Genre: Action
Director: Ryan Coogler
Writer: Harry Wright
Based on the video game series
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jason Mitchell, Alexandra Shipp, Demetrius Shipp Jr., Diego Luna, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Walter Hauser, Brett Gelman, Evan Mendes, John Slattery, Donnie Yen
Plot : Three nameless thugs, dressed in white and purple, signaling their allegiance to the Ballas gang, enter a car, a Sabre and drive in the street of Los Santos. They turn on Grove Street and slow down just before the roundabout. They take out their guns and they shoot a house, the Johnson house, with the intent to kill Sweet Johnson, leader of the Grove Street Families, dressed in green. However, their attack didn’t kill Sweet, but his mother, Beverly.
Carl CJ Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), following the death of his mother, flies back to Los Santos, a city he left years ago after his brother, Sweet, forced him to leave, after Sweet held Carl responsible for their brother’s death. The idea of seeing Sweet again doesn’t rejoice CJ, but he ha to do it, for his mother. After he leaves the airport in a taxi, CJ is arrested by two police officers, Officer Frank Tenpenny (Samuel L. Jackson) and Eddie Pulaski (Paul Walter Hauser), two members of the C.R.A.S.H. unit, a corrupt team of police. They say they intend to frame Carl for the murder of a police officer and that they’ll watch his every move. They drop just outside of Grove Street. He enters his childhood home and reunites with Big Smoke (Jamal Woolard), one of the leading members of the gang. They drive to the funeral and meet Sweet Johnson (Brian Tyree Henry), Ryder (Jason Mitchell), a Grove Street gang member and Kendl (Alexandra Shipp Jr.), Sweet’s and CJ’s sister. Sweet and Carl immediately get in a big argument, which prompts Kendl to leave. They stay for the funeral, but Ballas arrive and attempt another drive-by shooting, which destroys Big Smoke’s car. They steal some bikes and race back to Grove Street in small alleys. Seeing the state of the gang, CJ decides to stay in Los Santos to help it back to its feet.
The first thing CJ intends to do to strengthen the gang is clearing the hood of crack dealers. He enlists the help of Sweet, Smoke, Ryder and OG Loc (Demetrious Shipp Jr.), their rapper friend, who just came out of jail to go buy some guns. On their way to the gun shop, they spray tag over enemy gang tags, which triggers a wrong reaction from the Ballas and they have a shootout on the corner of a street. The Grove Street Family stands tall. They buy some more guns and burst in some crack house, killing the dealers to ensure that they won’t corrupt their neighborhood anymore. CJ is introduced to his sister Kendl’s boyfriend, Cesar Vialpando (Diego Luna), leader of the Hispanic gang Varrios Los Aztecas, enemies of the Vagos. Their first meeting doesn’t go as planned but CJ eventually sees an ally in Cesar, thanks to his hatred of the Vagos and the Ballas. On his way back to Grove Street, CJ is pulled over by Pulaski and Tenpenny, ordering him to kill some Vagos and torch a house and to interrupt the meeting between the Ballas and Russians. With no other choice, CJ steals a car and goes to the indicated address.
Armed with only a pistol, a lighter and beer bottles given to him by the officers, CJ arrives at the address in the middle of the day. One Vagos member notices him and they start to target CJ, who’s like a standing duck in the middle of the street. He hides behind his car and he throws a Molotov cocktail in the house. The Vagos start to panic and he guns them down as they exit the house. He throws a couple more until the house is completely set aflame and leaves the scene as he hears police sirens approaching. CJ steals another car in the adjacent street and he frantically drives to the motel, where Ballas and Russians are meeting, over a drug deal. Ho goes in and he guns down the foes, unaware of his presence. As he’s exiting by the service entrance, Sweet calls him and he requests his assistance in a shootout he started with the Ballas, not far away from here. He drives there and crashes in a group of Ballas, before saving his brother. Smoke and Ryder arrive afterwards. They storm through most of the remaining Ballas, striking hard in their HQ, killing most of their important members (including the one who shot their mama). They just gained control over the Glen Park district. Just as they start to celebrate, a police car arrives and they all get in a car, Big Smoke behind the wheel. He gets on the freeway and crashes through a billboard and lands on all four wheels. They retreat back to Grove Street. After their great day, Sweet plans an attack on the critical Mulholland Intersection, as they want to regain its control.
It’s D-Day for the attack on Mulholland Intersection. As CJ’s getting ready, he receives a call from Cesar Vialpando who urges him to meet with him, he has to show him something, right now. Sweet leaves Grove Street with an army of Grove Street Family members, but Ryder and Smoke are nowhere to be seen. Carl meets with Cesar and they witness a meeting between Ryder, Smoke, C.R.A.S.H and the Ballas. They exit the garage in a Green Sabre, the same they used when they killed Beverly Johnson. CJ realises that Sweet is walking into a trap and he drives all the way to Mulholland Intersection, but it’s too late. The shootout already begun and the GSF are badly outmatched. The Ballas, Ryder and Smoke leave as they believe everyone is dead, but CJ arrives and sees his brother, heavily injured. He tells him what happened as the police arrive and arrest them both. Sweet is sent in a prison hospital while Carl is taken out of Los Santos by C.R.A.S.H. and taken to Angel Pine, a rural town, in the country.
As soon as CJ arrives in Angel Pine, he calls Cesar begging him to flee Los Santos with Kendl. CJ rents them a trailer in the countryside. As a way to pay for the home, Cesar gives ways to CJ to contact his cousin, she’ll have jobs for him and they’ll pay. As soon as he hangs up, CJ is contacted by Tenpenny, who threatens CJ. He says that if he tries to return to Los Santos and kill either Smoke or Ryder, Sweet will be harmed in prison. Tenpenny puts CJ in contact with one of his guys he wants him to protect over there and he hangs up. He decides to call Tenpenny’s guy first, as a way to please him.
CJ meets with a man who calls himself The Truth (John Slattery), a conspiracy theorist and a marijuana grower. He sells his product to Tenpenny. The Truth says he doesn’t need CJ’s help and he shows his arsenal and indeed, he doesn’t need CJ. However, he promises to call CJ when Tenpenny’s product is ready, so he can deliver it to him. CJ decides to meet with Cesar’s cousin, Catalina (Eva Mendes). The “jobs” Cesar talked about are actually robberies and together, CJ and Catalina perform several small-time robberies with a small payday, but without shedding blood. At the end of the day, Catalina wants CJ to come and race with her boyfriend. He accepts and they go off-road and in the desert. It turns out that her boyfriend Claude (Oscar Isaac) already found an opponent in Wu Zi Mu (Donnie Yen), the partially blind leader of the San Fierro triad. Wu Zi Mu, also called Woozie, just put a garage in San Fierro up for grabs, for the winner of the race. As Catalina cheers on, the race starts and it’s a close finish between Claude and Carl, but CJ ends up the winner and thus, is now the owner of a garage in San Fierro. As the other racers leave and CJ receives a call from The Truth, who requests assistance.
When CJ arrives at the Truth’s farm, he’s torching up his plantation with a flamethrower, he says the police are on his tail. CJ helps him to torch everything, even if he believes it’s just another conspiracy theory. He believes this until a police helicopter shows. The Truth goes to his hangar and retrieves a Rocket Launcher and he destroys the helicopter. He grabs Tenpenny’s drugs and they flee in Truth’s hippy van, to CJ’s garage in Los Santos. On the way, CJ calls Kendl who never got to Angel Pine and tells her to meet with him at the garage in San Fierro.
When he arrives in San Fierro, CJ is mad to see that the garage is not operational. Kendl calms him down and says they can turn it into a successful garage. To get it working, CJ hires mechanics and an electronic expert with the money he gained with Catalina. Carl and Kendl finally have a “normal” life, for the first time since Ryder and Smoke betrayed them. But then, CJ receives a call from Tenpenny. A District Attorney has information on him and Pulaski that could get them in prison. He asks him to get rid of the attorney. Tired of killing people, he decides to let the man live and instead wants to get arrested. He will put drugs in the trunk of his car, he will get disbarred and he will lose every ounce of credibility he has. He has drugs on hands, The Truth brought Tenpenny’s stash with them to San Fierro. Kendl has a plan, but it will require CJ to kill a man. He accepts even if he didn’t want to in the first place.
CJ sets his sight on a hotel, where the DA is staying. He follows a parking valet in the underground garage. He kills him and hides him in the trunk of the car. He puts on his uniform and waits for the DA to return. CJ fights with the other valet to park the DA’s car and he plants the drugs in it. He then anonymously calls the cops to tip them. He watches on as the police arrest the innocent man.
Cesar, who never left Los Santos, calls CJ and informs him that a Ballas car is seen leaving Mulholland Intersection and heading towards the countryside. CJ steals a car and with Cesar’s instructions, they follow the car until it stops in Angel Pine. CJ and Cesar climb on top of a convenience store and they take pictures of Ryder and some other men who meet the leaders of the Loco Syndicate, who provide them drug. In an act of impulsiveness and against Cesar’s advice, CJ stays hidden and starts shooting at the group, killing Jizzy, one of the Loco’s men. Ryder is unable to spot who shot them, but they all leave anyway.
A couple of days later, Woozie comes to CJ’s garage and ask to talk to him privately. He says he knows he was the one who killed Jizzy and he knows what happened to him in Los Santos. He says he could help him get back what he had if he helps him. CJ says he didn’t know if he should trust him or not. He says he’s the head of the San Fiero triad and he can set up a meeting with the Loco Syndicate and the Ballas and CJ can get his revenge and Woozie could kill the members of the Loco Syndicate. CJ doesn’t accept, but Woozie gives him the address anyway, because he’s going to follow through with that meeting anyway. CJ decides to call Cesar and Cesar reasons him that it might be the best chance they have to get back at Ryder without going back to Los Santos and they should go to that meeting. Cesar tells CJ to hang on an he’ll be there soon.
Cesar reunites with Kendl in San Fiero, but CJ separates them as it’s time to go to the arranged meeting. Needless to say, CJ put an impressive arsenal in the trunk. They arrive on the site and Woozie is already talking to them. Ryder is there. CJ takes his assault rifle and he starts shooting at the gang. Ryder spots him and starts trash talking Carl in the middle of the gunfight. In the ensuing scuffle, one of the Loco’s man, Mike Toreno (Brett Gelman) tries to fly away in a helicopter, but Cesar destroys it with CJ’s rocket launcher. In the end, CJ and Woozie are victorious and CJ goes to see a dying Ryder. Without exchanging any words, CJ executes his former friend. Now that CJ got what he wanted, it’s now time for him to make up to Woozie. He wants CJ to help him rob a casino.
CJ goes to the garage to announce to everyone that he’ll leave for Las Venturas for a job he needs to do. He bids farewell to his friends and leaves with his car. He receives a call from an unknown caller who asks him to come to his ranch, just outside of town. When CJ arrives there, the caller is revealed to be Mike Toreno. Toreno tells him that C.R.A.S.H. framed a murder to make it look like CJ did it. Toreno ends the conversation by telling Carl that one day he’ll ask him to do something and after that day, Sweet will be released from prison, but CJ must follow through on his promise.
When CJ gets to Las Venturas, the robbery is already well prepared by Woozie’s gang. They all have swipe cards for the casino, the plans, a way to shut down the power, a vehicle for the getaway, everything. Carl doesn’t have the time to prepare that the crew’s already leaving.
Salvatore Leone (Robert Duvall) is calmly eating in his casino when the power is shut. He asks his men to see what’s wrong and a group of armed men burst in the casino and start shooting in the air. People run away and security guards try to stop them, but are soon gunned down. CJ and Woozie head straight to the vaults and steal all the money. The police is now at the scene, but the crew is able to escape with their getaway vehicle without being seen. They end up at Woozie’s place and they count their money, laughing. This moment of joy doesn’t last for long for CJ. Mike Toreno calls and he wants something.
CJ goes to the Easter Basin Naval Station. He gets into a speedboat and breaks in the Naval Base. He heads straight to the jets and he steals a Hydra, a VTOL jet, designed for combat. He never had the chance to pilot one of those before, but thanks to Toreno’s instructions, he’s able to take off. It sets off the alarm at the Naval Base and they send jets to destroy Carl. With the help of the guided missiles, CJ quickly dispatches them and he flies away, far away from the Naval Base. He lands at an unofficial airport and parks it in a hangar. Toledo tells him to go to the Los Santos Police Headquarters and to pick up Sweet, he’s free.
Before CJ is able to go back to Los Santos, he’s pulled over by Tenpenny and Pulaski, who lock him up to the back of their car and drive to the desert. Tenpenny warns CJ that he was not supposed to go back to Los Santos and he leaves him with Pulaski in the desert before he drives away. Pulaski takes out his gun and puts it on CJ’s head. Before he’s able to shoot, CJ disarms him and threatens him with his pocket knife. Pulaski tries to run away, but CJ shoots him in the leg. He reaches out to him and CJ stomps his head to death.
CJ finally reunites with Sweet in Los Santos. They decide to go to Groove Street, their former home, after Sweet refuses to go to San Fiero with Kendl and Cesar. He says Grove Street is their home and it’s their duty to protect it. They find their former neighborhood in ruins, took over by the Ballas and crack dealers. They enter their former house and turn on the TV. Frank Tenpenny is on trial for several charges. The judge dismisses the case due to the lack of evidence. As the Johnson brothers call Kendl and Cesar to reunite in Grove Street, the news feed cuts to the streets of Los Santos who descend into rioting, following Tenpenny’s release. Sweet and Carl decide it’s the perfect time to reclaim their hood and attack the drug dealers. They fight their way to their headquarter, killing Ballas, Vagos, Rifas and Russians on the way. Inside the crack den, they find Big Smoke. Sweet and Carl take pleasure in shooting in his legs and arms before watching him die. CJ asks him why he betrayed them, he says he was too caught up in money and fame and because that way, everyone will remember the name of Big Smoke and then he dies.
As they exit the building, Tenpenny arrives with a shotgun. He threatens Carl and Sweet who obey him. They empty the content of Smoke’s safe in a briefcase. Tenpenny intends to flee Los Santos with the money. Tenpenny fires at a generator, which sets fire to the building. Tenpenny runs away with Carl and Sweet behind him. The firemen have arrived and Tenpenny tries to escape with a fire truck, but Sweet holds on the ladder. CJ follows them in the rioting streets of Los Santos and he catches Sweet as he falls off the ladder. Sweet takes the wheel and Carl acts as the shooter. They chase Tenpenny until he loses control of the firetruck on the bridge over Grove Street. The firetruck falls right in the middle of Grove Street. A severely-injured Tenpenny exits the firetruck and he says that he cleaned the streets and he dies, before Sweet and Johnson are able to arrive.
They go inside their house and meet with Kendl and Cesar. They celebrate their reunion as Los Santos is in total mayhem. The Grove Street family, well what remains of it, reclaimed their hood.
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