Gerard Butler completes half a century today. No, we are not saying that the actor has stepped into the cricketing arena. What we mean to say is that Gerard celebrates his 50th birthday today. So, to commemorate this special day we have listed down a few of his action movies which prove that despite the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Jackie Chan being lauded as action icons Gerard remains an underdog of the genre.

So, without further ado, let's have a look at the movies that underline the above statement:

300

Gerard as King Leonidas simply has to be on this list. Did you know that Butler trained for 4 hours a day, 4 months straight, to slip into the role? Yep, that's true, Gerard worked tooth and nail on his physique, and the effort paid off on screen. His rage in each scene is whistle-worthy. Catch the gripping trailer of 300 here:

Olympus has fallen

Talk about redemption, earning back lost pride and honour. Olympus has Fallen happens to be one of Butler's finest hours before a camera. The tough guy plays Mike Banning here who is termed a disgrace to the US' secret service. How he earns his reputation back and fights the bad guys, thus saving the kidnapped president and his cabinet, form the crux of the story. Here's the action-packed trailer of Olympus has Fallen:

Law Abiding Citizen

When a common man is hell bent on revenge, the results can be horrible. Gerard Plays Clyde Shelton who's wronged by the system and whose family is murdered for no fault of theirs. How he wreaks havoc despite being locked up in jail, and exacts revenge on the wrong-doers, is Law Abiding Citizen is all about. Get ready for some goose-bumps if you haven't seen this one yet. Here's the trailer of the film:

RocknRolla

Want an action film with a comic touch? Then RocknRolla should be your pick. Gerard plays One Two in ace Director Guy Ritchie's fifth feature-film outing, and eases into his character like a pro. In fact, you may think, it's Gerard's true personality in real life. Anyway, watch the trailer of RocknRolla here:

Den of Thieves

Gerard plays 'Big Nick' aka Nick O'Brien in Den of Thieves, who's the leader of the regulators an elite club in the Los Angeles County Sherrif's Department. O'Brien, along with his crew, are faced with a bunch of fearless thieves who plan to steal billions from the city's Federal Reserve Bank. Gerard as a hard-drinking cop who chases the thieves is spot on. In case you missed out on this one, catch the trailer here before you watch the film:

Do not miss out on these gems if you love action movies. And a very happy birthday to you, Gerard. Thank you for all the lovely and lively action films you've given us.