Eagle-eyed cinephiles have already spotted another film reference in Red Dead Redemption 2, thanks to the game’s latest trailer.

The first reference, to the movie Open Range, was visible in Red Dead Redemption 2‘s initial teaser trailer. The latest trailer, which gave us more extended cinematics to chew on, seems to reference the modern classic The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in the trailer’s train robbery scene.

Both scenes feature a band of bandits waiting in the woods alongside train tracks while their leader stands down the fateful train, and both scenes are framed very similarly. Check it out:


The Assassination of Jesse James features Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford, who joins James’ gang of outlaws before gunning him down in cold blood.

Rockstar Games famously takes a lot of cues from popular culture when developing its games. Take, for example, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which is basically Scarface, or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which quoted plenty of references from ’90s movies set in black neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

It’s very possible, then, that this homage to The Assassination of Jesse James is not only referencing a cool shot from a great movie, but it could also be hinting at plot points in the game. After all, if a young John Marston is going to make an appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s possible that he’s the reason the sequel/prequel’s protagonist, Arthur Morgan, never makes it to the later events of the first Red Dead Redemption.

We’ll have to wait until spring 2018, when Red Dead Redemption 2 is scheduled to launch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Until then, you can keep yourself busy by letting the game’s horses haunt your nightmares.

Posted: Oct 01, 2017 10:21 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://www.egmnow.com/all/red-dead-redemption-2s-trailer-hides-a-reference-that-may-be-a-hint/