A dire action movie that launched an even worse franchise evades capture on Netflix


Despite lending his name to a massive volume of forgettable VOD actioners,

[{"selector":"#anim-7b1f6c10-e981-45f9-b57a-e8a587b9aada","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-85cc3a6e-6170-43ec-beb8-a1266ebbf7d6 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Wesley Snipes hasn’t starred in anywhere near as many sequels as you may think.

[{"selector":"#anim-8bcbf914-1994-47d9-9d57-13d0c42d380f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c2d56d4d-f1c4-457f-bbb8-d685e23515c0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

In fact, the martial artist and actor has only reprised two roles throughout his entire career, with one of them obviously being Blade.

[{"selector":"#anim-f3f7898e-11df-4beb-835f-733821b62f93 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-40451c80-34be-40dc-864e-621227390afd","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The other is The Art of War’s Agent Neil Shaw, but even Snipes was smart enough to duck out of the third installment.

[{"selector":"#anim-7eb70a2c-cd81-4394-9dbc-a48e9a2e2d8c [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-06311b14-3c8f-4989-9ecb-160179936b0b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The opener arrived in the summer of 2000, when the leading man was still riding

[{"selector":"#anim-cefd4415-71a0-4d7e-ba31-9662686ce3d7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-416e4165-5b2b-4883-9a56-68637ab4edc6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

the crest of the wave generated by the success of his debut as Marvel’s Daywalker, but it ended in complete and utter failure.

[{"selector":"#anim-4a1a9db7-588f-4416-9c09-a3f6992d3b7e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1e197ab4-acc4-4c73-8130-55cb1c2625b4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Christian Duguay’s banal actioner couldn’t come anywhere close to recouping its $60 million budget at the box office,

[{"selector":"#anim-30968d55-cc56-4cad-94a9-93a70bb699b2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1a6eb559-8f03-4514-bc62-d5e9076da7d9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

with a 16 percent Rotten Tomatoes score highlighting just how much of a disaster The Art of War turned out to be.

[{"selector":"#anim-8236f1bd-5180-448f-9c3e-de0e681e4018 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d6bedf85-7e38-4d13-b90d-57255040cd14","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

So what happened next? Naturally, Snipes returned eight years later for sequel Betrayal, which was sent out into the bargain bin wilderness to die.

[{"selector":"#anim-4a429bed-ab77-45d7-88cb-9dac309cdc81 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(5.936638431403093%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7596f387-728c-4ea0-abe4-4c19999d2c7b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]