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Buzzed
I just finished watching a movie called Cypher. I couldn't help but think about Shadowrun while watching this movie. It was a movie about double agents stealing information. It doesn't get anymore shadowrun then that. =P I reccomend watching this if you need some inspiration or just some silly sci-fi entertainment. It was actually a rather good movie in my opinion. Linkage: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284978/

A few months ago, I watched a movie that was kind of old, but it did have a shadowrun feel to it. It was about a futuristic prison. The funny part is the prison is completely automated with drones, and the only live guards are all souped up with cyberware. The movie is called Fortress. Linkage: http://www.movie-pages.com/movie/fortress/B00005O5B6/

I want to see your lists of uncommon movies that definately have a shadowrun flavor to them.

Remember: Crime does not pay. Nobody escapes the fortress.
Aku
although it's not "rare" (more of a semi cult classic) I love Bladerunner for my SR-ish/cyberpunk dose.
Starglyte
The movie Snatch has a Shadowrun feel IMHO. Different groups working at cross purposes and interacting with each other at the most strangest times. I can see a runner group hired to get the diamonds and going through hell to get their run completed.Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels has the same feel as well.
Critias
I like some of these movies, and some of these movies, and the search engine.
Arethusa
Isn't there some sort of statutory waiting period on these threads? And can't we extend that?
Aku
do you mean in making them (as in don't we hear this every other month) or in replying to them (because someone beat you to a reply?)
nezumi
I just watched World Police: Team America. I think that'd be good for some groups I've seen.
Yoan
I watched 'Sin City' a while back; didn't particularly like the way it was directed, but enjoyed the atmosphere it provided. I found it has a lot of the stuff, that I try to include in my own games.

Gee, that sure was vague.

Above all: 'Ronin'. Teamwork in action.
'Heat' has one of my favourite firefights, though.
Angelone
Sin City had an excellent atmosphere.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is cool for ideas on how to hide weapons and the combat is nice and flashy.
Krazy
equalibrem. just had to mention the dystopian, samenss that people try to break out of. really, thats why. john preston has nothing to do with it. (run away)
Crimsondude 2.0
QUOTE (Yoan)
Above all: 'Ronin'. Teamwork in action.
'Heat' has one of my favourite firefights, though.

"Above all: Ronin"

"Above all?"

This is a joke, right? Heat is so much better than Ronin it's not even debatable. The teamwork, planning, combat skills, fallout, and every other effing thing about that movie kicks the living shit out of Ronin. Most of Ronin seems like amateur hour compared to it.
Supercilious
HEAT is one of my favourite movies, by far. The bank robbery scene was so perfect...

Heat and Bladerunner (As usual) are probably my top 2 "Shadowrun" movies.
Yoan
QUOTE (Crimsondude 2.0 @ Jun 19 2005, 11:54 PM)
QUOTE (Yoan @ Jun 19 2005, 10:36 PM)
Above all: 'Ronin'. Teamwork in action.
'Heat' has one of my favourite firefights, though.

"Above all: Ronin"

"Above all?"

This is a joke, right? Heat is so much better than Ronin it's not even debatable. The teamwork, planning, combat skills, fallout, and every other effing thing about that movie kicks the living shit out of Ronin. Most of Ronin seems like amateur hour compared to it.

K, glad you think so. Now he has a reason to see both.
Wasn't aware that personal opinions/preferences weren't welcome here. indifferent.gif
Arethusa
QUOTE (Yoan)
K, glad you think so. Now he has a reason to see both.
Wasn't aware that personal opinions/preferences weren't welcome here. indifferent.gif

Well, now you know.

This is so going to turn into another 12 pages of HEATHEATHEATHEATOMGZHEAT.
weblife
Not a film, although coming as one soon:

Firefly, Sci-Fi runners in space. Western-like atmosphere on the backwater worlds.

Each episode is generally a run, the team having their hideout on a Firefly class transporter.

Too bad is discontinued. Only one season got made.
nezumi
Err... Firefly? It's a great series, sure. Even has its own thread over in General Gaming. But as a shadowrun?

1) They have spaceships.
2) They tend to visit big, desolate planets with poor security controls
3) They have SPACESHIPS
4) When they need to run away, they dont' hide out in the crummy part of the city, they get into their SPACESHIP and fly away into space where people can't find them
5) I remember seeing maybe 6 scenes of combat in the whole series, and none of it is even vaguely comparable to anything I've seen in the sprawls of Seattle. Alright, maybe the one in the brothel was. But the rest really weren't.

So go ahead and watch firefly because it's a fun series, but don't do it with the misconstrued idea that it'll give you good ideas for Shadowrun unless you're doing a pirate or a spaceship campaign.
Fortune
Streets of Fire!
Backgammon
QUOTE (Fortune)
Streets of Fire!

Streets of fire does rock, even though I caught it in french on some TV channel a few christmas agos. Really should rent the actual movie one day, assuming I can find it!
Smiley
Has anyone said Reservoir Dogs yet (this month)?
Aku
nope, you're the first. I really should see that movie, i've heard good things about it, and it's one of those that like, trying to get into tv/film, would prolly be a good thing. I think i saw a preview on IFC for it...
Smiley
QUOTE (Aku @ Jun 20 2005, 09:50 AM)
nope, you're the first.

On the current incarnation of this particular thread, anyway.
shadow_scholar
Since we're revisting films, I've always been more fascinated with crime films that had good stories as opposed to films that only had a similar setting to Shadowrun. I always thought finding a good plot and converting it over had great potential. On that note, I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but howabout 'Spartan'? It has a very militaristic feel to it, but it shows how hidden plots can truly make the main character's day a very bad one. Why not mention a few of David Mamet's stories/flicks, then? 'Heist' (which he wrote & directed) and 'Ronin' (which he wrote as Richard Weisz) have already been mentioned, but howabout some of his other twisty crime films/stories, like 'House of Games'? There are few crime films I still haven't seen that he was involved with, like 'Homicide' and 'Things Change'.

Another surprise that I haven't seen anyone mention was 'Strange Days'. Basically the story is a murder mystery revolving around a dealer in simsense/BTLs. Very well done, IMO, but a little old now. The big chronological event in the film is that the year 2000 is fast approaching.

Another great caper movie I have seen recently was 'Layercake'. If you dug 'Lock, Stock...' and 'Snatch', you'll want to check this one out. While it isn't as funny, I think it has a much better, much more twisty plot than Guy Ritchie's two caper films. Give it a look.

And if you're less into the celluloid and more into the paper, and you're really into capers, then read some Elmore Leonard. Many of his books have been converted into movies because of the their great plots and good dialogue (Get Shorty, Be Cool, Out of Sight, The Big Bounce, Rum Punch as Q. Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown') and he just keeps going. He's got two movies in pre-production right now based one two more of his books, Killshot, and Tishomingo Blues. Definitely give this guy a read if you're a GM and want to create amusing, memorable, and three dimensional bad guys , or to get some good plot hooks.
weblife
QUOTE (nezumi @ Jun 20 2005, 09:14 AM)
Err...  Firefly?  It's a great series, sure.  Even has its own thread over in General Gaming.  But as a shadowrun?

1)  They have spaceships. 
2)  They tend to visit big, desolate planets with poor security controls
3)  They have SPACESHIPS
4)  When they need to run away, they dont' hide out in the crummy part of the city, they get into their SPACESHIP and fly away into space where people can't find them
5)  I remember seeing maybe 6 scenes of combat in the whole series, and none of it is even vaguely comparable to anything I've seen in the sprawls of Seattle.  Alright, maybe the one in the brothel was.  But the rest really weren't.

So go ahead and watch firefly because it's a fun series, but don't do it with the misconstrued idea that it'll give you good ideas for Shadowrun unless you're doing a pirate or a spaceship campaign.

Each episode features a "run", they have a mission stated as a courier run, snatch, info retrieval etc. All very much like SR.

They use their net of contacts to get by and get jobs. Also very SR.

They hide out in crummy places of the galaxy. Their galaxy is as overrun as any sprawl. Not too unreasonable when you take into consideration that everyone needs fuel, so they are never too far off into the unknown. - So, the setting in space does not remove them from SR-like properties.

Combat in Firefly is very fast. Someone pulls, someone dies. The number of combatants are usually 1-4 on each side, with the shootout in the brothel as the clear exception. You think this discerns it from SR, but it actually doesn't. Thats entirely up to the gore level of the gaming group.

Most of the action is on planet, off ship. Ships are used to move around in, its easy to abstract it into shuttles being vans and the freighter a hideout.

Anyhow, I just wouldn't allow your misleading description to stand alone. Firefly has many elements that fit nicely into the SR gaming type.

EDIT: Almost forgot, the moral fiber of the main characters are also very along the lines of what could be found in a SR team.
Yoan
QUOTE (Arethusa)
QUOTE (Yoan @ Jun 20 2005, 02:03 AM)
K, glad you think so. Now he has a reason to see both.
Wasn't aware that personal opinions/preferences weren't welcome here. indifferent.gif

Well, now you know.

This is so going to turn into another 12 pages of HEATHEATHEATHEATOMGZHEAT.

Every time I watch 'Heat', I roll my eyes and fast-forward to the raging gun battle.
Shockwave_IIc
Can't remember, it is page 1 or page 2 that we bring in the Anime films??
Sicarius
Usual Suspects.
blakkie
Imagine my shock that this thread, and even the two linked, managed to make it past the first page with out listing Léon?
weblife
I actually disagree with that. While Léon is a great movie, there are few SR elements in it.

No team. Only wetwork. Cops are crooked.. (No wait, that last bit could be SR). No sci-fi.

Lots and lots of shooting though. But if thats the sole common trait, then its stretching it. I just can't connect the dots between Léon and the SR universe.
weblife
Ocean's 11 and 12 are SR'ish in a humorous fashion. smile.gif
blakkie
QUOTE (weblife)
I actually disagree with that. While Léon is a great movie, there are few SR elements in it.

No team. Only wetwork. Cops are crooked.. (No wait, that last bit could be SR). No sci-fi.

Lots and lots of shooting though. But if thats the sole common trait, then its stretching it. I just can't connect the dots between Léon and the SR universe.

Heat was sci-fi? I must have missed that. wink.gif

Teamwork was in there, just is that the protagonist wasn't big on it because of how he operated. biggrin.gif

The parts i was thinking of were the liberal use of grenades, the outragiously overkill weapons the responce team used, the infiltration, the body count, the crime, the citizens living in fear and crappy apartments, the crooked cops, the Mafia fixer, the lonely anti-hero life of Leon, that Leon is a criminal on the outside of society because he is running from his past, that Leon is such a badass adept-like character.
Crimson Jack
QUOTE (weblife)
Ocean's 11 and 12 are SR'ish in a humorous fashion. smile.gif

Agreed. Guilty pleasure: watching Toulour get past that array of randomly pathed security laser systems, set to his little latin techno-pop tunes. Guilty because I thought 12 was hardly original and only marginally watchable.
Smiley
The Score. Johnny Mnemonic. etc.
Angelone
The Big Hit sarcastic.gif
Ghost in the Shell
Escape from LA/New York
Predator
The Terminator movies(kinda)
Catsnightmare
QUOTE (Crimsondude 2.0 @ Jun 19 2005, 10:54 PM)

This is a joke, right? Heat is so much better than Ronin it's not even debatable. The teamwork, planning, combat skills, fallout, and every other effing thing about that movie kicks the living shit out of Ronin. Most of Ronin seems like amateur hour compared to it.

Duh! Because the crew in Heat had been working together on several jobs for a year or more at the least and knew the area, their local contacts, each other, how they worked together.
That versus Ronin where the whole team was comprised of complete strangers who know almost nothing of how each other works, brought together in strange territory (except for Vincent), on short notice. Even though they were professionals, given that situation you can't expect them to work like the well oiled machine of the crew in Heat.
ElFenrir
It's not a movie, but I like watching The Shield. I think it's a show that shows excellent ways on how to work your contacts(greasing their palms, spreading out the words, using FoFs, etc), and also, how to handle Lone Star. :grinbig They do answer to cash often it can seem...
Ol' Scratch
The only movie I've ever seen that catches the atmosphere of the Sixth World (cyberpunk/sci-fi themes, Lone Star, corrupt megacorporations that hold power over every level of society, shamanistic elemental magic, races, etc.) is The Fifth Element. It's a bit more advanced than Shadowrun in that it's a space opera-type setting, but if you translate Manglores into Orks, the Diva into an Elf, and the Mondoshawans into... okay, not sure what they'd be... you get a nice Shadowrun vibe from the whole movie.

I mean, it even has a Rocker. Come on. biggrin.gif
Jrayjoker
QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein)
and the Mondoshawans into... okay, not sure what they'd be...

Free spirits, elementals?
shadow_scholar
QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein)
The only movie I've ever seen that catches the atmosphere of the Sixth World (cyberpunk/sci-fi themes, Lone Star, corrupt megacorporations that hold power over every level of society, shamanistic elemental magic, races, etc.) is The Fifth Element. It's a bit more advanced than Shadowrun in that it's a space opera-type setting, but if you translate Manglores into Orks, the Diva into an Elf, and the Mondoshawans into... okay, not sure what they'd be... you get a nice Shadowrun vibe from the whole movie.

I mean, it even has a Rocker. Come on. biggrin.gif

I heard Luc Besson wrote that movie when he was, like, 12. So what does that say about the Shadowrun universe?
Jrayjoker
QUOTE (shadow_scholar)
QUOTE (Doctor Funkenstein @ Jun 21 2005, 10:10 AM)
The only movie I've ever seen that catches the atmosphere of the Sixth World (cyberpunk/sci-fi themes, Lone Star, corrupt megacorporations that hold power over every level of society, shamanistic elemental magic, races, etc.) is The Fifth Element.  It's a bit more advanced than Shadowrun in that it's a space opera-type setting, but if you translate Manglores into Orks, the Diva into an Elf, and the Mondoshawans into... okay, not sure what they'd be... you get a nice Shadowrun vibe from the whole movie.

I mean, it even has a Rocker.  Come on. biggrin.gif

I heard Luc Besson wrote that movie when he was, like, 12. So what does that say about the Shadowrun universe?

I could see that, but then again, we are looking for the younger gamer with SR4.
Whiteout
Reservoir Dogs is what I consider the closest thing to Shadowrun (Ronin with a close second) Just the idea that these men (with codenames) can kill like 80 cops and still get away is awesome. And the scene when Mr. White just unloads on the front window of that car SCREAMS shadowrun, that movie kicks ass
Nyxll
Of course blade runner is mentioned... sneakers is awesome as well.

The Professional -- Was amazing how he resembled a character I had developed a year earlier.

Le Femme Nakita -- or Point of no Return

Total Recall

Demolition man

Judge Dredd

Tank Girl

Predator

Tv - Space hunter - has some good dark city scene's

Fifth element is inspirational, but not really shadowrunnish.

These are some off the top of my head.
hyzmarca
Mrs. Doubtfire.

It illustrates exactly why having a disguise skill of 6 is worth the cost.

The Maltese Falcon is also a good one. Never underestimate the clasics. Just turn the Falcon into a magical artifact you you have a great campaign with a great ending.
TeOdio
You folks are probably going to laugh, but the inspiration for my 1st Shadowrun game I ever ran (God, about 12 years ago), was Free Jack. It's a goofy Sci Fi movie with Emilio Estaves, Renee Russo, Anthony Hopkins, and Frickin Mick Jagger! I watched it again about a year ago and it holds up pretty well for a cheesy action movie. It has cool gadgets, some cyberspace stuff, a band of mercenaries, and Big Evil Corp with Big Evil back stabbings and double crossing going on. A lot of Popcorn Fun!
nuyen.gif nuyen.gif nuyen.gif
DrJest
QUOTE (TeOdio)
You folks are probably going to laugh, but the inspiration for my 1st Shadowrun game I ever ran (God, about 12 years ago), was Free Jack. It's a goofy Sci Fi movie with Emilio Estaves, Renee Russo, Anthony Hopkins, and Frickin Mick Jagger! I watched it again about a year ago and it holds up pretty well for a cheesy action movie. It has cool gadgets, some cyberspace stuff, a band of mercenaries, and Big Evil Corp with Big Evil back stabbings and double crossing going on. A lot of Popcorn Fun!
nuyen.gif nuyen.gif nuyen.gif

No laughter here (well. Except for Mick Jagger's breezily cynical one-liners biggrin.gif ) - Freejack is one I would use for illustrating aspects of Shadowrun. Streets of Fire, already mentioned; likewise I agree with Firefly (Serenity in, what, three months? Woohoo!). Did anyone mention Equilibrium? I expect so, it usually shows up. Preston the 300 or so karma pistol adept smile.gif.

Couple of interesting ones that might not otherwise get in:

Broken Arrow: Consider John Travolta's team (digress - he makes ten times the bad guy he ever did the hero) as amoral professional runners (ie the kind that most of you lot seem to play nyahnyah.gif ) .

National Treasure: Cheesy as hell, but an enjoyable beer-and-a-curry flick. I can't put my finger on precisely why this one made me think of SR; possibly the hunting through the past for a mysterious treasure made me think of the DIMR's search for ancient artefacts. Some nice, if probably implausible, Hollywood gimmickry for the B&E scenes.

Aliens: "Hello, I'm Mr. Johnson. We've lost contact with our R&D outpost in the middle of nowhere, and we're hiring a team to investigate. The nice lady here seems to think some kind of paranimal is involved, ha-ha, she's a little crazy though. We can provide some higher-grade weaponry though. You know, just in case." I ran a conversion of Aliens set in Antarctica that went down pretty well.

Split Second: Cheese again, and derivative as hell, but again fun in a turn-your-brain-off, beer-and-a-curry way. The psychic aspect combined with the dark future setting (dated now, unfortunately, since I believe the film is supposed to be set in the late 90's - but if you ignore the opening splash, the date is never mentioned again, so imagine it in the 2050's) and the strange paranimal make it a SR-esque kind of thing.
ElFenrir
Another really cheesy, but enjoyable flick i find is Hackers. Before you laugh too hard, it's a good showing of A. What deckers can do, B. What deckers can do if you piss them off, and C. That you don't even need a gun to wreak havoc. Sometimes gun and combat addicts need something to show that it's definately not the only way to go!


I always thought Akira was a good watch as well. The biker gangs, the grit and feel, some twisted form of Awakening, all that good stuff.


Back to Broken Arrow...what was that line again...? Something like 'I don't know what's scarier, the fact that a nuclear weapon got stolen, or the fact it happens so often, there's a term for it.'




Ol' Scratch
QUOTE (shadow_scholar)
I heard Luc Besson wrote that movie when he was, like, 12. So what does that say about the Shadowrun universe?

That they were both inspired by similar sources (such as Heavy Metal, which is where he clearly looted the idea for Kobin Dallas; complete with the ex-war hero cabbie who had a collection of firearms he took from people trying to rob him)?
Walknuki
Batman Begins

A great movie to inspire that dark, gritty feel of life in the future where hope is dead and corruption rules.

Also it's awesome sauce.
langolas
Has anyone mentioned Nemesis? No magic, but very much a Shadowrun feel. a bad movie too, but another guilty pleasure. I should check Amazon and see if it's on DVD. I like this thread, lots of great movies!
Whiteout
I just saw the new Land of the Dead movie, and that entire movie is basically shadowrun. They have all sorts of guns, each character has certain skills and flaws, intresting vehicles and gadgets, and a world were the powerful rule over the masses. It even has the barrens. SO i recommend Land of the Dead, it is a shadowrun movie with Zombies and Bad acting.
blakkie
QUOTE (ElFenrir)
Another really cheesy, but enjoyable flick i find is Hackers. Before you laugh too hard, it's a good showing of A. What deckers can do, B. What deckers can do if you piss them off, and C. That you don't even need a gun to wreak havoc. Sometimes gun and combat addicts need something to show that it's definately not the only way to go!

D. A young Angelina Jolie
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