While some of its graphic content might not have aged well, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series is still a trailblazing franchise when it comes to 21st-century gaming. Borrowing influences from several crime films, the GTA games, with iconic installments like Vice City and San Andreas, boast an over-the-top comedic tone to its violence, while also weaving a well-layered storyline that evokes themes of crime, power, and betrayal.
Cinematic in all its proportions, films like Scarface and Heat seem to have direct influences on the series’ missions, and other stylistic elements. Utilizing voice actors like Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, and Samuel L Jackson further ties the games to the crime-drama genre.
10 Carlito’s Way (1993) – Available On FuboTV & Showtime
While Brian DePalma’s Scarface was definitely a great influence on many crime video games (spawning two games of its own), it’s DePalma’s second collaboration with Al Pacino that inspired the character of Ken Rosenberg. Appearing in Vice City and San Andreas, Rosenberg is a cocaine-addicted lawyer who was once Tommy Vercetti’s acquaintance.
Rosenberg seems to resemble a similar cocaine-addicted lawyer, David Kleinfield (Sean Penn), who serves as Carlito Brigante’s (Al Pacino) best friend and attorney. Carlito’s Way is otherwise an introspective take on a criminal’s life, rather than glamorizing it. Pacino’s protagonist is a changed man who wishes to do away with his life of crime, only for his past to catch up with him.
9 The Italian Job (2003) – Available On Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, & More
Car heists are essential to the GTA series that only get better with recent entrants like GTA V (its final heist mission, in particular). The Italian Job and its 1969 original movie are both pretty engaging heist films that have cemented their position in pop culture, thanks to the chase that involves three Austin Mini Coopers.
Also serving as a revenge action thriller, the film finds Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) assembling a team of career criminals, all of whom were betrayed by a former teammate. Also intent on getting their hands on this traitor’s gold reserves, the team hatches an adrenaline-fueled heist plan.
8 Heat (1995) – Available On Starz, Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube & More
A group of bank robbers leaves an unexpected trail of clues in their latest heist that subjects them to the ‘heat’ of the police. What follows is an intense battle of wits between a seasoned cop (Al Pacino) and the cocky gang leader (Robert De Niro). Heat‘s heist sequences are arguably comparable to the Blitz Play mission in GTA V.
The game’s Michael De Santa seems to be in the likeness of Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley. Heat‘s antagonist, Waingro, is the one who spoils the mission, prompting McCauley to hunt him down throughout the film. If one is to closely analyze GTA V‘s characters, then even Waingro seems to be similar to Trevor Phillips.
7 Drive (2011) – Available On Tubi, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube & More
More than the storyline, Drive is a neo-noir movie that gets more acclaim for its sleek aesthetics. From the neon-lit cinematography to the retrowave-influenced soundtrack, Drive is surely one of the most stylish thrillers in recent times. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman and getaway driver who breaks the law as he helps out his neighbor (Carey Mulligan) and her abusive ex-convict husband (Oscar Isaac).
The fast-paced editing shifts between moments of emotion and gruesome violence, building a tight-knit narrative that truly makes Drive a modern classic.
6 Brat 2 (2000) – Not Currently Available For Streaming
The sequel to the Russian crime classic Brat (Brother), Brat 2 finds ex-soldier-turned-criminal, Danila Bagrov (Sergey Bodrov), avenging the death of his friend. This mission drives him to Chicago, where he must adjust to a new American setting and seek his revenge.
In fact, Russian-origin character Niko Bellic happens to be very similar to Danila, considering the fact that both have been war veterans in their native country and then turn to a life of crime, despite seeking peace in life. Niko’s cousin and Danila’s brother are also important characters in their respective story arcs that unleash their emotional side.
5 Payback (1999) – Available On DirecTV
In GTA III, a Liberty City dweller by the name of Claude is betrayed by his girlfriend in the middle of a robbery and left to die. This compels Claude to go down a path of payback, that finds him entangled with drugs, corrupt cops, and gang wars.
The storyline is comparable to several popular revenge thrillers where the protagonists are backstabbed by their partners in crime. However, like GTA III, Mel Gibson’s character in Payback faces a more personal betrayal, as his girlfriend and a crime accomplice plan to kill him and take his share of the money.
4 The Departed (2006) – Available On HBO Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple iTunes, Google Play, YouTube & More
With a constant barrage of twists and turns, The Departed is a modern crime epic that plays mind games with the viewers in its “find the mole” storyline. Set in the context of an Irish Mafia-dominated New York, one of the mob’s trusted associates turns out to be a police officer, while one of the police’s men is most likely to be a snitch in the same mob. A cat-and-mouse game ensues, as the two parties start questioning their own accomplices.
While Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning effort has aged well, viewers should also give Infernal Affairs a watch, the Hong Kong action thriller that heavily inspired The Departed.
3 The Raid 2 (2014) – Available On Fubo, Starz, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube & More
A follow-up to the high-octane action flick The Raid, this Indonesian-language thriller doubles up the violence and martial arts, as this time, the setting is not just limited to one building. Special forces officer Rama (Iko Uwais) plans to take down Jakarta’s underworld while posing as a criminal. But in his pursuit of justice, he comes in contact with several corrupt police officials, planning to take them all down.
As is the case with many other Iko Uwais-starring movies, The Raid 2 is a hyperviolent gem that’s bound to impress genre fans, with most of the action being performed by the cast themselves.
2 Set It Off (1996) – Available On BET+, TruTV, Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube & More
Before The Italian Job and The Fate of The Furious, F Gary Gray’s tryst with heist films began with Set It Off. Starring Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett-Smith in the lead roles, the film centers upon four women who join a bank robbery, all having a particular reason of their own.
However, rather than being a flashy thriller, Set It Off also touches upon the trials and tribulations of each character, creating more developed story arcs than an average heist-centric film. A contemporary film like Widows can also be a good companion watch along with Set It Off.
1 Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) – Available On Mubi, Google Play, YouTube, Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime
Divided into two Hindi-language films, Gangs of Wasseypur is Indian director Anurag Kashyap’s answer to crime sagas like Gangs of New York. The writer-director paints a merciless and gritty landscape where several gangs engage in a cutthroat clash for control over a region’s coal resources (in a story inspired by the real-life “coal mafia” that operated in the second half of the 21st century).
Gangs of Wasseypur is an interesting take on the crime genre, as it focuses on a nascent stage of Indian crime. Wasseypur’s gangsters are people who rely on unreliable local-made weapons, causing some darkly hilarious moments of violence. With several interlinking storylines, the film would make for an amusing watch for fans of ensemble-driven crime dramas.
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