Sonny Forelli

Background

Sonny Forelli is the main antagonist of GTA Vice City and the don of the Forelli Crime Family in Liberty City. Fifteen years before the game, he sent Tommy Vercetti on the Harwood job that put Tommy in prison. In 1986 he sends the newly released Tommy to Vice City, using him to push the family into the lucrative South Florida drug trade while keeping a troublesome soldier far away from home.

The game's opening cutscene shows Sonny in Liberty City, briefing Tommy before sending him south with Ken Rosenberg and two of the family's soldiers, Harry and Lee. He frames the trip as a reward and a fresh start, but the job is really an attempt to profit from Tommy while keeping him away from Liberty City.

Events of GTA Vice City

• After the ambush in In The Beginning..., Sonny is furious about losing his money and his product. In An Old Friend he speaks to Tommy by phone and demands that everything be recovered.
• Throughout the story Sonny keeps calling with threats, reminding Tommy that he is still expected to pay.
• Once Tommy owns the Print Works and is printing counterfeit cash, Sonny sends collectors to Vice City to take a cut of every business. Tommy hunts them down in Cap the Collector after they beat up Earnest Kelly.
• In Keep Your Friends Close..., Sonny travels to Vice City himself to collect. Tommy plans to pay him with counterfeit money, but Lance Vance has already told Sonny about the trick. Sonny's men storm the Vercetti Estate; Tommy kills Lance and then shoots Sonny dead in the mansion's office.

Personality

Sonny is arrogant, greedy and condescending. He treats Tommy as a disposable employee, never shows gratitude for the years Tommy spent in prison on his behalf, and resorts to threats whenever he feels challenged. He relies on intimidation and on other people doing his dirty work, which makes his final, personal visit all the more of a gamble.

Sonny also has a long memory for perceived slights. When Tommy starts to prosper on his own, Sonny refuses to see it as anything but theft from the family, insisting that Tommy and everything he owns still belong to him. That sense of entitlement is what finally drives him to make the trip to Vice City himself, and it is what gets him killed.

Relationships

• Tommy Vercetti: Sonny's former soldier, whom he exploits and finally tries to rob.
• Lance Vance: a secret ally in the finale, who switches sides to help Sonny against Tommy.
• Ken Rosenberg: the Forelli-connected lawyer who sides with Tommy.

Trivia

• Sonny is voiced by Tom Sizemore.
• The Forelli family is also a major presence in GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories.
• Sonny's phone calls are Tommy's only regular contact with Liberty City throughout the game.
• His final confrontation with Tommy takes place in the foyer of the Vercetti Estate, after Tommy has dealt with Lance on the roof.
• The finale's title, Keep Your Friends Close..., refers to the saying about keeping enemies closer, a nod to both Sonny and Lance.