Please note that The Godfather and The Sopranos take place in New York. It was this city that became the prototype for Liberty City from the third GTA.
And all the songs for the Flashback FM radio station are taken from the soundtrack of the film “Scarface”. But we will talk about this film in the section about sources of inspiration for the next game.
GTA: Vice City
The main inspiration for this part of the series is Scarface. There, the main character Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino, finds himself in sunny Miami after serving his prison sentence. Although the first deal to sell substances goes wrong, he quickly masters the local criminal sphere, kills his own boss Frank Lopez and heads the criminal business throughout the city. The film ends with a bloody massacre in the main character's mansion.
With such a brief description, you may get the feeling that we are talking about the plot of Vice City. Only instead of Tony Montana in the game, Tommy Vercetti, and instead of Frank Lopez — Ricardo Diaz. It is curious that this name also appears in the film itself, when the hero is named to those who could be behind the attempt on his life. The final carnage in the game and the movie are identical — the main character in his own estate shoots back from crowds of opponents with an M-16 rifle. This is what the main character is holding in the last cutscene. True, in the finale Tony Montana dies, and Tommy Vercetti emerges victorious from this fight.
Many locations are taken from the film. First of all, we can note the mansions of the main characters, their appearance and interior, including red walls and a room with video surveillance.
And the Malibu club from Vice City is an almost exact copy of a nightclub called Babylon. Another reference to the film includes a blood-stained bathroom with a chainsaw next to it. It was with her help that Tony Montana's friend was killed at the very beginning of the film. In general, these apartments from Scarface and Vice City are similar to each other.
I also remember the Little Havana area, where Cubans live. He appeared in both the film and the game. It was there that Tony Montana was washing dishes at the very beginning of the film. In addition, the blue suit of the movie hero is exactly like the jacket of Tommy Vercetti, in which he arrives at Colonel Cortez’s party. However, the main character's facial features do not resemble Al Pacino. His appearance is closer to Ray Liotta, who voiced this character. The artist is known primarily for the classic gangster drama Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese. Another major source of inspiration for the game was the TV series Miami Vice. The first thing that catches your eye is the name of the show in English, which is similar to Vice City. Lance Vance's appearance and voice were given by Philip Michael Thomas, who played the role of Rico Tubbs in the series. Both heroes wear white suits and have lost their brother to criminals in the past. You can also note that the introductory video of Vice City almost verbatim copies the intro of this series.
The image of Ricardo Diaz is also taken from the show about Miami Vice. It is based on a local crime boss who was involved in substance trafficking and had a passion for fast boat racing. But his character has traits of Tony Montana from the second half of the film, when the hero became nervous and started screaming for any reason.
The plot of the game is reminiscent of the movie Donnie Brasco. There, Italians from New York decide to start doing business in Miami. On the orders of the head of the Family, Sonny Black, the bandits begin to trade substances, but competitors steal the mafia's money. Of course, they must be returned. Something similar happened at the very beginning of Vice City, and Tommy's boss is also named Sonny. Ken Rosenberg is based on Dave Kleinfield from the movie Carlito's Way. Moreover, both characters worked as lawyers and defended the interests of the mafia in court, and also abused harmful substances. It is noteworthy that at first both characters were friends with the main characters, but in the end they were betrayed by them. If Dave's fate is revealed in the film, then Ken's story continued in San Andreas, where we learned that Tommy no longer wants to see him.
Note that “Carlito's Way” and “Scarface” were directed by Brian De Palma, and the main role in both films was played by Al Pacino. At Cortez's party, Tommy will meet director Steve Scott. Later, our hero will cross paths with him at the film studio. The man's appearance is based on Francis Ford Coppola, famous for the Godfather trilogy, and his fascination with sharks refers to the film Jaws, directed by Steven Allan Spielberg.
The ice cream factory is owned by Maude Hanson. This woman looks exactly like Joan Crawford from the movie Mommie Dearest. Their aggressive characters also coincide with a pronounced hatred of children.
And the sale of prohibited goods under the guise of ice cream is taken from the film “Stoned 3” (Nice Dreams). I also remember the task “Publicity Tour”, where the main character needs to drive a car at high speed while other people defuse explosives. This mission can be considered a reference to the movie Speed. A similar task was in the very first part of GTA. The bank robbery that takes place in The Job is reminiscent of the 1995 film Heat. In particular, the driver dies during a shootout in the film. Something similar happened in Vice City. And Tommy and his accomplices hide their faces behind hockey masks, just like the characters in the film.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
In the case of San Andreas, it is impossible to name one specific film that formed the basis of the game's plot. However, it contains many references to the film Menace II Society. For example, Ronnie from the film is a good girl who adheres to traditional views about family. She tries to reason with the unlucky brothers and convince them to give up their crimes. It was she who became the prototype for Candle, CJ's sister.
You can also note the scene where dishonest police officers bring the main character of the film to the territory of an enemy gang and leave him there. Tenpenny did something similar when he dropped CJ off on a street controlled by the Ballas. In the official short film The Introduction, the group attacked the Johnsons' home using micro-Uzis and driving a Pontiac. The scene exactly copies a similar moment from the film's ending. Even the title tune of San Andreas is similar to the music that sounds at the beginning of Menace to Society.
Carl Johnson himself is based on Bobby, the main character from South Central. Both the facial features and the main “outfit” are the same, with a white sleeveless T-shirt and blue jeans.
Officer Tenpenny's appearance and personality are based on Alonzo Harris, the corrupt cop from the movie Training Day. His role in the movie was played by Denzel Washington. Even their fate turned out to be similar. The image of Jimmy Hernandez is taken from the same film. The prototype for it was Jake Hoyt. Some scenes from the movie are translated verbatim into the game.
Cesar Vialpando's appearance is based on the Latino criminal Cesar Sanchez from the film One Eight Seven. The faces, costumes and nationalities are the same, but the characters turned out to be different.
And the appearance and clothes of Mad Dogg's first manager, Alan Crawford, are based on Tre Styles, the main character in the movie Boyz N The Hood.
There we also see lowriders with “dancing” suspension, which have become one of the main symbols of the game. This movie, like the already mentioned “Menace to Society” in Russia, remains little known. In our country, a parody of them called “Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood” has gained much more popularity. As the plot progresses, it turns out that the Leone family, representatives of the Italian mafia from New York, arrives in Las Venturas. They want to subjugate the entire gambling business in the city. There is exactly the same plot point in The Godfather Part II, when Michael Corleone's men come from New York to Las Vegas to acquire the local casinos. During the mission "The Green Saber", the final mission in Los Santos, Sweet is arrested, after which CJ begins to cooperate with corrupt cops. There was a similar episode in the film Blood In, Blood Out. Brothers Miklo and Paco are ambushed. The first goes to jail, and the second is forced to work for the police.
The mission "The Da Nang Thang" involves a shootout on a cargo ship where people who were planned to be enslaved were being forcibly transported. A similar scene occurred at the end of the film The Transporter.
Pimp Jizzy B, in turn, is based on Nino Brown from the movie New Jack City. He was played by Wesley Snipes. This is where Big Smoke's giant laboratory was taken from the last mission called "End of the Line". Moreover, both in the film and in the game there was a fire on its territory.
The leader of the San Fierro Triads, Woozy Mu, is based on Neo from The Matrix trilogy. Moreover, not only the appearance coincides, but also the lack of vision. Let's remember that in the third film, Keanu Reeves' character became blind.
GTA 4
It was originally planned that the main character of the fourth GTA would be voiced by Vladimir Mashkov. The actor refused the offer, but in Niko Belik’s appearance one can notice his features from the film “Behind Enemy Lines”, where he played the Serbian fighter Sasha Ivanic. Moreover, we are talking not only about the appearance, but also about the character’s background.
However, the main plot of the fourth GTA is taken from the “Brother” dilogy by Alexei Balabanov. Let's start with the first film in 1997. Niko, like Sergei Bagrov, is a war veteran who comes to visit his supposedly successful brother in another city. However, in reality it turns out that he has many problems that need to be solved. Roman Belik, like Viktor Bagrov, drags his brother into crime. As a result, Niko and Sergei kill their crime bosses, for whom they initially worked. We are talking about Vlad Glebov from the game and Krugly from the film. There are also plots with the kidnappings of Roman from GTA 4 and Victor from “Brother” with subsequent rescue.
The Rockstar project has many parallels with the second film. Danila Bagrov flies to New York, as does Niko Belik — to Liberty City. Only after some time does the hero of the film “Brother 2” get to Chicago by hitchhiking. Here, Sergei Bodrov’s character is driven by revenge for a murdered colleague. In addition, he wants to help his brother return the money that the local crime boss took from him. Niko Belik wants to get even with the traitor, because of whom his squad was destroyed. As you can see, in both cases the motivation for the main character is retribution for a fallen comrade in arms.
In general, Niko and Danila’s life positions turned out to be close. Unlike their brothers, they do not chase money, but family ties are important to them and they cannot pass by when they see blatant injustice. Among the heroines that Niko may accidentally meet is Marnie Allen, a prostitute with an addiction. Later we can see her in the fifth GTA. She has aspects of Marilyn from the second film. Belik gets rid of Marnie's pimp and helps him leave Liberty City. Danila Bagrov, in turn, killed Dasha’s boss, after which she left New York.
It can also be noted that in the second “Brother” and on the radio station Vladivostok FM a song by the group “Splin” called “Life Line” is played. This is unlikely to be just a coincidence.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Like San Andreas, the plot of GTA 5 does not have a clear prototype in the form of a film or TV series. At the same time, the game contains many references to cult works of world cinema. For example, Tony Soprano from the series of the same name served as the basis not only for Tony Cipriani from the third Grand Theft Auto, but also for Michael de Santa from the fifth part. Judge for yourself: both heroes are plump, middle-aged men from dysfunctional families who love golf, classic cinema and hard rock. They are having a midlife crisis, so they are forced to turn to psychotherapists, where they actively complain about their relatives. Plus, Tony and Michael have violent temperaments and quickly become aggressive, especially when it comes to disrespecting their daughters. At the same time, both characters betrayed their close friends.
Parallels can be found between Tony's wife Carmela and Amanda, Michael's wife. Both women try to improve relationships with their husbands and even forgive them for their infidelity, but in response they feel only indifference. True, there are differences. If Carmela paid attention to the men around her, but did not allow herself relationships on the side, then Amanda periodically “met” with other guys. It can also be noted that both heroines love tennis.
AJ Soprano, Tony's son, became the inspiration for Michael's youngest child, Jimmy. Both teenagers lead idle lives, spending a lot of time on mindless chatter on the Internet and playing video games, which annoys their fathers. Here Michael and Tony are already trying to establish contact with them, but to no avail. As a reference, you can see the bright yellow minivan that AJ and Jimmy drove.
Dwight Harris from The Sopranos may be considered an inspiration for Dave Norton. Both characters are FBI agents who collaborate with the mafia for their own interests.
In the mission "Marriage Counseling", Michael and Franklin demolish the mansion of crime boss Martin Madrazo. The exact same scene was in the movie Lethal Weapon 2.
The “Friend Request” task requires Michael to plant explosives in the cell phone of the person who needs to be eliminated. A corrupt female judge was killed in a similar way in the film Law Abiding Citizen.
The mission "Three's Company" involves the kidnapping of a man who is in a skyscraper. Trevor controls the helicopter, and Michael goes down on a cable, breaks the glass and grabs the right person. At the same time, Franklin covers them from afar and fires from a sniper rifle. The fighters in the 2010 movie The A-Team acted in exactly the same way.
The robbery of a cash-in-transit van from the Blitz Play mission is similar to a similar raid from the film Heat. In the mission "Deep Inside", Franklin steals a JB 700 car, which is an exact replica of the Aston Martin from the classic James Bond films with Sean Connery. This car later appeared in the movie 007: Skyfall, starring David Craig. Moreover, not only the appearance of the cars is the same, but also the machine guns installed in them, as well as the catapult, with the help of which they get rid of the annoying passenger.
The mission “Derailed” involves a collision between two trains on a bridge. The terrorists staged exactly the same sabotage in the film Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. *** What references to films in the GTA series have you seen? Share your observations in the comments!