Movies that have inspired Metal Gear

1984 (1984) (George Orwell's novel of a totalitarian future society in which a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by falling in love.)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (Humanity finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, object buried beneath the Lunar surface and, with the intelligent computer H.A.L. 9000, sets off on a quest. Inspired the names David and Hal (Solid Snake and Otacon) and the concept of AI's in Peace Walker.)

Austin Powers series (1997-1999-2002) (These are parodies of the James Bond movies and many of the silly things in Metal Gear have been inspired by many of the gags in these movies.)

Between Heaven and Hell (1956) (The spoiled rich son of a wealthy Southerner is changed by his experiences in the Pacific during World War II.)

Black Hawk Down (2001) (123 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis. The art direction and lighting of the film impressed Kojima so much, he went to where it was shot (Morocco) for visual reference to use in MGS4's first chapter.)

Bourne series (2002-2004-2007-2012) (A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and without memory, then races to elude assassins and recover from amnesia. Kojima strove to incorporate the Bourne series's "return to the roots of espionage action movies" into MGS4, exemplified by its "restrained action" and "earnest chase scenes".)

Che:Part One/Two (2008) (In 1956, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Basically Big Boss the movie)

Children of Men (2006) (In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea. Inspired the long takes of MGSV.)

Come and See (1985) (After finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet Army and experiences the horrors of World War II.)

Das Boot (1981) (The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.)

Dawn of the Dead (1978) (Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall. Dawn of the Dead's tight, confined spaces influenced the liberal use of structures like ducts and elevators in Metal Gear's hide-and-seek element.)

Django (1966) (A coffin-dragging gunslinger enters a town caught between two feuding factions, the KKK and a gang of Mexican Bandits. That man is Django, and he is caught up in a struggle against both parties. Inspired Revolver Ocelot.)

Die Hard series (1988-1990-1995-2007-2013) (Generally these movies have the main character, John McClane, saving the world from many catastrophes such as nuclear attacks and whatnot. The first three are classics, the others not so much.)

Dr. Strangelove (1964) (An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.)

Escape from New York (1981) (In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue. Inspired many things about the 'Snake' characters in Metal Gear.)

Escape from L.A. (1996) (Snake Plissken is once again called in by the United States government to recover a potential doomsday device from Los Angeles, now an autonomous island where undesirables are deported.)

Full Metal Jacket (1987) (The story follows a platoon of U.S. Marines through their training and the experiences of two of the platoon's Marines in the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. Inspired the sniper scene in MGS.)

High and Low (1963) (An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom. The movie had a real impact on Japanese society and the way it looked at kidnapping. The fact that a creative work could really change society is something that had a great impact on Kojima. He himself would someday want to make a difference in the world through his games.)

James Bond series (These movies feature a spy called 007, or James Bond, who has to save the world from many villains and whatnot. Metal Gear is very much inspired by these movies.)

Johnny Mad Dog (2008) (A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in an African country.)

Heat (1995) (A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist. According to Kojima, the only Hollywood film of its age that portrayed gunfights realistically. After seeing it, he vowed to take MGS1's firearms battles in a similar direction.)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (A flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during his World War I service in the Middle East. Biggu Bossu as fuck.)

Lord of War (2005) (An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an Interpol agent.)

Mad Max 2 (1981) (In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits. Kojima likes how the characters are very distinct, and viewers get a sense of their personality and their history without them having to explain it through words. Something he wishes to replicate in MGSV with Snake.)

North by Northwest (1959) (A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. According to Kojima, Hitchcock's movie that influenced the most MGS.)

Papillon (1973) (A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.)

Paths of Glory (1957) (When soldiers in World War I refuse to continue with an impossible attack, their superior officers decide to make an example of them.)

Planet of the Apes (1968) (An astronaut crew crash lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved. The film that gave Kojima the courage to make a videogame with a strong anti-nuclear weapons stance.)

Pink Panther (1963) (Bumbling and conceited French police inspector Clouseau tries to catch The Phantom, a daring jewel thief whose identity and features are unknown - and is acting right under his nose. Inspired the humor of Metal Gear.)

Predator (1987) (A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior. MGS1's stealth camouflage, MGS3's physical camouflage, and MGS4's Octocamo all have their origins in Predator.)

Pulp Fiction (1994) (The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) (John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam. Inspired many things in MGS3.)

Rambo III (1988) (Rambo's Vietnam commanding officer Colonel Trautman is held hostage in Afghanistan, and its up to Rambo to rescue him. Inspired the rescue mission of Kaz in MGSTPP.)

Rope (1948) (Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime. This will inspire the cutscenes of MGSV with the concept of the entire game being one pan and barely ever changing cameras.)

Sacco & Vanzetti (2006) (This film presents interviews with researchers and historians of the lives of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, and their trial. It also presents forensic evidence that refutes that used by the prosecution during the trial. Prison letters written by the defendants are read by voice actors with Tony Shalhoub as Sacco and John Turturro as Vanzetti. The song "Here's to you", in the opening of MGSGZ, is an hommage to them.)

Starship Troopers (1997) (Humans in a fascistic, militaristic future do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival. Fun yet serious look at fascism and warfare.)

Syriana (2005) (A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and affected by it.)

Taxi Driver (1976) (A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action, attempting to save a preadolescent prostitute in the process. Kojima often felt lonely even with people around him, and the loneliness of the main character in Taxi Driver is one of the most important aspects of the movie. Kojima feels it’s sort of the curse of the creator, who creates to feel less lonely. Knowing that other people feel this way sometimes makes Kojima feel less lonely.)

The Act of Killing (2012) (A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.)

The Cannibal Warlords of Liberia by Vice Magazine (2012) (Great documentary about the Liberian Civil Wars that shows many interviews with the people of Liberia and even some of the warlords such as General Buttnaked.)

The Deer Hunter (1978) (An in-depth examination of the ways in which the Vietnam War disrupts and impacts the lives of people in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania. Snake's bandana is an hommage to Robert De Niro's character in this movie. )

The Dogs of War (1980) (Mercenary James Shannon, on a reconnaissance job to the African nation of Zangaro, is tortured and deported. He returns to lead a coup.)

The Dollars Trilogy : A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). (These movies follow a cowboy that goes to various cities and saves them from many gangs and bad guys.)

The Fury (1978) (A government agent is determined to come to his son's rescue when a sinister official kidnaps him to harbor his extremely powerful psychic abilities. Inspired Psycho Mantis.)

The Gatekeepers (2012) (A documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.)

The Great Escape (1963) (Allied P.O.W.s plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. This was the movie Zero was talking about at the beginning of MGS3.)

The Guns of Naverone (1961) (A British team is sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel. This was the main inspiration Kojima had for the player sneaking around enemies in the very first Metal Gear. Without Guns of the Navarone, Metal Gear may not have ever existed. Inspired the rock climbing in the opening of MGSGZ.)

The H-Man (1958) (When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works. His disappearance stumps the police - until a young scientist appears who claims that H-Bomb tests in the Pacific, evidenced by a "ghost ship" that has turned up in the harbor, have created radioactive creatures - "H-Men" - who ooze like slime and dissolve anyone they touch.)

The Power of Nightmares (2004) (A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.)

The Terminator (1984) (A human-looking indestructible cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs. Kyle Reese's appearance in the future was used for the cover of Metal Gear.)

Triumph of the Will (1935) (The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.)