Have you ever thought that Grand Theft Auto would make a great movie if Hollywood ever decided to make one? Whether you do or don’t, there’s no doubt that the GTA movie has already been made about a trillion times already. From the likes of First Blood to Taxi Driver to Natural Born Killers, they all have a little bit of the GTA spirit in them… Or, to put it another way, GTA has always riped off the long history of crime movies blatantly and unashamedly. That said, let’s look at Tokyochuchu’s top 5 GTA-like movies.
5: TRUE ROMANCE
It was either this or Natural Born Killers to kick off this list. I chose True Romance simply because I like it more. Scripted by Quentin Tarantino, directed by the late Tony Scott, this sees two star crossed lovers (comic book geek Christian Slater and prostitute Patricia Arquette) get mixed up with drug dealers and gangsters in GTAV’s L.A. There are so many highlights in the movie, including a scintillating exchange between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, a crazy rastafied Gary Oldman, a condescension-hating brad Pitt and the mother of all hotel room gunfights.
TOP QUOTE: “I haven’t killed anyone… since 1984.”
“Now I do it just to watch their fucking expression change.” Gandolfini – R.I.P
4: DRIVE
The most recent film on this list, Drive sees a mysterious stuntman / gettaway driver fall in love… And then go on a murder-revenge rampage when his new squeeze is threatened by Jewish gangsters. That’s really in-eloquent language for an absurdly elegant movie. This is a flick that really manages to capture that Red Dead Redemption vibe of violence and catharsis. Plus the opening car ‘chase’ is pure GTAV; Pull into an allyway, switch off the lights and hope the police don’t spot you!
TOP QUOTE; “That is one fucking fine ass looking pussy mobile, motherfucker!”
Now THAT is a suspicious looking jacket.
3: SCARFACE
The most obvious GTA-inspiring movie, Scarface sees Al Pacino’s Cuban refugee Tony Montana work his way up the criminal ladder. From burger van chef to drug overlord, Montana’s rise is meteoric, violent and cool as hell. Of course, it then all goes to shit as paranoia and greed take their toll and Mr. Montana is inevitably left facing an entire South American army with only a certain ‘little friend’ for company. Classic in every sense of the word, DePalma’s comic book style gangster movie is a colorful GTA romp for the ages.
TOP QUOTE: “Say hello to my little friend!” so… fucking… obvious
Sadly ladies were put off by his ‘little friend’ because it wasn’t circumcised.
2: HEAT
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro come together in Micheal Mann’s masterpiece. And it’s a beautiful thing… Unlike Righteous Kill which was shit. Basically GTAV the movie, Heat sees DeNiro’s ultra-professional thief go head to head with Pacino’s relentless cop. Stocked full of fantastic performances, memorable quotes and action scenes to die for (which includes arguably the best shootout in movie history), Heat is a film that you simply cannot and should not miss.
TOP QUOTE: “There’s a flipside to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down?”
Rat-a-tat-tat that copper’s a twat.
1: FALLING DOWN
We all cut loose from time to time in GTA and go on a maniacal, city-wide rampage. Micheal Douglas’ deeply stressed everyman deals with some crippling depression in pretty much the same way. During his LA based rampage he shows some Latino homies who’s boss, shows a nazi facist who’s boss, show’s a aging golfer who’s boss, show’s a road construction crew who’s boss, shows an entire hamburger shop who’s boss, show’s a rude Asian shopkeeper who’s boss… Have you got it yet, you fucking liberals!? The white, conservative, working class American is the boss! Let’s face it, Micheal Douglas’ character in this movie is pretty much a button-downed Trevor from GTAV that lives in the city instead of the sticks. Whilst the film is on very shaky political ground, it is nether-the-less an excellent thrill ride of a movie with a mean streak of humor.
TOP QUOTE: “Yeah? Now you’re going to die in that funny little hat… How does that feel?”
You’re about to get ‘Burger Shot’
So there you are. If you haven’t seen these movies (of course you have!) then head out to the nearest DVD store, ASAP.
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