In 30 seconds flat: GTA V and Heat (1995)

[TheOneLibertonian]

WARNING: Long Post Ahead!

 

Let me say in retrospect that I have critique GTA V for it's confusingly inconsistent storytelling, and botched lazy writing, but I really have never said anything comparing GTA V to arguably it's main inspiration, one of my favorite crime dramas, Heat. This is a review of how GTA V's problems with it's narrative, and it's struggle to identify itself that is way too contrived even within the GTA lore. I might compare GTA V to previous GTA titles as well. So without further ado, let's get on with it.

 

GTA is well known to pay tribute to some of the most influential crime/gangster films such as The Godfather, Scarface, GoodFellas, etc. and Heat is no exception. Rockstar pays homage and inspiration to great movies with their own spin to it just like how Quentin Tarantino makes his films to pay tribute to other forms of cinema like Reservoir Dogs was heavily inspired by Ringo Lam's City on Fire (1987), and Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. GTA V is no different to it's predecessors by providing a satirical re-imagining of big metropolitan cities in the United States with various forms of media as a backdrop of the narrative. But however in GTA V, it is much of a curse as it is a blessing.

 

Let's start with portrayal of characters, and their motives through out the story. For example, Neil McCauley is a career criminal who takes scores for a living, and is willing to escape, and not go back to the life of a bank robber. A loner whose discipline is to not let anyone close to him, is willing to walk away in 30 seconds flat if he spots the heat right around the corner. Michael De Santa is a character inspired by McCauley. Michael is someone who has inner turmoil within himself and fighting his past through struggling to have a new life, with a new name. Both have their problems, and motivations to let their story come full circle. The difference between the both is that McCauley is not just an interesting character, like Michael is, but does not have clear moral principles that most of Heat's cast have, and V's characters do not have. In GTA IV for example, Niko has a clear motive to be in Liberty City, and why despite being a criminal, he has shown principles to stand for his cousin, and threatens to harm anyone who would hurt Roman, and his family whatsoever.

 

This leads us to GTA V's main problem, inconsistency, and it's rushed out storytelling. In previous GTA's the action packed setpieces were always balanced by deep storytelling that the player can easily understand, and know about our heroes, and villains. In GTA V however exposes Rockstar's lack of finesse providing a gripping story with three main protagonists, for the first time in a GTA game. Instead of craving for originality blended with a Heat-inspired plot focus on heists that blatantly trades a potentially good story and premise for over the top action, and cheesy humor. The problems do not stop there, there's more. GTA V's camera work, direction, and depiction of Los Santos were heavily inspired by Michael Mann's style of creating a realistic world, combined with stylistic, and fresh cinematography to showcase a living, breathing Los Angeles especially during night were Mann's obsession with neon colors, and wide camera angles start to shine. V tries to emulate that certain style with combining a very realistic GTA version of Los Angeles, with a very stylistic tone to it. Tangerine Dream's score emulates their own score for Michael Mann's Thief, and having Mann's signature of two characters facing off for it's climax. But Rockstar misunderstood that aspect of Mann's direction with "style" being wrongly emphasized completely. Before anyone said that Rockstar never really paid Homage, III had the obvious homage to NY based Sicilian Mafia that we all known from The Godfather, and GoodFellas. Vice City had Scarface, and Miami Vice, San Andreas has Boyz in the Hood, and Menace II Society, while IV was the only one to stray upon influences from crime movies. V obviously had Heat. Unlike the other GTA titles said before hand; correctly understood the influences they were based from, and combined with the unique backdrop, and charm of Rockstar. While V decides to follow IV's realistic depiction, combining with the 3D era's mayhem that displays a flawed finished product.

 

Lastly, in Heat we were shown to see a man of the law that despite his commonality with the bank robber, he is destined to take down the man that probably the only one that understood who he was. Like Vincent Hanna said, chasing down guys like McCauley keeps him sharp, and on the edge, and is willing to take down someone despite from a marriage falling apart due to it. While McCauley is willing to risk his freedom, and his love in exchange for getting revenge on the man that tore his crew apart, and eventually led to his demise. This is the moral ambiguity that is Heat's biggest importance that GTA V didn't show, and shows V's lack of storytelling ambition, along with it's characters. If I were to rewrite GTA V, I would remove Steve Haines from the story, and let Dave Norton be more like the Hanna-type character within GTA V, and lessen their involvement to the story, and let Michael, and his crew do the heists for their own pleasure rather than being the dogs of the FIB, which is IMO the worst story arc within GTA V's story.

Edited March 31, 2017 by TheOneLibertonian

[Good Hombre]

While Michael is inspired by McCauley, Trevor is very similar to Waingro, but Waingro makes much more sense and is way better character. Nice post btw.

[SegmentationFault]

Totally going to agree with your approach for the story and that the FIB heists were the worst story arc of the game...

Also, Blitz Play is really similar to the opening heist of Heat and Michael's relationship with Amanda (kind of) reminded me Hanna's crumbling marriage in an extent.

[SmokesWithCigs]

yeah gta v is heat pretty much only Michael(deniro) is looking to kill trevor because he botched a heist. brad is based on val kilmer and the character franklin is based on played by dennis haysbert dies during the major bank heist in the city.

Edited April 1, 2017 by SmokesWithCigs

[Sonny_Black]

Honestly, I didn't felt a single second an inspiration from HEAT and Michael Mann style and class. To me Michael Mann movies are f*cking masterpieces , I'm a huge fan; I love his style, the music he use, how every characters can die just like that, I also really like this dark and serious atmosphere, how the actors are trained and the fact that there is no useless humor with sh*tty charact'. He is a master of cinema to me.

 

GTA 5 is more like "The Fate of the Furious".

 

 

I dreamed of a story like' and characters as good as HEAT for GTA 5 when I first knew about Los Santos and the heist. Such a shame, that was my only shot because I don't R* will ever come back in L.S with a story heist based of.

 

To me comparing GTA 5 and Mann's work is a huge mistake anyway, given the quality of GTA 5's script..and it is not even only that.

Edited April 2, 2017 by anthony

[Mechemix]

Honestly, I didn't felt a single second an inspiration from HEAT and Michael Mann style and class. To me Michael Mann movies are f*cking masterpieces , I'm a huge fan; I love his style, the music he use, how every characters can die just like that, I also really like this dark and serious atmosphere, how the actors are trained and the fact that there is no useless humor with sh*tty charact'. He is a master of cinema to me.

 

GTA 5 is more like "The Fate of the Furious".

 

 

I dreamed of a story like' and characters as good as HEAT for GTA 5 when I first knew about Los Santos and the heist. Such a shame, that was my only shot because I don't R* will ever come back in L.S with a story heist based of.

 

To me comparing GTA 5 and Mann's work is a huge mistake anyway, given the quality of GTA 5's script..and it is not even only that.

I agree

[highspeed]

When I was watching Heat the other day, I was thinking exactly this! The big shoot out, hitting the armored car scene especially!

 

I don't get all the negativity, GTA V is an awesome game and people would be whining and bullsh*tting about it either way. Enjoy the damn game. That's all it is, after all anyway.

Edited April 3, 2017 by highspeed

[Galehaut]

When you read the main story line on paper honestly , it's really not that bad. It's really hard to see the game like a movie when you play it at your own pace while also doing in-game activities and side quests.

 

For me , the story line is very well written but hard to display fully without being shadowed by all the other elements of the game. I re-organised the main story line while adding some movie timeline indicators and it makes the whole thing a lot more easier to analyse fairly ;

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/GameWritingLab/comments/55i8zp/is_gtav_main_story_written_like_a_hollywood_movie/

 

Intro :

 

'' MAJOR SPOILER - THE WHOLE MAIN STORY IS EXPOSED HERE

 

Movie trailers :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzue74y7A84

GTA V : The Vinewood Screenplay - A Tale of Three Tragedies

Important Note : Although it is not specifically stated when exactly in 2013 the movie takes place, on-screen evidences suggests August - October 2013. The prologue scene is set in 2004.
Proof : http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gtawiki/images/1/1c/Michael_Townley_1965-2004.png/revision/latest?cb=20140816015525 -

Synopsis : Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals plot their own chances of survival and success: Franklin, a former street gangster, now looking for real opportunities and serious money; Michael, a professional ex-con whose retirement is a lot less rosy than he hoped it would be; and Trevor, a violent maniac driven by the chance of a cheap high and the next big score. Running out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life. ''