Movie Matchmaker: Quentin Tarantino’s Grand Theft Auto
by Tom Burns

THE MATCH: WHY IS TARANTINO THE PERFECT DIRECTOR FOR A GTA MOVIE?

Because who the hell else could pull it off? The Grand Theft Auto games have become this amazing synthesis of pop culture, violence, moral ambiguity, world building, movie references, black humor, and fantastically over-the-top characters, and there are a select few directors in the world could pull off such a juggling act. A GTA movie can’t just be an action movie or a stupid wannabe gangster flick. Yes, it needs action and gangsters, but it also needs the subversive satire, Shakespearean drama (that’s right, I referenced the Bard in relation to a GTA movie), attention to detail, and ironic worldview that Rockstar brings to each and every game. And Quentin Tarantino could definitely bring that to the table. In fact, in terms of tone, the only movies that we can think of that match what a GTA movie should go for are the Kill Bill movies, films that never skimped on character or drama, but still kicked our asses nine ways to Sunday with their cooler-than-cool charm and gorgeously staged violence.

So why, specifically, is Quentin a good choice? First, all of the GTA games wear their love of film on their sleeves - references to Scarface, Boyz N the Hood, and tons of other movies abound - and there’s possibly no more knowledgeable film geek in Hollywood, particularly about the kinds of films that appeal to the GTA audience, than Tarantino. He’s done the hitmen thing before (and done it well) and, with Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown, he’s proven that he’s a virtuoso at conducting layered crime sagas with overlapping storylines and larger-than-life characters (a GTA must). Quentin isn’t afraid of violence, but he knows when to turn on the buckets of blood and when it’s best to leave things off-camera. His knowledge and love of pop culture is immense (he was a judge on American frickin’ Idol, for Pete’s sake), and he’s got a good ear for what’s legitimately cool and what’s just poser posturing. And the two clinchers are - first, any GTA movie needs to have massive, insane car chases, and Quentin delivered one of the greatest car chases in movie history in Death Proof.

Second, the GTA games brilliantly use constantly shifting radio stations as their soundtracks, and, simply put, Tarantino would go ape-s*** with that device. All of his previous films have masterfully used radio classics as a huge portion of their score, and, as such, no one makes better mix-tape soundtracks than Quentin. Plus, selfishly, it seems like the perfect vehicle to finally hear the return of Reservoir Dogs’ Steven Wright and K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies. And, finally, although even saying this makes us feel like heartless corporate cogs, after Grindhouse underperformed, it might be nice for Quentin to try something a little more commercial.

ALTERNATES:

Even though, stylistically, Quentin is note-perfect for the GTA franchise, we realize it would probably take a lot to convince the man to take on the project. (The fact that he’d probably have to defer to Rockstar on creative issues alone might be the nail in the coffin.) So, if Tarantino can’t direct the GTA movie, who else might work? Well, the most obvious choice is Uwe Boll - kidding, kidding. Actually, the most obvious pick is probably Michael Mann. The man knows epic city-wide crime dramas, Miami Vice was obviously a big influence on GTA: Vice City, and, yeah, the street gun battle in Heat is a genre classic. The problem with Mann is that he skews a bit older than GTA’s target audience, and his last attempt to appeal to bling-gangster culture, the Miami Vice movie, was a melodramatic mess. If Ted Demme was still alive (rest in peace), he might be a strong choice (Blow is an insanely rewatchable movie) or perhaps Antoine Fuqua – his films have always been lacking in terms of script, but Training Day matches the look of the games pretty well, and Shooter was almost as bat-sh*t crazy as some of the GTA missions. If we wanted to go completely insane, Abel Ferrara, director of Bad Lieutenant and King of New York, would definitely deliver something "interesting." And, while, yes, the films of Brian De Palma and John Singleton obviously influenced some of the GTA games, until either of those directors makes 2 or 3 consecutively good movies to make up for the dreck they’ve been churning out lately, they don’t even get on the short list.

Movie Matchmaker: Quentin Tarantino’s Grand Theft Auto Page 3