Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto franchise has been the undisputed king of the gangster genre for the last two decades. The series has consistently delivered top-notch mobster experiences ever since Grand Theft Auto III in 2001. Every creative work draws upon something else as an inspiration and there’s no shortage of rich source material to tap into in the gangster genre.
Film, in particular, has played a substantial role in supplying a large part of this inspiration. Many titles in the GTA series have paid tribute to these influences in the form of easter eggs and references. Eagle-eyed players may be able to spot some of these nods from classic gangster films.
10 Sleep With The Fishes – The Godfather
The mission “Supply and Demand” in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City contains a line of dialogue that’s easy to miss with all the chaos going on in the background. When Tommy Vercetti dispatches the hostile speedboats chasing him he will deliver a few lines, one of which is “sleep with the fish.”
This is a variation of a famous line often repeated in other media. It comes from The Godfather and reads “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.” It serves to confirm what the audience already knows. Don Corleone’s feared enforcer Luca Brasi is dead.
9 Keep Your Friends Close – The Godfather Part II
The explosive ending to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City bears this aptly named title. It refers to the betrayal committed by Tommy’s former friend Lance Vance and his boss Sonny Forelli. They seek to cut Tommy back down to size by taking over his hard-won gains.
The title of the mission is the beginning part of perhaps one of the most famous lines from The Godfather Part II. The whole quote reads “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Both Lance and Sonny are Tommy’s enemies at the end of the game.
8 Badfellas – Goodfellas
There are a lot of little secrets that dot the landscape of Liberty City. Their discovery encourages more exploration and players are often not disappointed. Hanging on a wall by the back entrance to Luigi’s Club is a fictional movie poster with the headline “Badfellas.”
This is an obvious reference to the movie Goodfellas. Frank Vincent, who voices Salvatore Leone in the game, plays a memorable role in the film as Billy Bats. The “Badfellas” poster is made in the same style as the Goodfellas movie poster.
7 Ken Rosenberg – Carlito’s Way
Ken Rosenberg is Tommy Vercetti’s crooked lawyer in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He constantly snorts coke out of fear and paranoia that one of his mob clients is eventually going to whack him. It’s usually up to Tommy to bail him out of whatever problem he’s gotten into.
Rosenberg takes a lot of inspiration from the character David Kleinfeld from Carlito’s Way. David is also an untrustworthy lawyer and hardcore drug abuser. Rosenberg’s physical appearance is almost a carbon copy of Kleinfeld’s from the movie. Unlike Rosenberg, Kleinfeld is actually bumped off by his disgruntled mob partners in the end.
6 Apartment 3C – Scarface
Similar to Liberty City, the Vice City metropolis also contains its fair share of secrets. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is well-known for taking a lot of inspiration from Scarface. There is one reference, however, that is a bit more hidden than the rest.
There is a building with a pink roof located in Ocean Beach. Climbing the steps will reveal an exact replica of a room featured in Scarface with a chainsaw in the bathroom. It’s a clear homage to the scene where Tony Montana is about to be executed in the bathtub with a chainsaw.
5 Barzini’s Ristorante Italiano – The Godfather
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the player may come across this Italian restaurant in the Downtown area. The protagonist can actually enter the premises, but the name is what is important. It’s yet another reference to the classic movie The Godfather.
Emilio Barzini is the principal antagonist in the film. He is the string-puller behind the Corleone Family’s misfortunes. Portrayed by Richard Conte, he is shot to death on the courthouse steps on the orders of Michael Corleone. A neat little easter egg for fans of both franchises.
4 Every Dog Has His Day – Scarface
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories has a Scarface reference as well. It’s a line of dialogue that’s easy to miss. During the ending cutscene Uncle Leone, the antagonist of the game, will mutter “Every dog has his day.” The veiled threat is delivered toward Salvatore Leone, the implication being “what goes around comes around.”
The same line is delivered by Tony Montana in Scarface. He’s about to kill one of his enemies, Mel Bernstein, after a failed assassination attempt on his life. Both deliveries of the line drip with foreshadowing.
3 I Think These Chopper Are Following Me-Goodfellas
Niko Bellic meets a lot of Mafiosi in Grand Theft Auto: IV. Phil Bell, a perpetually paranoid criminal, is constantly looking over his shoulder in fear of law enforcement infiltration. During the mission “Catch the Wave” one of Phil’s lines of dialogue reads “I just keep thinking these choppers are following me.”
Phil’s fear of police helicopters tailing him invokes a similar scene in Goodfellas. Henry Hill thinks that choppers are following him around despite everyone else thinking he’s crazy. In the end, Hill is proven correct and gets hauled off to jail.
2 Mr. Teal – Reservoir Dogs
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City features many side missions. The assassination missions consist of finding a target and eliminating him after receiving orders from a payphone. The mysterious man on the other end of the phone, known as Mr. Black, always refers to Tommy with a codename, Mr. Teal.
Fans of Reservoir Dogs should find these color-oriented codenames familiar. In the film, the participants of the diamond heist all use aliases that refer to a color. Names like Mr. Brown, Mr. Blue, and Mr. Orange are used throughout the movie by the protagonists.
1 Malibu Club – Scarface
One of the gameplay mechanics unique to Rockstar’s franchise at the time was the ability to own property in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The most expensive property to acquire is the swanky Malibu Club. The interior of the establishment is a direct callback to the Babylon Club in Scarface.
The stage, the lighting, and the dance floor in the Malibu Club appear almost exactly as they do in the Babylon Club. It’s a cool little detail for a game that already puts a lot of energy into recreating an authentic 80s vibe.
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