From ‘300’ to ‘Olympus Has Fallen,’ Moviefone counts down the 25 best movies of Gerard Butler’s career.
Gerard Butler in ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Gerard Butler is one of the most popular actors working today.
He helped launch the career of director Zack Snyder with his work on ‘300,’ and created popular franchises from film’s like ‘Olympus Has Fallen’, ‘Den of Thieves’, and ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ with an upcoming sequel for ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ and a follow up to ‘Plane’ in the works.
In his latest film, Butler reprises his role as Stoick the Vast in the live-action version of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, which opens in theaters on June 13th.
In honor of the new remake, Moviefone has compiled a list of the 25 best Gerard Butler movies of all-time, including his latest.
Let’s begin!
25. ‘Gamer’ (2009)
Gerard Butler in ‘Gamer’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Mind-control technology has taken society by a storm, a multiplayer on-line game called “Slayers” allows players to control human prisoners in mass-scale. Simon (Logan Lerman) controls Kable (Butler), the online champion of the game. Kable’s ultimate challenge becomes regaining his identity and independence by defeating the game’s mastermind (Michael C. Hall).
Gamer”In the near future, you don’t live to play… you’ll play to live.”
57
R1 hr 35 min
Sep 4th, 2009
24. ‘Hunter Killer’ (2018)Captain Glass (Butler) of the USS Arkansas discovers that a coup d’état is taking place in Russia, so he and his crew join an elite group working on the ground to prevent a war.
23. ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life’ (2003)Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) ventures to an underwater temple in search of the mythological Pandora’s Box but, after securing it, it is promptly stolen by the villainous leader of a Chinese crime syndicate. Lara must recover the box before the syndicate’s evil mastermind (Ciarán Hinds) uses it to construct a weapon of catastrophic capabilities.
22. ‘Reign of Fire’ (2002)In post-apocalyptic England, an American volunteer (Matthew McConaughey) and a British survivor (Christian Bale) team up to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons seeking to return to global dominance after centuries of rest underground. The Brit — leading a clan of survivors to hunt down the King of the Dragons — has much at stake: His mother was killed by a dragon, but his love (Izabella Scorupco) is still alive.
Reign of Fire”They’re extremely intelligent. Highly evolved. And they don’t like sharing the planet.”
62
PG-131 hr 41 min
Jul 12th, 2002
21. ‘Timeline’ (2003)A group of archaeological students (Butler, Paul Walker, and Frances O’Connor) become trapped in the past when they go there to retrieve their professor (Billy Connolly). The group must survive in 14th century France long enough to be rescued.
Timeline”They had to travel into the past to save the future”
57
PG-131 hr 56 min
Nov 26th, 2003
20. ‘Greenland’ (2020)
(L to R) Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin in ‘Greenland’. Photo: STXfilms.
John Garrity (Butler), his estranged wife (Morena Baccarin) and their young son embark on a perilous journey to find sanctuary as a planet-killing comet hurtles toward Earth. Amid terrifying accounts of cities getting leveled, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity. As the countdown to the global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.
Greenland”It’s the end of the world as we know it.”
71
PG-132 hr
Dec 18th, 2020
19. ‘The Bounty Hunter’ (2010)A revered bounty hunter’s (Butler) latest gig is rather satisfying, as his bail-skipper is his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston), who has no intention of getting nabbed without a fight.
The Bounty Hunter”It’s a Job. It Isn’t Personal. Well, Maybe a Little…”
59
PG-131 hr 50 min
Mar 19th, 2010
18. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (2004)Deformed since birth, a bitter man known only as the Phantom (Butler) lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine (Emmy Rossum), and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles. Things get worse when Christine meets back up with her childhood acquaintance Raoul (Patrick Wilson) and the two fall in love.
The Phantom of the Opera”Her voice became his passion. Her love became his obsession. Her refusal became his rage…”
73
PG-132 hr 21 min
Dec 22nd, 2004
17. ‘Geostorm’ (2017)After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.
Geostorm”Some things were never meant to be controlled.”
61
PG-131 hr 49 min
Oct 20th, 2017
16. ‘Angel Has Fallen’ (2019)After a treacherous attack, Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Butler) is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman). Chased by his own colleagues and the FBI (Jada Pinkett Smith), Banning begins a race against the clock to clear his name.
15. ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ (2011)
Gerard Butler in ‘Machine Gun Preacher’. Photo: Relativity Media.
The true story of Sam Childers (Butler), a former drug-dealing biker who finds God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been kidnapped and pressed into duty as soldiers.
14. ‘Copshop’ (2021)On the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist (Frank Grillo) devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station. However, when the hit man (Butler) turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop (Alexis Louder) finds herself caught in the crosshairs.
Copshop”Someone’s gotta take the hit.”
63
R1 hr 48 min
Sep 17th, 2021
13. ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ (2014)Five years have passed since Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless (Randy Thom) united the dragons and Vikings of Berk. Now, they spend their time charting unmapped territories. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons — and a mysterious dragon rider who turns out to be Hiccup’s mother, Valka (Cate Blanchett). Hiccup and Toothless then find themselves at the center of a battle to protect Berk from a power-hungry warrior named Drago (Djimon Hounsou).
12. ‘Coriolanus’ (2012)Caius Martius, aka Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), is an arrogant and fearsome general who has built a career on protecting Rome from its enemies. Pushed by his ambitious mother (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the position of consul, Coriolanus is at odds with the masses and unpopular with certain colleagues. When a riot results in his expulsion from Rome, Coriolanus seeks out his sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Butler). Together, the pair vow to destroy the great city.
Coriolanus”Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.”
58
R2 hr 3 min
Jan 19th, 2012
11. ‘Chasing Mavericks’ (2012)Surfer Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston) sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.
10. ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2025)
Hiccup (Mason Thames) in Universal Pictures’ live-action ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Photo: Universal Pictures.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames) stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
9. ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ (2025)Big Nick (Butler) is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (O’Shea Jackson), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
8. ‘London Has Fallen’ (2016)In London for the Prime Minister’s funeral, Mike Banning (Butler) discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
London Has Fallen”The world’s leaders have assembled. So have their enemies.”
62
R1 hr 39 min
Mar 4th, 2016
7. ‘RocknRolla’ (2008)When a Russian mobster (Karel Roden) sets up a real estate scam that generates millions of pounds, various members of London’s criminal underworld pursue their share of the fortune. Various shady characters, including Mr One-Two (Butler), Stella the accountant (Thandiwe Newton), and Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), a druggie rock-star, try to claim their slice.
RocknRolla”A story of sex, thugs and rock ‘n roll.”
70
R1 hr 54 min
Oct 30th, 2008
6. ‘Plane’ (2023)After a heroic job of successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, a fearless pilot (Butler) finds himself between the agendas of multiple militias planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.
Plane”Survive together or die alone.”
69
R1 hr 47 min
Jan 13th, 2023
5. ‘300’ (2007)
Gerard Butler in ‘300’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel and directed by Zack Snyder, ‘300’ is very loosely based the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta (Butler) led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world’s first democracy.
300″Prepare for glory!”
72
R1 hr 56 min
Mar 9th, 2007
4. ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless (Randy Thom) – much to the chagrin of his warrior father (Butler).
3. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ (2013)When the White House (Secret Service Code: “Olympus”) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President (Aaron Eckhart) is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning (Butler) finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.
2. ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ (2009)A frustrated man (Butler) decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family’s killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney (Jamie Foxx) and others involved in the deal.
1. ‘Den of Thieves’ (2018)
(L to R) Maurice Compte and Gerard Butler in ‘Den of Thieves’. Photo: STXfilms.
A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Den of Thieves”Cops without limits. Thieves without fear.”
69
R2 hr 20 min
Jan 19th, 2018
Jami Philbrick has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Moviefone.com. Formally, Philbrick was the Managing Editor of Relativity Media’s iamROGUE.com, and a Senior Staff Reporter and Video Producer for Mtime, China’s largest entertainment website. He has also written for Fandango, MovieWeb, and Comic Book Resources. Philbrick received the 2019 International Media Award at the 56th annual ICG Publicists Awards, and is a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has interviewed such talent as Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey, Quentin Tarantino, and Stan Lee.
