Gerard Butleris a Scottish actor, who originally studied law before choosing to move into the field of acting. Butler worked his way into Hollywood through a variety of small roles. Butler eventually made his debut as Count Dracula in the horror filmDracula 2000. After this, he gained a number of roles, including one of his best roles inReign of Fire. It wasn’t until his performance in300that he garnered international recognition for his skill as an actor. Most recently, Butler appeared in theepic disaster movieGreenlandand thebullet-ridden taleCopshop.
Butler’s career has spanned over the last two decades, and he’s managed to build up a sizable filmography. That said, not all of his films are note-worthy, including the outrageously ridiculousMovie 43and his attempt at a rom-com with Katherine Heigl inThe Ugly Truth. That said, Butler has also managed to produce a number of hits, particularly in the action genre. In fact, Butler is set to start inJust Watch Me, teaming up with John Wick creator Derek Lostadfor the project. While we wait for more news on the project, here are the best Gerard Butler movies, ranked.
Related:Greenland 2 is Happening with Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin Both Returning
8The Bounty Hunter
Gerard Butler stars alongside Jennifer Aniston in this romance-action film, playing the role of Milo Boyd, an empty-handed bounty hunter who gets a call to bring in his ex-wife Nicole for jumping bail. While Milo considers this an easy job, Nicole evades him to chase a lead on a murder case for her career.The Bounty Hunterexamines the concept of bounty hunting, in which citizens are allowed to hunt down people with warrants for their arrest and use any force necessary if they resist. This film barely makes the list as it was a box office flop, but it certainly has its moments.
7P.S. I Love You
P.S I Love Youfollows the story of Holly and her journey through the untimely death of her husband Gerry, who has taken the liberty to write her letters before his passing to help her work through his death. This includes giving her experiences, like sending her to Ireland with her best friends. The letters are the only thing keeping Holly from staying holed up in her apartment thinking about Gerry. Gerard Butler plays the role of Gerry and while he is only seen through flashbacks and imagined through Holly’s mind, his role is part of what makes the film so heartwarming.
6Den of Thieves
Gerard Butler stars as Nick O’Brien, the borderline alcoholic, and leader of the “Regulators," an elite force of the L.A Sheriff’s Department. O’Brien and his team face off against the “Outlaws," a team of ex-military men who use their skills to evade the law when the Outlaws plan to pull off a heist at the Federal Reserve Bank in the city.Den of Thieveswas a commercial success and garnered enough attention to warrant thesequelDen of Thieves 2,which is now in the workswith Butler expected to reprise his role as Nick O’Brien, alongside co-stars 50 Cent as Enson Levoux and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson.
5Greenland
Greenlandis a 2020 apocalyptic disaster film that follows John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his family on their journey to find solace in Greenland as a comet approaches Earth. As fragments of the comet strike the Earth, causing devastating destruction, the clock continues to tick as John hopes to get his wife and son to safety. The film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was released domestically through VOD and was eventually available for streaming on HBO Max and Amazon Prime.Greenlandhas asequel lined up calledGreenland: Migrationwith Butler and his family to return to the newly changed world.
4Reign of Fire
Reign of Fireis a one-of-a-kind film. In a post-apocalyptic world where dragons reign free, leaving a layer of ash over every surface, Quinn (Christian Bale) and Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey) work together to take the beasts down and save mankind from total extinction. Gerard Butler plays the role of Creedy, Quinn’s best friend who aids in leading a group of survivors, including children, at Bamburgh Castle, where he hopes to send the dragons back into hibernation.Reign of Firewas nominated for a number of awards and took home the Festival de Cine de Sitges for Best Visual Effects.
3The Phantom of the Opera
A retelling of the classic tale, Joel Schumacher’sThe Phantom of the Operastars Gerard Butler as the title character and Emmy Rossum as Christine. This musical romance revolves around the Phantom who lives beneath the Paris opera house and longs to get closer to vocalist Christine. The film was a box-office success and showcases Butler’s vocal skills as well as his ability to act, with critics giving much praise to both Butler and Rossum for their performances.The Phantom of the Operawas nominated for a number of awards, including three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes, none of which the film took home.The Phantom of the Operais a favorite of many as a tumultuous love story with wonderful music to boot.
Related:Explained: Why Movie Musicals Are So Popular
2How to Train Your Dragon
Gerard Butler’s native Scottish accent is perfect for his role as Hiccup’s father Stoick the Vast, inHow to Train Your Dragon. Stoick is the leader of Berk, a town full of Vikings that gets attacked by dragons who steal their livestock. When Hiccup knocks down a Nightfury, he finds himself unable to kill it and instead learns that perhaps dragons don’t need to be killed and that maybe they could be tamed with a little of patience and kindness. Stoick is the total opposite of Hiccup, using brute force rather than his intelligence to fight off the dragons, forcing Hiccup to hide what he is doing with the Nightfury. The film’s popularity led to two sequels, ending with theHow to Train Your Dragon 3.
Gerard Butler’s most known role is as Leonidas in300. As the King of Sparta, he leads his small group of 300 warriors into battle with the Persian army. While death seems to be inevitable, nothing stops the Spartans from taking on the Persian army, leading the rest of Greece to unite against a common enemy.300was based on the 1998 comic series of the same name and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae.300won a number of accolades, especially for Butler’s performance and Zack Snyder’s direction. That said, the film was also subject to agreat deal of controversyover the historical inaccuracies and the portrayal of Persians in the film.
