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Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Gerard Butler’s upcoming movie Empire City isn’t a video game adaptation, but it sure sounds like it could be, judging from the description of it. That description is also giving off serious Die Hard vibes. Not much is known about the film, other than some of the cast, including MCU movie vet Hayley Atwell, and that production is currently underway. Still, as a child of the ‘80s, this one has my attention. Let me explain why.
Credit: STX Films
It’s Not Set In The ‘80s Or Anything, But…
As a child of the ‘80s, Die Hard is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just one of the best action movies of all time in my book; it’s one of the best, full stop. It’s a total remote-dropper that I can watch pretty much any time, anywhere. So when I read the description of the movie on IMDB, I was instantly intrigued:
[Empire City] Follows a firefighter and his NYPD wife who must fight and navigate through a landmark building to rescue hostages during a crisis.
Sure, it’s New York, not LA, and Butler plays a New York firefighter, not a New York cop, but you can’t tell me that doesn’t remind you of the classic Bruce Willis flick.
It also sounds like a classic ‘80s video scenario, too. In the days before open worlds and online gaming, video games like Super Mario Bros. and Metroid featured gameplay where you worked your way from one level to the next, just like ascending a building floor by floor. This combination of style, similar to old video games and Die Hard, is just too much to resist for this ‘80s kid. I like it even more because while it seemingly harkens back to those days, it’s not a straight nostalgia play, which I’m already sick of. No offense, Stranger Things.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Butler Makes Fun Movies
Say what you want about Gerald Butler movies, but one thing he consistently does well is make them fun. Sure, they can be cheesy at times, and sometimes his muscly physique can seem cartoonish (especially in a movie based on a graphic novel like 300), but his movies are always a popcorn-chomping good time. Butler’s movies are often what the old podcast Friendly Fire used to call “pork chop movies,” because they are the kind of movie you watch when your wife is out with her friends and you’re left home alone, cooking up a pork chop and watching action movies.
Plus, the ‘80s action stars I grew up on, like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, were all muscular heroes, so Butler (and his physique) are perfect for making a movie with that kind of vibe. A world-weary firefighter alongside his cop wife (Atwell) sounds exactly like what I need.
So, whether Empire City is released in theaters or straight to streaming, I’ll be ready with my pork chop to dive in and watch Butler work his way to the top of the building, or the last level, if you will. Hopefully, there will be a worthy Final Boss at the end, too.