Fictional video game character
Thomas "Tommy" Vercetti is a fictional character and the playable protagonist of the 2002 video game "", the fourth main installment in Rockstar Games's "Grand Theft Auto" series. The first protagonist in the series who can speak, Tommy was voiced by Ray Liotta.
Portrayed as a temperamental Italian-American mobster, Tommy is a made man or ex-"soldato" of the Forelli crime family, a fictional Italian Mafia organisation. After serving a 15-year prison sentence for murder, Tommy is released in 1986 and resumes work in Vice City, a fictional city based on Miami. However, he is soon tasked with recovering the stolen goods from an ambushed drug deal. Tommy's quest leads him to make various criminal contacts, building up a reputation within the criminal underworld of Vice City. Tommy eventually expands his criminal empire, becoming the city's kingpin.
Tommy was well received by critics, who found him to be more fleshed-out and likeable than previous protagonists in the series, and praised his characterization, comparing it to that of Tony Montana from the 1983 film "Scarface". Liotta's performance as Tommy was also praised and earned him multiple year-end accolades.
Concept and design.
Tommy Vercetti first appears wearing a blue green Hawaiian shirt. He is offered more wardrobe options as the game progresses. Tommy, in several ways, exhibits characteristics of fictional drug lord Tony Montana from the 1983 film "Scarface". This coincides with the heavy themes and appearance of the movie that has been implemented into "Vice City". The interplay between Tommy and Lance Vance was crafted to be similar to the relationship of "Miami Vice"'s Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.
The team spent time "solving [the] riddle" of a speaking protagonist, a notable departure from "Grand Theft Auto III"'s silent protagonist Claude. Ray Liotta portrayed protagonist Tommy Vercetti. Liotta described the role as challenging: "You're creating a character that's not there before ... It's so intensive". When recording the role, the team used blue screen in order to allow Liotta to visualise "how it's gonna move". The team ensured that the player felt "real affinity" for Tommy, making the narrative a key development interest. Dan Houser described Tommy as "strong and dangerous and prepared to wait for the right opportunity to arrive". Director Navid Khonsari found Liotta occasionally difficult to work with. "In some sessions he was ... into it, but then sometimes ... he was very dark and couldn't work", said Sam Houser.
Prior to the release of "Vice City", IGN stated that Tommy was likely to "leave the same kind of imprint on kids today that [actor Ray Liotta's] portrayal of Ray Sinclair left on every high school and college kid who saw "Something Wild" back in 1986." They also compared Liotta's portrayal of Tommy to his portrayal of Henry Hill in "Goodfellas". When asked about his portrayal of Tommy, Liotta stated that "it was hard work." He said that "you're pretty much putting yourself in [the game developers'] hands and doing whatever they want so there's not much for you to do creatively."
Biography.
Tommy Vercetti, born in Liberty City to an Italian American family, helped his father at a printing press as a child. Initially aspiring to an honest life, he fell into crime as a teenager through Sonny Forelli, a mafia boss who eventually made him a member of the Forelli Crime Family. In 1971, Sonny, fearing Tommy's growing influence, set him up in a trap that led to Tommy killing 11 men in self-defense. Arrested for multiple murders, Tommy earned the nickname "The Harwood Butcher" and served 15 years in prison.
In 1986, freshly released, Tommy was sent to Vice City by Sonny to oversee a drug deal. The deal was ambushed, leaving Tommy to recover the lost money and drugs. During his investigation, he formed alliances with figures like Ken Rosenberg, Colonel Cortez, Kent Paul, Lance Vance, and Avery Carrington. Discovering drug lord Ricardo Diaz orchestrated the ambush, Tommy and Lance killed Diaz in his own mansion, seizing his empire.
With Diaz's assets, Tommy established the "Vercetti Gang", distancing himself from the Forellis and building a vast criminal empire. He neglected Lance, who felt sidelined while expanding his operations and forming alliances with local gangs.
When Sonny arrived in Vice City demanding payment, he revealed Lance’s betrayal and his role in Tommy’s 1971 arrest. A shootout ensued, resulting in Tommy killing both Sonny and Lance. With his rivals eliminated, Tommy cemented his position as Vice City's undisputed kingpin.
Not much is known about Tommy's life after 1986 other than his partnership with Ken being short-lived. At some point before 1992, when Ken's cocaine addiction became a serious nuisance for Tommy, he sent him to a rehabilitation center in Fort Carson, San Andreas, and abandoned him there. In ', a short prologue film to ', Ken gets out of rehab after completing his treatment and tries to contact Tommy, but is unsuccessful, as the latter has cut all ties with him.
Reception.
The character of Tommy Vercetti received very positive reviews and remarks from critics and players of "Vice City", making it to many lists of the best video game characters. "AllGame"'s Scott Alan Marriott found Tommy more engaging than "Grand Theft Auto III"'s Claude; "IGN"'s Perry felt that Rockstar "found the right person and the right choice", and "Edge" wrote that Tommy "sweats charisma", commending Liotta's performance. "CraveOnline" stated that playing as Tommy was "a breath of fresh air". "The Age" praised Liotta's acting and stated "while the character riffs on Tony Montana throughout the game, Liotta's speeches give him a reckless sense of humour that makes him more likeable". GameDaily praised Liotta's portrayal as having transformed him from a generic-looking thug to a "tough guy who ruled the 80's." "The Telegraph" described Tommy as "the most amoral" "Grand Theft Auto" protagonist.
Andy Kelly of "TheGamer" described Tommy as the "Greatest GTA Protagonist", highlighting his role as the first fully developed character in the "Grand Theft Auto" series. Unlike the eight interchangeable protagonists in the earlier 2D games—whose differences were limited to superficial traits like clothing and skin tone—Tommy featured a well-defined personality. While Claude from "Grand Theft Auto III" introduced some character depth, his silence left him lacking in overall personality. Kelly credited Ray Liotta for bringing Tommy to life, though he noted that Liotta was initially unfamiliar with the franchise's scale and faced conflicts with Rockstar during the recording process. Through comparing Tommy to other protagonists like Niko Bellic, Michael De Santa, and Carl Johnson, Kelly emphasized how Tommy's motives and backstory make him stand out.
Liotta won the award for Best Live Action/Voice Male Performance at the 2003 G-Phoria Awards and Best Performance by a Human at the 2003 Spike Video Game Awards.
References.
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