10 Iconic Video Game Moments You Had NO Idea Were Taken From Movies
5. Grand Theft Auto 4 - Three Leaf Clover/The Puerto Rican Connection
Inspired by: Heat (1995) / The French Connection (1971)
Rockstar Games doesn’t just reference movies - they absorb them. Grand Theft Auto as a franchise is basically built on a foundation of cinematic homage, from blink-and-you’ll miss-it nods to full-blown mission recreations. And in GTA IV, two standout sequences prove just how deep that rabbit hole goes.
First, there's Three Leaf Clover - the mission where Niko, Packie, and Derrick don suits and ski masks, storm a bank, and kick off a full-scale urban warfare shootout through Liberty City’s streets. Any crime film fan worth their salt will clock it immediately: it’s Heat. The precision, the duffle bags, the sheer scale of the escape - it’s Michael Mann’s downtown shootout reimagined with body armour and a wanted level.
Earlier, there was The Puerto Rican Connection - a deceptively small-scale chase mission with major cinematic pedigree. Niko tails a target riding the overhead train, pursuing relentlessly by car along the tracks before gunning him down on the subway steps. Sound familiar? That’s The French Connection, straight down to the jagged pacing and chaotic energy.