A star-studded comedy anthology from multiple accomplished filmmakers, one might be perplexed that Movie 43 is considered to be one of the worst films of all time by critics and audiences alike, regardless of the pedigree of talent involved. Nevertheless, Gerard Butler’s over-the-top performance as a violent leprechaun in Brett Ratner’s laugh-free segment is at least more lively than most of the dull proceedings featured in what Richard Roeper described as “the Citizen Kane” of awful. From the director of Highlander, this international production attempted to beat Universal’s own (much more expensive) 1999 remake of The Mummy to the punch but was mired by a bland plot, poor casting, and godawful digital effects. As for Butler’s involvement, the actor appears in a small supporting role as a doomed member of an archaeology team with about 10 minutes of total screentime, which might have been a blessing in disguise in the grand scheme of things. Noted as the worst of Butler’s brief yet brutal run as a romantic comedy lead, Playing for Keeps follows a washed-up former soccer player who decides to coach his son’s soccer team while grabbing the eye of several local mothers as a result. With way too many plot threads and failing to balance drama with comedy, even Butler’s charm can’t keep this actively bad romcom afloat. Filmmaker Alex Proyas has a fairly impressive filmography to his name, including The Crow, Dark City, and I, Robot, but not even an impressive cast and a massive budget could save him from the massive failure that is Gods of Egypt. While Gerard Butler makes the most of his screentime with a loud and fiendish lead villain performance, the film is too much of a slog to even meet the “so-bad-it’s-fun” label some have tried to slap on Gods of Egypt in recent years. Almost every time he appears in a fairly low-rent action picture, the mere presence of Gerard Butler can elevate the flick, especially if he gets the chance to take the reins as the lead. However, this cannot be said about Last Seen Alive, a snooze of a missing persons “thriller” that doesn’t find a trope unturned throughout its mercifully low runtime; in fact, the only twist in the film is how the film managed to squander such a solid cast. A surprising box office hit, The Bounty Hunter does get points for having a romantic comedy plot that somehow hadn’t been done before, as an ex-NYPD detective-turned-bounty-hunter must retrieve his wife for skipping bail but must work together once a greater threat to the two emerges. However, the film was lambasted by critics and was too cliched and toothless to remain in the public conscience for very long, even if Aniston and Butler certainly tried their hardest to make something memorable. In this eye-rolling melodrama, Gerard Butler plays a corporate workaholic whose attempts to balance his personal and professional lives are complicated by an ailing son and a possible promotion with demanding requirements. A Family Man doesn’t do anything particularly new or even quite interesting with its material, and outside of Butler attempting to solidify his dramatic qualifications, the film is among the most skippable of his work unless you’re looking explicitly for a tearjerker that’ll make use of your heart over your brain. Another early entry into Gerard Butler’s filmography, the fancy costumes, regal atmosphere, and esteemed source material work well in the favor of The Cherry Orchard, but the film manages to milk every second of its taxing 140-minute+ runtime. If you’re a fan of the original book, or don’t mind a slow-paced period piece, The Cherry Orchard might be for you, but if you don’t dare to test your attention span or are tuning in solely for Butler’s supporting turn, you may be left unfulfilled. Grasping onto the coattails of Trainspotting and the music videos of the late 1990s, Fast Food follows a reformed criminal who returns to his hometown to find his childhood sweetheart but also runs across four old friends planning a dangerous robbery. Butler, of course, plays one of the four friends, and even in spite of his off-the-charts charisma, Fast Food basically plays like a low-rent Guy Ritchie impression that’s almost instantly forgettable. In this gritty, rough-around-the-edges crime thriller, an ex-con learns his former partner has invested all of their money in an impending large submachine gun deal, forcing the ex-con reluctantly back into a life of crime. Gerard Butler holds his own in a cast loaded with up-and-coming stars, including Matthew Rhys, Melanie Lynskey, and Ioan Gruffudd, but the film ultimately feels too familiar and predictable, which undercuts the punch it tries to pack in its presentation. A heavy Scottish drama that attempts to toe the line between maudlin and moving, One More Kiss follows a young woman who is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor and returns to her hometown in Scotland to spend her last days with her childhood sweetheart. The film does include some powerful performances and a sentimental script, but there are some incredibly strange narrative choices that give it an unwittingly weird energy, including a plot point that feels uncomfortably close to Jason Reitman’s cringe classic, Young Adult. Based on the true story of the 1950 U.S. soccer team’s underdog run during the FIFA World Cup, The Game of Their Lives hits every beat you may expect for the typical “inspirational” sports film of its time, especially one of such historical importance. In essence, you won’t waste your time with this film, but its failure to maintain any tension that the team in question might lose takes away most of the excitement that fuels every great sports flick. The Ugly Truth doesn’t bring anything new to the romantic comedy table and wasn’t a hit with the critics, but the flexibility of its R-rating allows the film to at least go beyond the boundaries of the standard safe romcom fare. Furthermore, Heigl and Butler are at least able to make some moments memorable and fun, especially as the former is able to match the latter’s comedic and even dramatic chops at times. This star-studded ensemble sci-fi picture might have been as much of a disaster behind the scenes as it is in front of the camera, but there’s at least an unapologetic ridiculousness that Geostorm wears like a badge of courage in an endearing fashion. Your enjoyment of Geostorm will correlate directly to your enjoyment of unironic high-camp, but Butler has fully embraced his involvement in this intensely silly and self-serious film from the writer of Independence Day. In this ho-hum sequel to the Angelina Jolie-starring Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Gerard Butler throws on a rogueish facade to play Croft’s ex-paramour, who remains essential to her adventure while operating nearly entirely in a morally ambiguous area. The film itself is fine entertainment, especially when compared to other video game adaptations of the time, but The Cradle of Life is ultimately as forgettable as its predecessor. A fun and unpredictable little horror film that spun a contemporary, sexually-charged version of the Dracula story, Dracula 2000 offers Gerard Butler as the seductive titular vampire lord. Though Dracula 2000 isn’t one of the great Dracula films ever made, the film is certainly much more fun than its reputation suggests and is elevated by a game cast and technical spectacle emboldened by the reputation of executive producer Wes Craven. One of the final films of Superman and Lethal Weapon franchise director Richard Donner, this high-concept Michael Crichton adaptation follows several history and archaeology students who travel in time to rescue their professor from becoming a casualty in a medieval war. A critical and commercial bomb upon its release, the film has grown in appreciation over the years (though not significantly), and a big part of the film’s effectiveness is Butler’s heroic co-leading performance. An ensemble submarine action-thriller, Hunter Killer follows a US submarine crew that rescues the President of Russia from a coup and attempts to prevent an all-out war. There’s no denying that the film brings forth cliche after cliche, but for those looking for a serviceable action vehicle on late-night cable, you can absolutely do worse than Hunter Killer. A clever and engaging thriller featuring Pierce Brosnan in a rare villainous performance, Shattered surrounds a married couple who must bend to the whim of a calculating sociopath who will only deliver their kidnapped child upon the completion of specific tasks that would otherwise ruin their lives. Bolstered by a cast of stellar performers, including Butler, this intense flick is certainly worth a watch, even if it doesn’t exactly offer anything spectacularly new within the genre. Based on a true story, Machine Gun Preacher tells the tale of Sam Childers, a violent biker who reforms his life and becomes a preacher, utilizing his skills to help protect the children of South Sudan. Acclaimed filmmaker Marc Forster brings the technical skill and Butler submits a powerful performance that plays to his strengths, but the film never quite strikes a chord outside of the most basic emotional responses, and the tonal shifts keep the film from establishing any real cinematic identity. Trading CGI for a more traditional sword-and-sandals presentation, Beowulf & Grendel is a strong take on the epic poem that offers both strong visual language and an edge that one won’t find in Lord of the Rings. Of course, some elements of the film, much like the source material, might not work for everyone, but if you’re looking for a Beowulf tale that prioritizes humanity over soulless spectacle, this flick certainly has a leg-up on the motion capture alternative. Angel Has Fallen may be the weakest of the Has Fallen trilogy, but it’s nevertheless a really solid action yarn with a lot of interesting ideas at play. In addition to featuring an action franchise hero that is realistically dealing with post-concussion syndrome from his previous exploits, Angel Has Fallen offers some fun set pieces, even if its contrived plot fails to capture the brash “anything goes” spirit of its predecessors. Based on the popular novel by Wendy Orr, Nim’s Island follows a widower and his 11-year-old daughter living on a remote island who become separated after a research mission gone awry, prompting an impromptu rescue from an agoraphobic author. The film is impressive and balances some saccharine, generic plotting with legitimate excitement and imagination, and definitely works as one of Butler’s better family-friendly fare. Plane may have started out as the first major cinematic meme of 2023, but unsurprisingly, this Gerard Butler-Mike Colter vehicle delivers that B-movie goodness while allowing the story to unfold patiently and organically. Besides, when the movie embraces its sillier elements and hits the ground running, it somehow never comes at the expense of the tense and exciting moments that came before it, which is a welcome development considering how many action projects falter in their third act. In Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as James Bond, Gerard Butler has a small, fairly fleeting role, playing a crew member on a doomed submarine that plays integrally into the plot. That said, while you’re not getting much of the Scottish heartthrob, there’s still plenty to like about Tomorrow Never Dies, from the exciting action sequences, the over-the-top villains, and even a great supporting performance from a young Michelle Yeoh. In the role that damn near killed him, Gerard Butler plays an experienced surfer who takes his teenage neighbor under his wing in order to teach him to surf “mavericks,” a swell of gigantic waves. Based on a true story with a shockingly grim post-script, Chasing Mavericks is a modest drama that works as a low-effort crowdpleaser with some intense moments; while it won’t move you in the way other coming-of-age sports films may, there’s certainly much in the film to appreciate and possibly even inspire awe at times. Guy Ritchie’s career has had many peaks and valleys, and for some, his gangster film schtick had largely worn thin by the time RocknRolla came about, but his brand still undeniably offers strong performances and writing, especially as the film hits a more comedic tone than his previous crime movies. Furthermore, RocknRolla provided a launching pad for a number of emerging talents at the time outside of star Gerard Butler, including Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Toby Kebbell. Perhaps one of the reasons why Gerard Butler works so well in every role he inhabits is because he’s never phoning it in, as he’s giving every performance 100% whether it be playing a trigger-happy leprechaun or a bull-headed Shakespearean general. In the latter role in Ralph Fiennes’ adaptation of Coriolanus, Butler matches Fiennes’ beat-for-beat and delivers a compelling turn, even if Shakespeare’s dialogue may turn off some contemporary viewers from giving the visually stunning and dramatically rich film a fair shake. Joe Carnahan taps into the chaotic energy of Smokin’ Aces with Copshop, a pulpy action-thriller in which an FBI informant, a hitman, and a bloodthirsty sociopath converge at a remote police station with a rookie cop stuck in the middle of their respective battles. While director/co-writer Joe Carnahan has stated the film was ultimately altered from his initial vision, Copshop is nevertheless a lot of fun, with the cast all going for big, weird performances and the action pulling zero punches. An ultraviolent thriller and unexpected franchise starter, Olympus Has Fallen served as Butler’s return to action fare after a string of critically-reviled romantic comedies. Teaming with Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua, this flick, which plays like Die Hard in the White House, gives fans of bloody and bold action everything they could want, from despisable (and dispatchable) villains to a no-BS lead that’s easy to root for in Butler, even if the film’s underlit scenes keep Olympus from the top spot in the series. The best and genuinely wildest entry in the Has Fallen franchise, London Has Fallen plays closer to ’80s action cinema than almost all of its contemporaries in the genre, from uncouth one-liners to truly jaw-dropping moments of henchman-crumpling violence to hysterically over-the-top B-plots to bring back the bureaucrats from the first film. While there are certainly distasteful elements to the film that may keep some viewers at a distance, London Has Fallen is too brainless to really be sending out any ulterior motives and messages outside of providing a cinematic vehicle for another gruff Gerard Butler performance and explosive set pieces from beginning to end. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not biased here, as this writer will always embrace the chaotic nonsense that comes from the filmmakers behind the Crank films, which is absolutely front-and-center in Gamer. Following a dystopian future in which death row inmates can volunteer to be living, breathing avatars for online gamers in their shoot-’em-up games, Gamer doesn’t hold anything back, so if you’re looking for a crude, violent and very, very weird Gerard Butler movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, then feel free to press play on this flick. Perhaps Gerard Butler’s most effective work as a romantic lead (in, ironically, a role that doesn’t quite fit the romantic film mold), P.S. I Love You was a sleeper hit for both Butler and co-star Hilary Swank, both of whom had become bona fide stars in recent years thanks to 300 and Million Dollar Baby, respectively. Based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern, audiences and critics were at odds with the film, but compared to Butler’s romcom works and other dramatic efforts, there’s enough genuine humanity here to overcome the unconventional plot devices. Another small, early career role for Gerard Butler can be found in the war film Harrison’s Flowers, which surrounds the wife of a photojournalist who attempts to look for her husband after he is assumed to be killed in wartorn Yugoslavia. Featuring an impressive cast of dramatic heavy-hitters, Butler’s photojournalist character doesn’t steal the show but the film is still a strong, intense drama that won’t waste your time. As a disclaimer, Gerard Butler does not appear in either the theatrical or director’s cut of Watchmen, Zack Snyder’s polarizing adaptation of Alan Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel, but his vocal talents become a large part of the “ultimate cut” of Watchmen, in which the animated spin-off short films (including the Butler-led Tales of the Black Freighter) are incorporated into the main narrative. Of course, the film is certainly way too long as a result, but for Watchmen completists, it’s effective in building upon the themes of the film and the density of the Watchmen universe. Joel Schumacher’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s seminal musical was a financial smash and audience favorite and remains beloved by fans of the property to this day. Moreover, The Phantom of the Opera provided Gerard Butler with his first major leading role in a big-budget production, despite having no formal musical training prior to pre-production. A sadly forgotten film whose legacy as a period drama in 1997 has been largely eclipsed by the all-encompassing Titanic, Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown was a critical hit driven by the incredible chemistry between Dame Judi Dench and Scottish acting great Billy Connolly. The picture also exhibits the debut film performance of Gerard Butler, whose limited screen time is shared entirely with Connolly and exudes a wealth of natural charisma. Reign of Fire may have been written off by critics and audiences at the time of its release, but over the past 20 years, the film has been reappraised as a hidden gem of the sci-fi genre and a subversive mash-up of post-apocalyptic action with fantasy fiction framework. Likewise, one of the more fun aspects of revisiting the film is catching a young Gerard Butler in a supporting performance without the bold machismo he’s fairly synonymous with in this day and age. Is Den of Thieves a bargain bin version of Heat? Well, the answer may be complicated, but even if it is, the two-headed crime film is a really, really fun time, with a modern sense of sleaze and in-your-face action that is driven by a grizzled lead performance from Gerard Butler that has inspired fans to rally behind the demand for a sequel. One of the biggest surprises of pandemic-era studio releases was Greenland, an apocalyptic survival thriller that reunited Butler with his Angel Has Fallen filmmaker, Ric Roman Waugh, for a decidedly more human story. Somehow capturing a suspenseful, intimate atmosphere while telling an end-of-the-world tale, Butler shines as an “essential” engineer who is selected for emergency sheltering when a comet fragment threatens life on Earth, selling every desperate and fearful moment with believable emotion and fragility. The final installment in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, The Hidden World continues the franchise’s reputation for stellar storytelling that’s both visually dazzling and family-friendly, even if it doesn’t contain the ingenuity of the previous entries. Of course, Butler returns in a limited capacity, though to speak anymore would delve too far into spoiler territory for those unfamiliar with the series. Gerard Butler delivers an against-type performance as a grieving and conflicted lighthouse ward who discover a nearly dead man and a mysterious wooden chest, which sets him and his peers on a dangerous path. An emotionally heavy film with some exceptional tension and suspense, there’s an old-school, almost play-like attitude to The Vanishing that will keep you invested and on the edge of your seat throughout. The film that launched Gerard Butler’s career into the stratosphere, 300 adapts Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s comic series retelling the Battle of Thermopylae, replicating the visual style of the comic book while delivering bloody action and endlessly quotable historical fantasy fare. Although it is not without its controversies, 300 remains a massive cultural turning point for graphic novel adaptations in cinema and will likely be cemented as Butler’s ultimate legacy role. Many fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise may argue about which of the films is best, and in my opinion, it’s certainly a close call, but the ability of the sequel to deliver a new and fresh story doesn’t quite overcome the first film’s ability to establish the emotional undercurrent of the narrative. That said, this sequel is among the best in its class and even provides Butler with a chance to do something different with his hard-pressed Viking father character. Shona Auerbach’s critically acclaimed drama surrounds a desperate mother who hires a stranger to impersonate her deaf son’s faux pen pal, who he believes to be his real father, only for the trio to forge a tangible bond and connection. Butler offers one of his most empathetic performances as the stranger in question and remains a blind spot that the actor’s die-hard fans should rush to watch. An emotionally rich film that plays just as well for kids as it does adults, How to Train Your Dragon rightfully earned its Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature with its legitimately thrilling visuals, great vocal performances, and dramatic resonance. In fact, if there’s any testament to how well the film works, it feels as if How to Train Your Dragon has only surged in popularity over the past decade. The pinnacle of Gerard Butler’s career, Law Abiding Citizen is an incredibly fun, mean, and absolutely bonkers revenge thriller in which Butler’s murderer with a mysterious past attempts to enact vengeance against his family’s killers and the system that protected them from justice. With awesome performances from Jamie Foxx and Butler, a really fun script from Kurt Wimmer, and the confident direction of F. Gary Gray, there’s no Gerard Butler film with the replay value and most on-brand attitude as Law Abiding Citizen.
