(Credit: Netflix)

Gerard Butler is back on everyone’s screens this week. His 2023 action-thriller Plane has climbed to number three on the most-watched movie list on Netflix. The film has quietly outperformed newer releases and has become one of the most talked-about surprise re-entries of the month.

Directed by Jean-François Richet, Plane is the kind of action film that does not try too hard. The plot is simple and straight to the point. Butler plays Brodie Torrance, a commercial pilot tasked with flying a routine New Year’s Eve flight. A storm forces an emergency landing, and the plane crash-lands on a remote island in the Philippines.

Now, what should have been a rescue mission turns into a survival battle when the island turns out to be controlled by armed militia. With no support, no working communication lines, and passengers at risk, Brodie is forced to team up with the only person capable of helping him, a fugitive named Louis Gaspare, who was being transported on the same flight.

The film leans heavily into real danger. It is not a high-concept action movie or a glossy blockbuster. It is grounded, urgent, and focused on the basics. One plane. One island. One problem at a time. That simplicity might be exactly what has brought viewers back to it.

Gerard Butler has spent the last decade making these kinds of films. From Olympus Has Fallen to Greenland, he has carved out a very specific space for himself. He often plays men who are not superheroes, just tired professionals doing their best in impossible situations. That energy works in Plane, where his character has no special training, just instinct and a strong sense of responsibility.

So why is the film trending now, more than a year after it first released?

There are a few possibilities. One is timing. How to Train Your Dragon is in theatres, and viewers may have been reminded of Butler’s voice work as Stoick the Vast. That may have nudged people toward exploring more of his work, including Plane, which has a very different tone but a familiar presence.

Another reason may be more subconscious. Over the past few weeks, international headlines have been filled with stories of emergency landings, mid-air scares, and delayed flights. Even though Plane is fiction, it taps into those anxieties. Watching a version of something you fear and seeing it play out with resolution and control can be oddly reassuring. It gives shape to unease and ends with survival. In that sense, Plane offers both intensity and comfort.

It also helps that Plane is a standalone story. No sequels. No shared universe. No cliffhangers. Just one complete, self-contained narrative. In a time where many streaming options demand long hours and emotional investment, a 100-minute action film that knows exactly what it is can feel like a relief.

Whether viewers are here for the suspense, the familiarity of Gerard Butler, or just looking for something that does not ask too much, Plane fits the bill. It may not be new, but it knows what it is doing. And sometimes, that is all people need from a Friday night watch.