"This could be the beginning of a beautiful business relationship. After all, you're a conniving, back-stabbing, two-bit thief. And I'm a convicted psychotic killer and drug dealer."
---Tommy Vercetti
Thomas "Tommy" Vercetti is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series, appearing as the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986) and mentioned in The Introduction, a prequel of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (set in 1992). He is a former member of the Forelli Family and the leader of the Vercetti Gang, based out of Vice City. Tommy Vercetti is voiced by Ray Liotta, who has also starred in the blockbuster film Goodfellas. He is commonly seen sporting a blue Hawaiian Shirt.
Character
Early life
Tommy Vercetti was born in Liberty City in 1951. His father owned a printing shop and as a boy Tommy helped him by cleaning the rollers. He had planned to follow in his fathers footsteps, but in his own words, he "lived a different life". The only explanation given is that it may have had something to do with his relationship with his mother - when being chased by police, Tommy occasionally yells "Blame my mother, I do.". In one mission cutscene Tommy says something like "I was a war prisoner in 'Nam." (I might be wrong about this, so plz correct it if wrong /rs0wner301)
In his late teens, Tommy joined the Forelli Family. He continued to work with the Forelli Family, working his way up the rankings and becoming a made man. In 1971 Sonny Forelli, growing apprehensive of Tommy's growing power, attempted to set an ambush for him. However, Tommy not only survived, but killed all eleven attackers. He was arrested and convicted of eleven counts of first degree murder, although since he kept quiet and turned no evidence on the Forelli Family, they used judicial connections to spare him the death penalty. Tommy remained in prison for fifteen years, never informing the LCPD of any Forelli Family secrets.
1986
In 1986, he was released from prison after Sonny "pulled some strings". Forelli decides to send Tommy to Vice City, realizing that he is too well known in Liberty City. Sonny, wanting to become involved in the lucrative narcotics trade in Vice City, decides to send Tommy with some money and to allow him to establish a drug cartel for the Forelli's. Tommy flies to Vice City along with Harry and Lee, meeting Ken Rosenberg at the airport. The drug deal, with the Vance Crime Family, is ambushed by Ricardo Diaz' men, something Tommy only later discovers. Tommy, Rosenberg, and Lance Vance (of the Vance Crime Family) escape.
Tommy informs Sonny of the ambush and is reminded that Sonny is 'not a guy to be screwed with'. Tommy, looking to get Sonny's money back, begins to work for various criminals around the city to gain money and revenge. He initially works for Rosenberg, causing riots and intimidating jurors, before working for Juan Cortez, an intermediary for the drug deal, who begins to look into the ambush for Tommy. Meanwhile, he has Tommy steal missile technology chips and kill Gonzalez, who had talked about the deal.
Cortez, believing that Ricardo Diaz was responsible for the ambush, helps Tommy to act as protection for Diaz in a deal with the Cubans. The Haitians, arch enemies of the Cubans, attempt to ambush the deal, but are thwarted by Tommy and Lance. Diaz, seeing potential in Tommy and Lance, who he does not remember, hires them to, amongst other things, kill gang members stealing some of his drugs and steal the fastest boat in the city, in order to purchase drugs from a dealer on a boat. Lance attempts to kill Diaz in revenge for the death of his brother, but is captured, later being freed by Vercetti. The two later go on to extract revenge, killing Diaz in his mansion.
The death of Ricardo Diaz brings change to Vice City, allowing Tommy and Lance to step in and continue the protection ring established by Diaz. Tommy, however, begins to look beyond the protection ring and purchases a number of businesses around the city, most prominently the Malibu Club, the Cherry Popper Ice Cream Factory (used to sell drugs), InterGlobal Films and the Print Works. After purchasing each business, Tommy helps establish them in the city. During this time, Tommy also begins to work for a number of smaller time criminals in the city, including the Cuban leader Umberto Robina and the Haitian leader Auntie Poulet (due to her drugging him), helping both sides attack the other. He also works for Avery Carrington (helping his real estate business), Phil Cassidy (helping his gun running business), Mr. Black (helping to kill a number of people), Mitch Baker to retrieve his stolen motorcycle, and Kent Paul and Love Fist to stop a psychopathic fan. Tommy also went on to help Juan Cortez escape the city when the French government decide to assault his yacht.
Sonny Forelli, growing restless and impatient, sends his own men to collect some of 'his' money from Tommy. Tommy kills the collectors, although not in time to save Earnest Kelly, the man running the printers, from being injured. Tommy, viewing him a lot like his father, decides to give Sonny fake money printed at the Print Works. Tommy meets Sonny in person at his estate, with Sonny informing him that the Harwood incident was an ambush and that Lance had sided with him. A gun battle ensues, with Tommy killing both Lance and Sonny. Following the deaths of Lance and Sonny, Tommy and Ken begin to run the city.
Life After 1986
Tommy Vercetti continued to run the criminal underworld of Vice City until at least 1989-1992, although his relationship with Ken Rosenberg became increasingly strained due to Rosenberg's cocaine addiction. Tommy eventually sends Ken into rehab at the Fort Carson Medical Center in Fort Carson, San Andreas, later refusing to answer his telephone calls. He is one of the only GTA III-era protagonists who has not been established, or implied, as having been killed at some point after the game timeframe.
In one Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mission, a man with a strikingly similar appearance to Tommy Vercetti is briefly seen. He does not speak, and whether he actually was Tommy is not confirmed either way.
Personality
Tommy Vercetti is depicted as both intelligent but temperamental, easily angered and quick to resort to violence. He has no hesitation about killing, though many of his victims are in turn trying to kill Tommy as well, or have done something that requires to be killed. The story does not require Tommy to kill any innocent people. Tommy does also show a softer side as seen with his relations with Mercedes Cortez and Earnest Kelly, whom he views as a father figure due to his childhood memories of working with his father at a printworks.
Inspiration
Tommy Vercetti shows many characteristics in common with Tony Montana, a drug lord from the film Scarface. The two both end up in exile, both arrive to the city in Hawaiian shirts, both rise to power in Miami using great amounts of violence, both build an empire from a large estate and mansion, both have short tempers and are prone to violence, both work as contract killers, and both killed their collaborators and took their ex-bosses' empires. The interior of the Vercetti Estate is even modeled after Montana's mansion. There are, however, key differences, most notably that Tommy did not become addicted to his own narcotics and that Tommy survived the shoot out in his mansion, as opposed to Montana who was killed.
Tommy Vercetti also bears some resemblance to 'Mr. Blonde' from the film Reservoir Dogs, played by Michael Madsen who also voiced Toni Cipriani, protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The film sees 'Mr. Blonde' released from prison after loyally doing time for his crime family, as Tommy did after the "Harwood Incident". Tommy later performs contract killings for a 'Mr. Black', whilst he is referred to as 'Mr. Teal' (a reference to the then deceased Leo Teal).
Trivia
- Mercedes Cortez, the daughter of Juan Cortez, was conceived as a love interest for Tommy, but Rockstar Games removed this subplot during development. There is a lot of deleted dialogue that involves the relationship between the two.
- A Tommy Vercetti action figure can be located in the Zero RC shop in San Fierro in GTA San Andreas, along with a Lance Vance, James Earl Cash and Piggsy figure.
- An Easter Egg in Grand Theft Auto IV suggests that Tommy Vercetti, along with the other GTA III Era protagonists, are dead as of 2008. However, GTA IV does not share a canon with the GTA III Era. The egg likely refers to the fact that they will not be featured in any future games.
- Kent Paul mentioned Tommy on his website with a phrase: "see, Tom, I didn't mention your name, nowhere. Maybe you won't get us killed now, okay?". It possibly means that he was alive in 2002.
- Tommy is mentioned only once in GTA San Andreas - During "The Meat Business", where Ken mistakenly calls Carl "Tommy", to which CJ responds "Who the fuck is Tommy?".
- In the official Grand Theft Auto: Vice City strategy guide, it is stated that he is 35 years old during the events of Vice City, making his year of birth 1951.
- Tommy is shown to like his Street Outfit, as he was visibly annoyed when Ken Rosenberg told him to change into a Soiree Outfit before attending Colonel Juan's Party.
- Tommy has commited the most murders in the GTA III era, with a body count of 27. (not counting optional murders) In the entire series, Tommy commits the second most murders, only beaten by GTA IV character Niko Bellic, who has 50.
- Tommy kills three of Victor Vance's former employers. (Gonzalez, Ricardo Diaz and Lance Vance)
- In DRIV3R, a parody of Vice City there are ten hidden enemies named "Timmy Vermicelli" which can be murdered by the player. Being a parody, the Timmy Vermicellis are intentionally poorly rendered and bear resemblances to Tommy Vercetti, most notably with the Hawaiian shirt, necklace, and the similar location of each setting (Vice City being based of Miami, which is one of the three cities Driv3r takes place in). Timmy Vermicelli also wears waterwings/arm bands, a reference to the lack of swimming in pre-GTA San Andreas games.
Murders committed
- Eleven Unnamed Mobsters - Killed for trying to kill Tommy.
- Leo Teal - Murdered due to possible links to the ambushed drug deal.
- Gonzalez - Murdered for talking about the ambush deal between the Forelli and the Vance Crime Family.
- Pierre La Ponce - Murdered while attempting to escape a police ambush.
- Carl Pearson - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders.
- Mrs. Dawson - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders.
- Mike Griffin - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Dick Tanner - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Franco Carter - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Marcus Hammond - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Nick Kong - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Charlie Dilson - Murdered on Mr. Black's orders and for planning to rob a bank.
- Ricardo Diaz - Murdered for ambushing the deal with the Vance Crime Family.
- Pedro Garcia - Murdered due to being a rival gun runner to Phil Cassidy.
- Lance Vance - Murdered for betraying him.
- Sonny Forelli - Murdered for betraying and attempting to kill him.
Optional Murders:
- Cam Jones - Can be killed by Tommy or the SWAT officers in The Job.
- Front Page Cafe Owner - Can be killed although it does not affect the storyline.
- Mike - Can be killed in Bar Brawl althought it dosen't affect the storyline.
- Pepe - Can be killed at the end of Trojan Voodoo.
- Rico - Can be killed at the end of Trojan Voodoo.
- Cougar - Can be killed in Alloy Wheels of Steel.
- Zeppelin - Can be killed in Alloy Wheels of Steel.
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