Main Antagonist · Original Vice City (1986)
Sonny Forelli
The man who set up Tommy. The original snake in the grass.
How many was it? Ten? No, eleven men. That’s how you get to be called the Harwood Butcher!
Who They Were
Sonny Forelli is the head of the Forelli Crime Family in Liberty City — the richest and most powerful Mafia family in the city circa 1986. He came to power young, ordering several mob killings around the time of Tommy’s imprisonment. His operations span racketeering, gambling, union corruption, prostitution, and a growing interest in the narcotics trade.
Tommy and Sonny grew up together. They were friends. Sonny gave Tommy his start in the organization. Then, fifteen years before the events of Vice City, Sonny sent Tommy to Harwood to kill a man. It was a setup — Tommy was ambushed and killed eleven rival mobsters in self-defense. Tommy did fifteen years keeping his mouth shut. Sonny pulled the strings to keep him from getting the death penalty.
When Tommy gets out, Sonny ships him to Vice City to set up a drug operation — really just a way to get the “Harwood Butcher” out of Liberty City where he’s bad for business. When the deal goes bad, Sonny is enraged. As Tommy builds his own empire, Sonny calls in demanding his cut, sends enforcers to rough up Tommy’s operations, and eventually conspires with Lance Vance to bring Tommy down.
In the final mission, Sonny arrives at the Vercetti Estate with an army of Forelli soldiers. Tommy tries to pay him off with counterfeit money, but Lance reveals the betrayal. A massive gunfight erupts through the mansion. Tommy kills Lance on the rooftop, then confronts Sonny in the main hall. The truth comes out — Sonny set up the Harwood hit. Tommy guns him down, finally getting revenge for fifteen stolen years.
Legacy
Sonny Forelli is the archetype of the betraying mentor — the crime boss who puts you in the ground and then expects gratitude. Voiced with explosive intensity by Tom Sizemore, Sonny’s phone calls throughout the game are some of the most memorable villain moments in gaming. You can hear the menace escalate each time he calls.
His death marks a turning point in GTA storytelling — the protagonist doesn’t just defeat the villain, he dismantles an entire crime family. The events of Vice City weakened the Forellis so badly that by GTA III (set in 2001), they’re a shadow of their former selves, usurped by the Leone family.
Could They Return in GTA 6?
Sonny is dead — killed by Tommy in 1986. But the Forelli Crime Family doesn’t have to be. In the HD Universe timeline, the Forellis were still operating (weakened) as recently as GTA IV (2008). Forty years later, they could exist as a diminished Liberty City family with interests in Leonida.
- Liberty City Mafia families could have expanded operations into Leonida — drug trafficking routes between the two states.
- Sonny could be referenced in historical lore: NPC dialogue, in-game newspaper archives, or missions involving old Forelli connections.
- A descendant — a new generation Forelli trying to reclaim lost glory — would be a perfect connection to the past.
Trivia
- Voiced by Tom Sizemore (Heat, Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down).
- Name parallels Sonny Corleone from The Godfather and Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice.
- His death in Vice City is considered one of the greatest boss fights in GTA history.
- The Forelli Family appears or is mentioned in GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and Liberty City Stories.
- Sonny’s violent temper mirrors Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone, who also advocated entering the heroin trade.
Status: Deceased — killed by Tommy Vercetti in 1986 | Voice Actor: Tom Sizemore (1961–2023)
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