‘Gamer’: 2009 Gerard Butler Action Thriller Is Better Than You Remember | Memory Holed

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Hi, I’m Britt Hayes, and welcome to Memory Holed! Each week, I’ll be looking back at movies (and sometimes TV shows) that briefly captured the public’s attention before fading into almost total obscurity. These films often featured big stars, generated Oscar buzz, were based on popular stories, or caused some kind of controversy – but for whatever reason, they’ve been largely forgotten. Essentially, they’ve been ‘memory-holed’ – deliberately erased from our collective memory.

Gerard Butler returns to cinemas this weekend in Greenland 2: Migration, playing the role of a world-saver – or, at least, trying to save what remains of it. Having appeared in over 50 films, Butler has a number of interesting projects in his filmography that are worth revisiting – including this week’s feature, the 2009 action thriller Gamer, directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the team behind Crank.

To really understand the feel and style of the film Gamer, it’s helpful to remember what the world was like when it came out in 2009. It was Barack Obama’s first year as president, the country was still dealing with a major economic downturn, and Michael Jackson had just passed away. “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas was the biggest song, and Kanye West caused a stir by interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV VMAs – an incident that even prompted Donald Trump to call for a boycott of West. Honestly, it’s a bit much to revisit.

August was a fantastic month for movies, with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and District 9, which introduced us to the talented director Neill Blomkamp – it’s interesting to look back and see how his career has progressed. Avatar hadn’t come out yet, so we were still waiting for that cinematic experience.


Lionsgate

Okay, so Neveldine and Taylor – the guys who brought us the hyperkinetic Crank with Jason Statham – are back, and this time they’ve really leaned into the video game aesthetic with Gamer. This film drops us into a 2034 where a tech mogul, Ken Castle (played by Michael C. Hall), has invented a way for people to literally control other people like they’re characters in a game. It’s a wild concept! We’re talking fully immersive, real-world games, including one called Society which feels a lot like The Sims. But the real draw, at least initially, is Slayers – a brutally violent shooter where prisoners volunteer to fight for the chance to earn time off their sentences. Gerard Butler is fantastic as John Tillman, the top dog in Slayers, and he’s really the one you’re watching as this whole twisted world unfolds.

Kable, whose real name is Tillman, is nearing his 30th game. If he wins, he’ll be freed from prison and able to reconnect with his wife, Angie (Amber Valletta), and daughter. However, the owner of the popular game Slayers, Castle, doesn’t want to lose such a valuable player. The catch is, Tillman isn’t actually playing – he’s controlled by 17-year-old Simon (Logan Lerman), who has become famous through the game.

The movie Gamer starts with a massive, energetic action scene that introduces the idea of ‘Slayers’ and immediately showcases the directors’ fast-paced style. It uses a lot of quick cuts and shaky camera work – typical of action movies from that time – and has a very bright, almost bleached-out look that highlights every detail on the actors’ faces. The opening feels like an incredibly intense version of Call of Duty. Luckily, the action gets better as the movie goes on, and we’re introduced to the main character, Ken Castle, played by Michael C. Hall. Castle is a tech entrepreneur with a surprisingly strong southern accent and a love for over-the-top displays.


Lionsgate

Kyra Sedgwick also shines as Gina Parker Smith, a flamboyant talk show host who expertly keeps her public and private lives separate. Alongside Butler’s serious lead performance, Gamer feels like a fun, old-school action movie where the side characters really get to overact. Unfortunately, Keith David and Terry Crews aren’t given enough to do.

What makes ‘Gamer’ stand out is its over-the-top, but believable, take on the near future—a darkly comedic dystopia. Like great dystopian stories, it offers sharp insights into people, culture, and how we interact with technology, feeling surprisingly relevant to today’s world. With the popular show ‘Slayers’ and many people reluctantly working as in-game avatars, ‘Gamer’ clearly draws inspiration from films like ‘The Running Man’.

You know, it’s funny—what initially drew me in to Gamer was also what ultimately tripped it up. For the first twenty minutes, even though over-the-top action isn’t usually my thing, I started to think maybe this movie deserved another look. Ludacris, who I’m always happy to see, plays a member of this activist group called The Humanz – they’re basically hacking into broadcasts, Anonymous-style, to protest the villain and his tech. It’s totally cheesy, but in a really enjoyable way! But then, to borrow a line from Reba McEntire, things took a seriously dark turn.


Lionsgate

We’re introduced to Angie, Tillman’s wife, as she begins her day within the virtual world of Society. Her entire look – from her clothes and hair to her makeup – is dictated by a gamer she’ll never know. Disturbingly, this player forces her avatar to participate in unwanted sexual interactions. The situation is unsettling, especially when contrasted with a fast-paced sequence showing Society avatars dressed in vibrant colors acting aimlessly, often suffering injuries. For example, one avatar crashes into another, badly scraping her leg, but instead of reacting naturally to the pain, the player controlling her simply laughs.

The film contains a disturbing scene where Angie is sexually assaulted by a man who is also being forced to participate. While showing something doesn’t mean the filmmakers approve of it, the film’s over-the-top style contributes to a feeling of exploitation. The camera focuses unnecessarily on Angie’s body and the unwanted touching, and the story offers little insight into her life beyond a brief, negative encounter with a social worker who suggests her work hinders her chances of regaining custody of her daughter.

Another issue with the movie Gamer is how it portrays the people who play the game Society, particularly the player controlling Angie. He’s depicted as an incredibly overweight man named Gorge – and seriously, that’s his name – who spends his time in a messy basement, often just in his underwear. Every time we see him, he’s sweaty, licking his lips, and eating waffles with syrup. While this lazy stereotyping feels dated, it’s still problematic. The movie also casually uses offensive language, including a slur for people with intellectual disabilities and the word “gay” as an insult. It’s a product of 2009, and some people, like Joe Rogan, seem to long for that era.


Lionsgate

This brings up a strange trend. The show Gamer featured online personalities with provocative usernames like 2KATCHAPREDATOR and Stikkimuffin, even a pair of British twins calling themselves KUMDUMPSTAZ. It made me question when parody crosses the line and becomes the very thing it’s mocking. This reminded me of the frustrating debates around comedians making jokes about sexual assault – they claimed it was harmless fun and their right as performers. That era also saw the rise of Gamergate and arguments over whether women should even be allowed to participate in things like the Ghostbusters franchise. While it’s good that discussions around feminism have improved things for women, it’s inaccurate to suggest that all those problems have been solved. And, unfortunately, those trends didn’t prevent the election of someone accused of sexual assault, nor did they stop the backlash against women who tried to hold abusers accountable.

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Tillman, now acting of his own free will thanks to Simon and The Humanz, predictably finds and saves Angie from a sexual assault committed by an avatar named – unfortunately – Rick Rape, a character played by Milo Ventimiglia.


Lionsgate

Let’s end on a slightly more positive note, even though Gamer definitely has its flaws. There are still enjoyable parts, especially Michael C. Hall’s performance as the villain. He was already well-known from shows like Six Feet Under and Dexter, but Gamer allowed him to showcase his stage training, particularly in the film’s exciting climax. The final confrontation reveals that Castle has been secretly enhancing his brain implants for evil purposes – to control people’s minds. But before the fight, there’s a surprising musical number! Castle and his henchmen perform a delightfully unhinged song and dance to Sammy Davis Jr.’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” I originally thought the song was “I’ve Got No Strings” from Pinocchio, but I seem to have mixed it up with a scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s an easy mistake to make!

The climactic battle between Tillman and Castle, which follows the film’s most exciting fight, is truly rewarding. Neveldine and Taylor make a smart choice by ending the movie without dragging it out. Overall, Gamer is a lean 94 minutes long. Despite some questionable content, it’s certainly not the worst way to spend an hour and a half.

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2026-01-09 19:22