Skip to main content

Gerard Butler vs. Jason Statham: Who is the better B-movie action star?

What makes a good “B-movie?” B-movies are lower to mid-budget action, horror, or sci-fi films without the profit margins of a blockbuster or the promotion of a major studio movie. I refer to them as “why not” movies. Picture this: You’re scrolling Netflix and can’t decide what to watch. As you scroll past the superhero adventures and blockbuster films, you stumble on a film with one actor on the poster with a title of one to three words. If it’s an action film, the actor is usually holding a gun as they prepare for a revenge mission. This premise is enough to spark your interest, so you say, “Why not,” and watch.

This type of B-movie is a lost art form in 2023. The B-movie, especially the action B-movie, dominated the 1990s thanks to Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Dolph Lundgren. Two actors keeping the spirit of the action B-movie alive are Gerard Butler and Jason Statham. These two action stars have headlined some of the most successful B-movies of the 21st century, so naturally, it’s time to ask one question: Who is the better B-movie action star?

Recommended Videos

Their best B-movie roles

Gerard Butler and Jason Statham hold guns.
Lionsgate

For Statham, it has to be Frank Martin in The Transporter. Apologies to the Guy Ritchie hive, but those are ensemble movies, not Statham movies. I like Statham in Snatch, but he doesn’t give the best performance in that movie (hello, Brad Pitt). Statham has starred in three Transporter films, and it’s his franchise. Statham plays a former special operations soldier with elite driving skills who now works as a mercenary. Statham is essentially an alternate version of James Bond with more muscles and dry humor.

For Butler, it’s Mike Banning in the Has Fallen franchise. Banning is a former U.S. Army ranger who transitioned to the Secret Service as he got older. Because of his experience in the military, Banning is a wizard with guns, so much so that he would shoot all three men in the standoff from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly before they could grab their guns. Banning is a bigger John McClane with a better attitude. Although Statham has played similar “badass with a gun” characters, there’s something about saving the world from war that makes Banning much more endearing than Martin.

Winner: Gerard Butler as Mike Banning

The better fighter

Jason Statham fights bandits on a bus / The Transporter (2002)

As I previously stated, Butler plays a lot of characters with guns. Banning in the Has Fallen franchise, Nick O’Brien in Den of Thieves, Will Spann in Last Seen Alive, Brodie Torrance in Plane, etc. If there’s a gun, Butler will wield it. Butler also provides a physically imposing presence on-screen, standing six feet, two inches tall, and weighing at least 200 pounds. He’s Scottish, so obviously the man knows a thing or two about a fistfight.

While Butler excels with weapons, Statham thrives in hand-to-hand combat. Statham is highly trained in kickboxing, Chinese martial arts, and karate. This background is one of the reasons why Statham excels in fistfights on-screen. From the bus scene in The Transporter to holding his own against Jet Li in War, Statham was born to fight. Butler’s characters may never give up due to their stubbornness. Yet without a gun, Butler doesn’t stand a chance against Statham’s fists.

Winner: Jason Statham

If they switched careers, who is better?

Gerard Butler stares and looks up in Greenland.
STXfilms

If you switched their B-movie action roles, could Butler play Statham’s parts, and vice versa? Who would have done a better job? This is where it gets tricky. Because of his sheer athleticism, Statham could easily play a Secret Service agent in Olympus Has Fallen, an LASD detective in Den of Thieves, and a submarine captain in Hunter Killer. However, Statham typically doesn’t play an American, nor use different accents. Statham plays to his strengths as a smooth-talking Brit. He’s not going to play a character who saves the president of the United States in London Has Fallen, nor will he work as a commercial airline pilot in Plane. Statham is too cool and suave for those roles.

Butler, however, constantly uses a different accent to play Americans. It’s not perfect, as Butler tends to slip in and out of his Scottish accent (Last Seen Alive). Butler also plays grittier characters, the type of guy who goes after the bad guy to save his wife from death or the world from destruction. Do I think Butler could be the star of a Guy Ritchie movie with colorful dialogue? I do not. However, do I think Butler could play an adrenaline-filled hitman in Crank or a professional assassin in The Mechanic? I do.

Winner: Gerard Butler

Whose B-movies are better?

Jason Statham holds a cellphone to his ear in Crank.
Lionsgate

This comes down to what type of movie you prefer. If your version of an action B-movie involves elaborate hand-to-hand combat with intricate choreography and extended fight sequences, then Statham’s movies are best for you. If you prefer “one man-versus-X” B-movies with a lionhearted protagonist who most likely served in the military and conveys messages with stern looks, Butler’s movies will be more up your alley.

If I’m watching a B-movie, I don’t particularly care about the ensemble. I just need one star to be charismatic enough to take me on a journey for 90 to 120 minutes. To his credit, Statham stands out in team-up movies — Owen Shaw in The Fast franchise, Lee Christmas in The Expendables, or whatever part he plays in a Ritchie movie — because of his good looks, witty sense of humor, and top-notch stunt work. But these are ensemble movies, not Statham-led B-movies. Butler is the draw in B-movies. I’m watching the movie for Butler, not for the filmmaker or cast. I’d much rather spend time with Butler on a plane, at the White House, or in a desert than with Statham in a crowded cast.

Winner: Gerard Butler

Who is the better B-movie action star?

Gerard Butler sits down and holds up a police badge in Den of Thieves.
STXfilms

Statham is still slick as ever in his films. Thankfully, his steely eyes and chiseled jaw are not going anywhere. However, he’s graduated to bigger franchises with larger budgets, including The Meg, The Fast Saga, and The Expendables. He’ll be linking up with Ritchie as long as those two want to make movies together. However, his B-movie stage is not what it once was.

And then there’s Butler, who only makes B-movies. His commitment to being the “King of the B-movie” has not gone unnoticed. Butler told Inverse that he loves watching and making B-movies. Do you know who loves watching them, too? Robert Downey Jr., who praised Butler for Olympus Has Fallen and urged the Scottish actor to make more B-movies. Tony Stark is right. Hollywood needs Butler in B-movies. I can’t wait for the seventh film in the Has Fallen series where Banning saves the world from AI.

Winner: Gerard Butler

Topics
Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
3 action movies on Netflix you need to watch in February 2025
Two men and a girl stand and stare in The New Guys.

Action continues to be one of Netflix's strongest genres. For example, take a look at the top 10 for the most popular movies on Netflix ever. Seven of the ten spots – including Red Notice, Carry-On, The Adam Project, The Gray Man, Damsel, We Can Be Heroes, and The Mother — belong to action movies. More action films are coming in 2025, including Havoc and The Old Guard 2.
For now, explore the Netflix action page for your movie-going needs. From blockbusters and heists to thrillers and comedies, action crosses into nearly every genre. Below, we have three recommendations for action movies to watch this month. This includes a new action comedy from two gigantic stars, a criminally underrated movie from 2016, and a terrific crime thriller.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Back in Action (2025)

For Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, Back in Action is the perfect title for their respective returns. Foxx suffered a life-threatening stroke in 2023, while Diaz hasn't acted in a decade. The duo, who previously collaborated on 2014's Annie, play former CIA operatives returning to the field in Back in Action, one of the most popular Netflix movies this year.

Read more
Kevin Feige hopes fans accept Anthony Mackie as Cap after Brave New World
Anthony Mackie as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World.

Anthony Mackie has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. Marvel Studios has also been setting up Mackie's character, Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, to be the new Captain America since the end of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Nearly six years later, Mackie will return to the big screen in Captain America: Brave New World as the new face of that particular franchise. And Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is hopeful that fans will fully accept Mackie as the new Cap after that film.

Via GamesRadar+, Feige recently attended a press conference for Brave New World where he shared his thoughts about cementing the idea that Sam Wilson is the right man to carry on the legacy of the first Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

Read more
The 7 best Star Wars droids, ranked
BB-8 rolls across the desert in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Droids may be second-class citizens in the Star Wars universe, but they're also some of the most important characters in the entire franchise. There's hardly a hero in the lore of Star Wars who isn't accompanied by a droid best friend. That trend continues even in recent video games like Star Wars Outlaws and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The irony is that many droids are treated like slaves, and there's yet to be a droid uprising where they fight for equal rights as sentient beings. L3-37 tried to change that in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it really didn't work out for her.
Nevertheless, droids are vital to the galaxy's way of life, and it just wouldn't be Star Wars without them. For now, we're paying homage to the 7 best Star Wars droids and pulling from all of the ancillary media, movies, and TV shows to put this list together. Only our pick for No. 7 on this list originated in a comic book.

7. Triple-Zero

Read more