Gerard Butlerhas steadily established himself as one of the silver screen’s mostunderrated action heroes, with the Scottish star famously appearing in countless adrenaline-pumping films like300, Olympus Has Fallen, andDen of Thieves. In 2009, the charismatic actor decided to try his hand at the sci-fi genre when he appeared alongside Michael C. Hall inGamer, in which he portrays a death-row prisoner who serves as an avatar in a video game where he must survive 30 matches in order to earn his freedom.
Gameris one of the few times Butler ventured into the world of science fiction, with the exciting film also combining action, dystopian, and thriller elements. Fans of Butler and explosive, unapologetically over-the-top movies should definitely revisit the underrated 2000s gem from the directors ofCrank,as it is now streaming for free. Let’s take a look back atGamer.
Butler Stars as a Prisoner-Turned-Gladiator in ‘Gamer’
Featuring an eclectic cast of Hollywood starsled by Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Logan Lerman, and Terry Crews,Gamertakes place in 2034 in a world where humans are able to control other people’s actions and see through their eyes via self-replicating nanites, wondrously allowing video game enthusiasts to manipulate live actors as their avatars. Ken Castle (Hall), the genius programmer behind the virtual community, creates a third-person shooter in which the “characters” are death-row prisoners who must survive 30 matches to win their freedom.
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John “Kable” Tillman (Butler) is the highest-ranking warrior in the brutal gameSlayersand has managed to stay alive for 27 matches while being controlled by 17-year-old Simon (Lerman). The death row gladiators have no choice but to participate in the violent battles, and the activist organization known as the “Humanz” turns to the fierce Kable to take down Castle and put an end to his lethal program once and for all. With both his life and the balance of society on the line, Kable goes rogue and embarks upon a bloody mission for revenge.
‘Gamer’ Delivers Nonstop Action & Chaos
Though no one is going to try and argue thatGameris some kind of cinematic masterpiece,the adrenaline-pumping flick nonetheless delivers a heaping dose of bloody, brutal goodness and wonderfully outlandish action sequences. Directing duo Neveldine/Taylor are known for creating bizarre, over-the-top movies like thehigh-octane thrill rideCrank,and together they impressively blended sci-fi and action with a dystopian backdrop, while also providing some unexpectedly poignant commentary on freedom, control, violence, and the disconnection of society.
Butler is in tip-top form as the resilient warrior Kable, showcasing his dazzling physical prowess and commanding presence as the brutish character who will stop at nothing to win his freedom and exact vengeance against Castle for completely destroying his life. The two adversaries square off in a vicious final showdown in which the demented Castle attempts to force Kable to kill his wife and daughter, but his free will overpowers his mind control, and he finally gets some cold, hard justice against the ruthless mastermind.
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The Scottish superstar is no stranger to tackling rip-roaring roles, with Butler having famously appeared in a slew ofaction films like300,Olympus Has Fallen, Den of Thieves,andPlanethroughout his stellar Hollywood career.Gamerwas one of the few times the actor ventured into the world of sci-fi, and though it ultimately underwhelmed critics and proved to be a box-office flop,there’s no denying Butler gave audiences exactly what they wantedwith the rough and rowdy role of the fearless prisoner Kable.
If you can simply sit back and enjoy the frenzied energy and over-the-top chaos featured inGamer,the underrated movie is a great way to kill 90 minutes. Fans of Butler will enjoy seeing him embrace his action hero persona once again and lethally take down one enemy after another, culminating in an epic face-off withDexter Morgan himself, Michael C. Hall, who truly has a blast portraying the sadistic villain. The pair’s performance and the film’s unique premise are reason enough to revisitGamerand give it another shot 16 years after its initial debut.
StreamGameronThe Roku Channel.
