Where Did They Come From? Movies that Inspired GTA & Red Dead Redemption Moments
Many of the most entertaining Rockstar Games moments in history have come directly from some of the most important films and television shows of all-time. Remember the epic bank heist in which Trevor, Michael and Franklin utilize the powerful tow-truck to divert an armored car? Yeah, we do too. Another of our favorite GTA V moments inspired by real-life films is when Michael brings down Madrazo's house with a heavy-duty pickup truck.
There are plenty of legendary moments in Rockstar Games' history which have taken their inspiration from films. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the first train robbery features a scene plucked right of 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James. This scene utilizes cinematic smoke to cloud the train in an ominous image. Another moment includes Michael rappelling down the side of a building. No matter which one is your favorite, hang out with us while we list some of the greatest moments in Rockstar Games which were inspired by films!
GTA V: "Blitz Play" Heist - Inspired by Heat (1995)
One of the most exciting heists in GTA V is the action-packed "Blitz Play" heist given to you by rogue FIB agents. The set up for the armored car job, if you're familiar with heist films, is eerily similar to the opening sequence of the 1995 film, Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Michael and the boys round up a tow-truck and a trash truck to create a barricade that stops the armored car in its tracks.
This makes the vehicle available for the three protagonists to rob. This mission is done at the behest of Michael's contacts at the FIB, and this is one of the only missions in the game in which you are expected to use heavy industrial trucks. This heist was one of the main ones depicted in artwork for the game, and it holds a memorable place in many fans' minds.
GTA V: "Marriage Counseling" - Inspired By Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
In the mission "Marriage Counseling", in which Michael takes revenge on the tennis coach who he found in bed with his wife, Michael grabs a pickup truck equipped with a drive-train capable of bringing a house down. Michael then travels to the Vinewood Hills, and proceeds to hook his truck up to the scaffolding of a mansion he believes belongs to the tennis coach. This demolishes the foundation of the house, which, as it turns out, belongs to Martin Madrazo. This is a huge catalyst, as this moment dictates how the events of the game unfold, as Michael returns to a life of crime in order to pay back the mob boss Madrazo.
This moment gets its inspiration from a scene in 1989's Lethal Weapon 2, in which Mel Gibson, driving a heavy-duty pickup truck, takes down a house in the Hollywood Hills by attaching cables to the stilts. He does this in an effort to release a hostage from the criminals inside. The house is shown falling in almost the exact same manner in both the game and the movie. This remains one of the most iconic moments in GTA V, as many fans can remember when they first pulled Madrazo's house off of its stilts.
GTA V: "Three's Company" - Inspired By The A-Team (2010)
One of the more recent inspirations for GTA V missions comes in the form of the mission, "Three's Company". In this specific moment, the boys are ready to hit the IAA building, utilizing a highly specific and daring method to kidnap Ferdinand Kerimov. In this mission, all three characters have something to do, as Michael rappels down a building while Franklin provides him with covering fire from a sniper rifle.
This particular mission gets its ideas from 2010's The A-Team, in which the crew takes the target from a building. Here they use flash-bang grenades instead, and they also utilize a parachute to parade the target down from the building. The outfits are similar, sleek and black, and the stealthy method is obvious. The rappelling is the same, as well as the covering fire. This is one of the first missions in the game which allows the player to utilize all three playable protagonists.
Red Dead Redemption 2: "Who The Hell Is Leviticus Cornwall?" - Inspired By The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
In the first train robbery of Red Dead Redemption 2, and arguably the most cinematic and fun heist of the game, Arthur and company take down a train owned by local titan of industry, Leviticus Cornwall. Ignorant of his existence as well as the power he wields in America in 1899, the crew viciously robs the train and makes off with a nice haul. The beginning of this moment, in which Arthur approaches the train, covered with cloudy smoke, is directly lifted from a train heist scene in 2007's The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.
In the film, starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, the James Gang robs a train, and Pitt, who plays Jesse James, approaches the train in the exact same cinematic manner. The musical score is simple, and similar, as well as the camera angles and the use of smoke to cloud the screen which foreshadows the ominous events that are about to take place. This mission features other moments taken from films, such as when Dutch tries to convince a man in the train car to give up his cash. Dutch fails just like Butch Cassidy does in 1969's Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. in that film, the banker who owns the train company sends a posse after The Wild Bunch, very similar to the way that Cornwall sends The Pinkertons after The Van der Linde Gang.
GTA V: Mount Chiliad Easter Egg - Inspired By No Country For Old Men (2007)
One of the more clever moments in GTA V that took inspiration from films is the inclusion of the easter egg to the west of Mount Chiliad, which features a scene of a shootout that is strikingly similar to a scene in the Coen Brothers' 2007 classic, No Country For Old Men. If the player travels to the western side of this mountain, they will stumble upon bodies and bullet-ridden pickup trucks on top of the sand. This is precisely what Josh Brolin stumbles upon in No Country For Old Men.
The inspiration is obvious, especially if you have seen the film. This is one of the cooler inspirations, taken from the Best Picture winner from the 80th Academy Awards. Rockstar has always chosen to honor great writers with their content and plots, and this nod to the legendary Coen Brothers is admirable indeed. If you haven't seen this spot yet, head over to Mount Chiliad and check it out!
GTA Vice CIty: Keep Your Friends Close - Inspired By Scarface (1983)
One of the best moments in the history of Rockstar Games is also inspired by one of greatest moments in cinema history. In the final story mission of GTA Vice City, Keep Your Friends Close, Tommy Vercetti fights off his enemies in his mansion. This is one of the more self-explanatory moments we have discussed as the scene this is based on is so iconic that almost everyone recognized it from the start. That being said, one can see the whole game of Vice City as being inspired by Scarface. Both the game and the movie take place in the 1980s at the height of the cocaine era in Florida.
In the movie, Sosa has sent men to attack Tony Montana. He fends them off with his fully automatic rifle equipped with a grenade launcher. In Vice City, you can use the medium machine gun, powered by belts, and take down a massive amount of enemies. Both moments in the game and the movie feature a seemingly never-ending onslaught of enemies. These moments were built for the cathartic ending and grand finale. Tommy's moment ends up turning out better than Tony's, as Tony loses his life in the fight. Tommy eliminates his enemies.
The Big Picture of Movie-Inspired Rockstar Games Moments
No matter which of these memories is your favorite, it is easy to understand the reasons why Rockstar Games chose these iconic movies to base their games on. These movies were extremely successful and featured epic moments that were ingrained in the collective consciousness of pop culture. In America, and around the world, movies like Heat and Scarface were extremely profitable for their well-written plots and characters. The violence in these films cemented them as certified legends in the crime genre, and when GTA first came out, they paved the way for crime video games, which is now a huge market.
Although we listed but a few of the epic moments inspired by films, rest assured that there are many more. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and we will be dropping a new list of these very soon. Let us know what you think of Rockstar Games in general. Do you have any favorite moments inspired by films from these games? Sound off in the comments.
