Gerard Butler’s ‘trashiest’ action thrillers somehow smash into Amazon Prime charts

Two of Gerard Butler’s action thriller films have inexplicably made their way onto Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched watched – despite being rather panned.

The actor has established himself as a no-nonsense action star who has starred in a variety of thrilling films such as 300, Greenland, and Last Seen Alive.

The Scottish star, 55, has appeared in a number of incredible films, but also some films that have been less than popular.

Den of Thieves and its sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, are two of those slightly more contentious films which have bizarrely smashed Amazon’s most-watched list this week.

The newly released sequel is currently in plum position in the number one spot, while the original first film, which was released in 2018, has made its way to the ninth position.

Action fans have been hastily devouring the new film from Amazon Prime, but its prime position on the platform is somewhat baffling given the brutally mixed reviews for both films.

The first film had a $30 million (£22.4 million) budget but made $80.5 million (£60.2 million) at the box office.

The film stars Butler as ‘Big Nick’, the leader of an elite group who must stop a group of thieves (including ex-Marines) who are planning to rob the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.

The film received a 42% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics agreeing that the film was cliche, unoriginal, but mildly entertaining.

The critic’s consensus reads: ‘Den of Thieves pays energetic homage to classic heist thrillers of the past; unfortunately, it never comes close to living up to its obvious inspirations.’

The second film’s Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus is slightly more positive, with the film receiving a more impressive 62% ranking.

‘Pantera trades the original Den of Thieves’ self-seriousness for a more winking lightheartedness that doesn’t entirely smooth over its familiarity but ought to satisfy those hankering for absolute Dad Cinema,’ read the consensus.

The plot is more or less the same as the first, picking up with Butler again as Big Nick, he is immersed into the world of diamond thieves as he pursues career criminal Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr) to Europe.

A review for Trill Magazine said that the movie was tongue-in-cheek and ‘doesn’t care it’s trash.’

Adding: ‘Everyone involved in the film knows it’s going to be another trashy, well-executed action movie. No more, no less.’

A review for GQ was a little more cutting and read: ‘Pantera is even more mid than the first, a largely dull and lifeless movie devoid of characters or plot interesting enough to validate its—gasp—144-minute runtime.’

Bizarrely, Gerard’s critically panned films have been smashing it on streaming platforms recently.

The 2019 flop Angel Has Fallen began rising up the ranks of Netflix’s most-watched earlier this month as fans watched the third instalment in the ‘Has Fallen’ franchise.

It was slammed upon its release, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the movie just a 38% ranking, but nonetheless, fans still loved watching it as soon as the movie was available to stream.

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