The one movie Gerard Butler would watch for the rest of his life: “I don’t really know why”
The action genre isn’t what it used to be in its 1980s heyday, but it has still produced some big stars in recent years, and one of them is Gerard Butler.
The Scottish hunk first rose to prominence in a historical setting, portraying King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s all-killer, partially-filler epic 300. Since then, he has fronted a number of successful blockbusters and cult favourites. He is a living, breathing link to the glory days of the B-movie action romp, and people love him for it.
Butler has also proven that he is capable of far more than punching, kicking, and shooting people in the face, having given the romcom a go a few times with The Ugly Truth and PS I Love You. He lent his voice to Viking chief Stoick the Vast in the animated How to Train Your Dragon movies and even portrayed him in the live-action version. Some of you may even remember him as the titular character in Joel Schumacher’s version of The Phantom of the Opera, for which we severely apologise.
Having this broad a career makes it quite hard to pin down what sort of movies Butler watches in his spare time. Luckily, we don’t have to, because the actor has revealed it himself. While on the press circuit for his movie Angel Has Fallen, Butler was asked what he would stick on if he could only watch one movie for the rest of his life, and his answer was an absolute classic.
“I think it might be Apocalypse Now,” he replied, “I don’t really know why. It’s just one of those movies that I can watch again. I’m weird with movies. Even if I love a movie, even years later, I generally won’t watch it again because I feel I watched that movie already. That doesn’t happen with Apocalypse Now. I could put that on at any point and watch and get lost in it.”
Not that this needs explaining, but Apocalypse Now is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in a Vietnam War setting. The movie, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is legendary, as are its behind-the-scenes stories. Everything from Martin Sheen’s heart attack to a genuine war taking place during filming has been documented hundreds of times. These tales are almost more captivating than the movie itself.
It’s interesting that Butler can return to something like Apocalypse Now without getting sick of it. The movie is undeniably brilliant, but it’s not exactly an easy watch. It was designed to expose the violence and futility at the heart of the cursed US assault on the Asian nation, with some of its key scenes being based on real-life atrocities committed during the conflict. In terms of a comfort watch, it’s hard to think of anything less comforting. Maybe all those hours spent roughing up bad guys on set have hardened Butler’s heart.
Regardless of whether or not you think it’s crazy to watch something like this on repeat, you have to admire the man’s taste. Butler clearly knows a good movie when he sees one, even if it’s one that will give you nightmares for the rest of your life.
