Subtle and/or possibly erroneous movie connections

[An tSaoi]

We've all heard the one about the briefcase from Pulp Fiction containing the stolen diamonds from Reservoir Dogs (which is bollocks), and every man and his dog knows that John Travolta's character in the former is the brother of Michael Madsen's character in the latter (which is true).

The other day I stumbled across the interesting theory that Keith Allen's short-lived character in Shallow Grave is the same drug dealer he subsequently played in Trainspotting, which takes place earlier. Similarly, some believe Gene Hackman's character in Enemy of the State is an older version of The Conversation's Harry Caul. Many of these speculations are just wishful thinking on the part of the fans, but it's fun to entertain them. What other real or imagined connections can you think of from films that are not officially related?

[Bad Ambassador]

Jason Statham's cameo at the start of Collateral is as Frank Martin from The Transporter.

[Famous Mortimer]

Similarly, some believe Gene Hackman's character in Enemy of the State is an older version of The Conversation's Harry Caul.

I'd be amazed if it were anything but.

Awful Kurt Russell film "Soldier" is supposed to be set in the same universe as Blade Runner, there's some visual clues in the film apparently.

[Cerys]

Not so much a connection of the same kind, but in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 'Raoul Duke' remembers going to a nightclub called The Matrix and the song White Rabbit is significant; and in The Matrix Neo is told to 'follow the white rabbit' - which leads him to a nightclub.

[gmoney]

Michael Keaton plays the same FBI agent in Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. They're both based on Elmore Leonard novels, I can't tell you if the character overlaps in the originals, having not read them.

[Ignatius_S]

Michael Keaton plays the same FBI agent in Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. They're both based on Elmore Leonard novels, I can't tell you if the character overlaps in the originals, having not read them.

I have and yes, the character appears in both novels - I have a feeling that in Rum Punch/Out of Sight, he's in the book more than the film, but I might be remembering incorrectly. I've also a feeling that the character pops up in at least one other story. It's been a while that I've read any of Leonard's book, but have read quite a few and from what I remember, it's not unusual for a characters to pop up in more than one, even if it's a name check.

[momatt]

Never heard  that Trainspotting one, but it makes sense.

Pretty much all the Tarantino films are connected to each other in some way.  For instance:

• The parol officer Scagnetti (spelling?) from Reservoir Dogs is in Natural Born Killers.
• Sgt. Donny Donowitz from Bastards is the dad of Lee Donowitz (the film producer cokehead) from True Romance.
• The girl (Alabama) Mr. White mentions going on crime sprees with is the girl from True Romance.  In the original TR script, her boyfriend Clarence dies at the end, so she goes off to work with White (this was changed though).
• Larry Dimmick (Mr. White) is related to Jimmie Dimmick from Pulp Fiction.

I can't find a decent website that collects all these facts, surprisingly.  There are loads more.

We've all heard the one about the briefcase from Pulp Fiction containing the stolen diamonds from Reservoir Dogs (which is bollocks), and every man and his dog knows that John Travolta's character in the former is the brother of Michael Madsen's character in the latter (which is true).

The other day I stumbled across the interesting theory that Keith Allen's short-lived character in Shallow Grave is the same drug dealer he subsequently played in Trainspotting, which takes place earlier. Similarly, some believe Gene Hackman's character in Enemy of the State is an older version of The Conversation's Harry Caul. Many of these speculations are just wishful thinking on the part of the fans, but it's fun to entertain them. What other real or imagined connections can you think of from films that are not officially related?

[Maybe Im Doing It Wrong]

Not a movie but surely the most famous of these is the old "Is Number 6 John Drake?" question.

[AsparagusTrevor]

More Tarrantino fun, the police dude at the start of From Dusk Til Dawn is regarded as the same character as the one who investigates the wedding crime scene in Kill Bill.

[lipsink]

More Tarrantino fun, the police dude at the start of From Dusk Til Dawn is regarded as the same character as the one who investigates the wedding crime scene in Kill Bill.

Yep, Earl McGraw. He also makes a cameo in Death Proof, and has a fairly bigger role in Planet Terror.

[momatt]

More Tarrantino fun, the police dude at the start of From Dusk Til Dawn is regarded as the same character as the one who investigates the wedding crime scene in Kill Bill.

Oh yeah, that rings a bell, heard that one.  These must have all been collated somewhere online, it's not like the films are obscure.

They all smoke Red Apple cigarettes in his films too.

Grindhouse (2007) -  In Planet Terror the last item on Dr. Dakota Block's list of things to do states: Kill Bill

[lipsink]

There's also the theory that Mr White/Larry (Harvey Keitel) from Reservoir Dogs is an older version of Clarence (Christian Slater) from True Romance cos Mr White mentions doing jobs with an 'Alabama' in Dogs. Don't buy it myself though. I reckon a lot of these early ones came about cos Tarantino just had a habit of using the same cool sounding names in his scripts.

[Ignatius_S]

There's also the theory that Mr White/Larry (Harvey Keitel) from Reservoir Dogs is an older version of Clarence (Christian Slater) from True Romance cos Mr White mentions doing jobs with an 'Alabama' in Dogs. Don't buy it myself though. I reckon a lot of these early ones came about cos Tarantino just had a habit of using the same cool sounding names in his scripts.

In the original script, Clarence dies - what's more feasible is that Alabama then began working with Mr White. Tarantino also said that he was Clarence... seeing as that character was a video store nerd, who a prostitute falls in love with, after she has sex with him and turns out to be really good at shoot-outs, I thought to myself 'No shit, Sherlock,' when I read that.

[An tSaoi]

Pretty much all the Tarantino films are connected to each other in some way.

I wonder if that means that, say, Reservoir Dogs takes place in a world where Hitler was assassinated, but it just never comes up.

[lipsink]

Didn't David Lynch remark on how much Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks resembles an older Jeffrey from Blue Velvet?

[Nik Drou]

Apparently, in the recent Piranha 3D, it's strongly hinted that Richard Dreyfuss' character is Matt Hooper from Jaws

[kidsick5000]

Dexter Fletcher has the same character name in both Layer Cake and Kick Ass.
Not that subtle really.


And there's two John Hughes movies, can't remember which, but the suggestion is that the characters from both are neighbours because the argument from one film can be heard in a scene in the other film[nb]I think it's Planes, Trains and Automobiles and She's Having A Baby[/nb]

I wonder if any director has attempting to have the events of another directors, unrelated film happen in the background of their film?
I just really like the concept behind Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and think it should be employed more

[Ignatius_S]

I wonder if that means that, say, Reservoir Dogs takes place in a world where Hitler was assassinated, but it just never comes up.

Or where City on Fire hadn't been made.

[HAYRDRYAH]

Good question.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_novel

Depends what you mean by unrelated. Where the continuity is incidental, not the selling point? This matters - licensing characters is expensive. Even Never Say Never Again is marketed as a James Bond film, whoever directed it. Intertextuality is more common in literature, dialogue and descriptions can be recreated more precisely than moving images and soundtrack, and the source texts tend to be PD.

I guess the best examples are simultaneous, the works that add a new plot and dramatic focus without contradicting the original. Like how Rosencranz and Guildenstern dovetails with Hamlet, you could watch the original without noting R+G's absence. In fact it's hard not to imagine them just off stage, that might be the appeal. But the writer has to be clever. So that rules out anything except BTTF2.

Bits of the Red Headed League in Basil the Great Mouse Detective? Only Sherlock Holmes's dialogue I think, so might not count. I can't think of any others.

[Famous Mortimer]

Like how Rosencranz and Guildenstern dovetails with Hamlet, you could watch the original without noting R+G's absence. In fact it's hard not to imagine them just off stage, that might be the appeal.

To the extent now, apparently, that stuff Stoppard wrote has started showing up in recent performances of Hamlet (like people getting them confused, which apparently doesn't happen at all in Shakespeare). According to the interviews with Roth and Oldman on the DVD.

[holyzombiejesus]

Not the most earth shattering of connections but in Predator 2, you see Alien's skull in their trophy cabinet.

[kidsick5000]

Not the most earth shattering of connections but in Predator 2, you see Alien's skull in their trophy cabinet.

Don't know if they got permission but isn't that the shot that created a franchise in comics and films?

[HAYRDRYAH]

To the extent now, apparently, that stuff Stoppard wrote has started showing up in recent performances of Hamlet (like people getting them confused, which apparently doesn't happen at all in Shakespeare). According to the interviews with Roth and Oldman on the DVD

~AMAZE~

[mjwilson]

To the extent now, apparently, that stuff Stoppard wrote has started showing up in recent performances of Hamlet (like people getting them confused, which apparently doesn't happen at all in Shakespeare).

I think the "people getting them confused" is vaguely taken from Shakespeare. Someone (the Queen?) refers to them as "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" at the start of a scene, and "Guildenstern and Rosencrantz" at the end.

[HAYRDRYAH]

'For never was a story of more woe, than this of Guildenstern and his Rosencranz'

[Doomy Dwyer]

One of my faves is from the 'Soprano's' where Christopher shoots a baker in the foot for some indiscretion or other. When the baker protests at the unfairness of this, Christopher says in his lovely nasal New Yawk whine "It happens", a reference to his appearance in 'Goodfellas' as the hapless bartender/waiter Spider whose foot is shot in an amusing fashion by Joe Pesci's deranged Tommy DiSimone character. I love the offhand delivery of the "It happens" line. Lovely stuff.

[Harpo Speaks]

That's quite the same thing though, what would be is if you had (for example) De Niro appearing in an episode as Jimmy Conway etc.

[Doomy Dwyer]

I've not thought this through at all. Give me a minute...

[Tiny Poster]

Don't know if they got permission but isn't that the shot that created a franchise in comics and films?

No, Dark Horse put out AvP comics over a year before Predator 2 came out.

[Tiny Poster]

One of my faves is from the 'Soprano's' where Christopher shoots a baker in the foot for some indiscretion or other. When the baker protests at the unfairness of this, Christopher says in his lovely nasal New Yawk whine "It happens", a reference to his appearance in 'Goodfellas' as the hapless bartender/waiter Spider whose foot is shot in an amusing fashion by Joe Pesci's deranged Tommy DiSimone character. I love the offhand delivery of the "It happens" line. Lovely stuff.

A better example of that would be Christopher shouting "Hey Marty! Kundun! I liked it!"