Top 5 Gerard Butler Movies

One of Hollywood’s leading action men since the mid-2000s has been Scottish actor Gerard Butler. Is tough exterior has made him one of Hollywood’s most reliable leading men in an action film for nearly two decades. Whilst his films have never received the critical acclaim they deserve, he has endured box office success starting a franchise with ‘300’ back in 2007 and starring in a franchise with the ‘Fallen’ trilogy (Olympus, London and Angel). So, today I want to acknowledge the Scotsman by discussing his top 5 performances. These are my favourite performances of his and they are listed in no particular order. So, let’s do this:

1.    Olympus/London/Angel Has Fallen (2013/2016/2019) – Butler plays secret service agent ‘Mike Benning’ in this trilogy, which see his character needing to protect the president against terrorist threats. This franchise a hell of a lot of fun and I really love Butlers work here. Benning is the modern everyman, clearly inspired by John McClane, Butler channels his inner Bruce Willis to deliver one of the best modern action performances. Mike Benning has saved the world three times and counting, more than a lot of action stars can say.

Buy The Angel Has Fallen Trilogy on DVD & Blu-ray Here

2.    300 (2006) – In Zack Snyder’s 2006 Sword and Sandal epic, Gerard Butler played King Leonidas, as he led 300 Spartan men against the Persian empire. The story is as epic as it sounds, and Butler is fantastic in the role – he is at a heightened level of intensity for nearly the entire run time of the film which is just fantastic. There is blood, plenty of abs and a whole lot of screaming and Butler plays a huge part in all three. He is great here and the film itself is among one of my favourite in the genre.

Buy 300 on DVD & Blu-ray Here

3.    Law Abiding Citizen (2009) – In 2009, Butler took on the role of Clyde Shelton, a man who had lost everything after the death of his family and the man responsible is let free, Shelton takes justice into his own hands, making those pay who were responsible. This film is very much a cat and mouse game between Butlers Shelton and Jamie Foxx’s Nick Rice. The two have a great rapport on-screen, giving life to the film and making it thoroughly entertaining to watch.

4.    Hunter Killer (2018) – In 2018, Butler headed to the ocean in this cold war flick ‘Hunter Killer’. The film sees Butler play Submarine captain Joe Glass as he is tasked to team up with the Navy Seals to rescue the Russian president (played by Gary Oldman) who has been kidnapped by a rogue general. This film is a whole lot of fun, Butler brings the intensity that he is known for to the film, making him feel quite real in this situation. The film also has a break-neck pace, which makes it go extremely quickly, but the film still is a lot of fun.

Buy Hunter Killer on DVD, Blu-ray & 4K UHD Here

5.    Greenland (2020) – in 202, Butler tried his hand once again in the disaster film genre with ‘Greenland’ after previously starring in ‘Geostorm’ back in 2017. ‘Greenland’ sees Butler play John Garrity, as a cataclysmic natural disaster threatens life as we know it, Garrity must fight for survival and get his family to safety. This film is a lot of fun and Butler again shines, not only showing his action chops but also his acting chops. I had a lot of fun with this film, as it put more emphasis on character rather than the action, which is still there, but not as prominent as the strong character work. I enjoyed this film a lot more than what I was expecting.

Buy Greenland on DVD or Blu-ray Here

Gerard Butler may never win an Oscar for his acting ability, but his dedication to every role he takes and his likeability make him one of the best action stars of the modern film generation. I really love a lot of his work and cannot wait to see what he does next.

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here