Gerard Butler Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Gamer’ Is Streaming Free on the Roku Channel

Gerard Butler has steadily established himself as one of the silver screen’s most underrated action heroes, with the Scottish star famously appearing in countless adrenaline-pumping films like 300, Olympus Has Fallen, and Den of Thieves. In 2009, the charismatic actor decided to try his hand at the sci-fi genre when he appeared alongside Michael C. Hall in Gamer, 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.

Gamer is 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 of Crank, as it is now streaming for free. Let’s take a look back at Gamer.

Gamer

Release Date

September 4, 2009

Runtime

94 minutes

Butler Stars as a Prisoner-Turned-Gladiator in ‘Gamer’

Lionsgate

Featuring an eclectic cast of Hollywood stars led by Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Logan Lerman, and Terry Crews, Gamer takes 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 game Slayers and 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

Lionsgate 

Though no one is going to try and argue that Gamer is 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 the high-octane thrill ride Crank, 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 of action films like 300, Olympus Has Fallen, Den of Thieves, and Plane throughout his stellar Hollywood career. Gamer was 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 wanted with 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 in Gamer, 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 with Dexter 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 revisit Gamer and give it another shot 16 years after its initial debut.

Stream Gamer on The Roku Channel.