A repetitively run-of-the-mill actioner gets trafficked onto the Netflix charts

Netflix viewers have proven themselves highly susceptible to the unique charms of the B-tier action movie, with the back catalogues of Denzel Washington, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, and Gerard Butler always tending to perform well on the platform. The latest hit drops down a rung or two, though, with Steven Seagal’s Born to Raise Hell having been smuggled onto the charts.

As per FlixPatrol, the instantly forgettable shoot ’em up hasn’t just landed a spot on the global rankings, it’s even become the fifth-top title among Canadian subscribers, too. Is that because the nation’s paying customers are too polite to switch off a typically one-note Seagal vehicle before the credits roll? Unconfirmed, but perhaps.

In spite of its most macho of titles, Born to Raise Hell doesn’t come close to living up to such a brazen moniker, instead following Seagal’s Interpol agent on a secret mission to the Balkans with gun and drug runners in his sights, before the death of a teammate leads to an inevitable quest for revenge that features many bullets, plenty of stunt doubles, and even more wistful gazes into the middle distance.

It’s basically every Seagal flick to have come along since the 1980s, then, not that Netflix viewers have been dissuaded by the leading man’s unique brand of wooden acting, unconvincing martial arts, and sense of self-superiority that characterizes virtually every one of his performances. Then again, when you see the veteran’s name above the title, you know exactly what you’re getting, and Born to Raise Hell does at least deliver on that front.