One of Gerard Butler‘s best hidden gem movies has finally found acclaim on streaming, but it exposes a harsh truth about the action star’s career. Getting his start in the mid ’90s, Butler quickly broke into the mainstream in films like Reign of Fire and The Phantom of the Opera. Butler became synonymous with action thanks to movies like 300, and he was one of the biggest movie stars of the 2000s. While his action star status is secured, Butler is no stranger to other roles and even lent his voice to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

What makes Gerard Butler’s action movies so unique is that he can turn in an excellent performance while also playing a convincing hero. He’s equally deft at playing a gruff tough-guy, while also crafting more realistic and sensitive characters when the script calls for it. Now in the fourth decade of his career, Butler has settled into a comfortable groove in mid-budget action films, but he hasn’t stopped turning in strong performances. One of his more recent films is finally getting the attention it deserves, but there is one missed opportunity that hangs over Butler’s career.

Plane Proves Gerard Butler Would’ve Been An Excellent James Bond

The Scottish Actor Was A Prime Candidate For 007

Two years after its release, the Gerard Butler vehicle, Plane, rocketed up the streaming charts and has become a bona fide hit. It is vindication for what was a strong action film that largely flew under the radar, and it’s so much more than a disposable low-budget movie. Butler is tapped to play an action-hero role, but his performance as pilot Brodie Torrance has depth that only he could bring to the part. Any other action star would have cheapened the experience, and Butler’s performance elevates the movie beyond some of the action movie clichés it’s guilty of copying.

Behind all that, the success of Plane also highlights a major missed opportunity in Gerard Butler’s long career. Though he was never seriously considered for the part, Gerard Butler’s action performances are proof that he would have made an excellent James Bond earlier in his career. When looking at the creative direction that the films went in while Daniel Craig was in the role, Butler could have easily stepped into the shoes of 007. He would have been able to do the action sequences convincingly, and he is a charming enough actor to capture Bond’s suave side as well.

Unfortunately, the time has pᴀssed for Butler to play the British superspy. Even as the franchise turns in a new direction and searches for a fresh face for the role, Butler is now 10 years older than Roger Moore was when he ᴀssumed the part at 45. In an interesting bit of Bond history, Gerard Butler did appear in the Pierce Brosnan film, Tomorrow Never Dies, as a naval crew member. While it might be too late for him to play Bond himself, Butler could always appear as a villain or supporting character in a future 007 movie.

Why Plane Is An Overlooked Entry In Gerard Butler’s Action Canon

Plane Was Buried Beneath A Mountain Of Lackluster Movies

Though it was released theatrically, Plane looks like just another low-budget action film that gets dumped onto streaming in order to capitalize on the name recognition of its lead actor. While there’s no denying that Gerard Butler has gotten into a comfortable action movie groove, Plane is actually a well-crafted thriller with fun ideas. Despite its quality, it didn’t really make much of a splash, and faded into the background among the other January releases. However, Plane did make a tidy little profit when it grossed $74 million (via Box Office Mojo).

Plane‘s biggest problem was its marketing, and the movie didn’t have a very large presence when compared to other major releases. The marketing materials that did exist didn’t do it many favors, and it couldn’t really shake the image of a straight-to-streaming release that somehow ended up in theaters. The тιтle is a bit too generic for its own good, and many of the posters and other promotional images didn’t really explain many details about the film’s plot. If the movie had been marketed more as a tense thriller with action beats, it could have more easily found its audience.

Gerard Butler’s last five movies include:

Ultimately, Plane was hampered by a January release, and it’s typically a time when the box office is down across the board. Studios dump out whatever leftovers they have after the holidays and before the summer, and Plane got lumped in with a lot of mediocre movies. Even if audiences were going to the theater in the early weeks of 2023, it was to see movies like Avatar: The Way of Water and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Fortunately, streaming has saved the Gerard Butler action movie from obscurity, and Plane has finally reached the top of the charts.