From being the college law society’s president in his early days to slowly becoming one of the most widely known action stars, Gerard Butler has come a long way. Since his first film appearance in the 1997 British drama Mrs. Brown, he has starred in over 50 movies and has more to come in the next couple of years.
Butler’s career has been a mix of genres—from animation to action, disaster, and everything in between. He seamlessly blends into any role, like a chameleon, and delivers powerful performances in every project that he is in.
So, if you are in the mood for his great filmography (yes, you are), here are nine of the best Gerard Butler movies that you should definitely check out.
9 Best Movies of Gerard Butler You Should Watch Right Now
1. ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ (2009)
‘Law Abiding Citizen’ (2009)Credit: Overture Films
Clyde Shelton’s wife is killed in a home invasion. Familiar with the broken justice system and its flaws, he takes the matter into his own hands and stops at nothing to get his point across, and in turn, takes revenge.
Gerard has a reputation for portraying tough enough characters who take no crap from anyone. Although the story was subpar with the audience’s expectations at its release, Gerard’s acting deserved more praise than it actually did—you root for him, for the bad guy. The movie was critically bashed from left and right. But over the years, it has definitely found its audience, and they love it.
2. ‘Angel Has Fallen’ (2019)
‘Angel Has Fallen’ (2019)Credit: Lionsgate
Following a failed assassination attempt on U.S. President Alan Trumbull, the sole survivor, Secret Service agent Mike Banning, becomes the prime suspect. After evading arrest, Banning desperately has to prove his innocence, all while countering the real threat to the country.
This movie closes the Fallen series chapter, which started with Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen in 2013. Along with acting in all three films, Gerard Butler also co-produced them. While the first film might be everyone’s favorite, Angel Has Fallen has better action set pieces and ends the series with a bang.
3. ‘Den of Thieves’ (2018)
‘Den of Thieves’ (2018)Credit: STX Entertainment
Gerard Butler plays Detective Nick O’Brien in Den of Thieves, who leads sheriff’s department deputies to stop a group of criminal outlaws before they execute a heist at the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.
Butler is commanding in his role. He is a man who can explode at any given moment, at work or at home. The ticking time bomb beneath his calm appearance is gripping and holds the attention. Overall, the movie is a very well-written thriller with a complicated plot, which keeps the action at the forefront.
4. ‘RocknRolla’ (2008)
‘RocknRolla’ (2008)Credit: Warner Bros.
Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla is a criminally underrated movie with a great mix of comedy, crime, and action. The story follows old-school mobsters and new-age outlaws, comedically clashing with each other to get a piece of a Russian mobster’s lucrative land deal.
With a stellar cast—Gerard Butler, Idris Alba, Tom Hardy, Tom Wilkinson, and Mark Strong—RocknRolla is a fun ride that’s equal parts chaotic and funny. It carries a distinct stamp of style, cool, and Britishness, which makes it stand out from Hollywood mob films.
5. ‘Greenland’ (2020)
‘Greenland’ (2020)Credit: STX Entertainment
When a natural disaster is imminent, Gerard Butler paves the way. Greenland follows a family trying to reach a supposedly secure location as a planet-killing comet sets its collision course straight for Earth.
Greenland is one of the best disaster movies as it explores human nature in a surprisingly thoughtful way under the theme of calamity. It focuses on a particular family, not on thousands of other characters. Gerard’s top-notch performance at least makes us eerily believe in the events unfolding as the end of the world comes closer and closer.
6. “Dear Frankie’ (2004)
‘Dear Frankie’ (2004)Credit: Miramax
A mother hires a stranger, Gerard Butler, to take up the role of young and deaf Frankie’s (Jack McElhone) father to protect her son from the truth.
Dear Frankie is about a child’s deep, unspoken yearning that will satisfy any desire you have to be driven to the brink of tears. Shona Auerbach’s gentle yet heartbreaking feature is a deeply emotional story of a mother’s love and a reminder that all kids deserve to be loved. Moreover, Butler’s scenes with Jack McElhone are unaffected and touching.
7. ‘Plane’ (2023)
‘Plane’ (2023)Credit: Lionsgate
When the lightning strikes a plane’s avionics, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) makes an emergency landing in the Philippines’ notorious Jojo Island. But now, he must work together with an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI, Gaspare (Mike Coulter), to rescue the crew and passengers.
Plane is a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat good time, which is not for nervous flyers. It’s a solid throwback action thriller that feels like a relic from a bygone era, for all its flaws.
8. ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)Credit: Paramount Pictures
Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon is a story of a young Viking teenager, Hiccup (Mason Thames), who befriends a dragon whom he is supposed to kill. His actions defy the traditions of his clan and will change their future.
It’s hard to believe that this movie turns 15 years old this year already. Gerard Butler stars as Stoick the Vast in this groundbreaking animated tale told by director Dean DeBlois. How to Train Your Dragon is not only great entertainment, but also a thoughtful storytelling about what it means to grow up and be responsible for others. Gerard Butler shows his versatility as an actor by lending a great voice to Stoick’s character. His performance was so good that he played the same character in all its subsequent films.
9. ‘300’ (2006)
‘300’ (2006)Credit: Warner Bros.
Gerard Butler’s portrayal of Leonidas I, king of the Greek city-state of Sparta in Zack Snyder’s 300, was and is one of a kind. In the movie, Leonidas I leads his soldiers into an unwinnable battle. It’s a mere 300 Spartans in the face of more than 800,000 soldiers of the Persian Army. But their unwavering spirit pulls off a stunning feat in the story.
300 is widely recognized as a game-changer, both in Zack Snyder’s and Gerard Butler’s careers. 300 bits and story excerpts were being remade for spoofs, the critics were appreciating a new take on violence and action, and it was being referenced in the revered and long-time running shows like South Park. This epic Greek tale is deeply embedded in our pop culture, and the slow-motion shots during epic fights definitely influenced film grammar for future action movies. 300 still remains one of the most popular movies of the 2000s, which made Gerard Butler famous worldwide.
Summing Up
Which movie of Gerard Butler did you like the most from this list?
Let us know in the comments.