As of June 2023, “Shooter” is one of the most watched films on Netflix and is #1 in Australia, Colombia, Cyprus, Finland, Ukraine, Morocco, Turkey, Iceland, Sweden, and Panama.

Based on the novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter, “Shooter” stars Mark Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger, a former Marine who has chosen to live a quiet life in a remote cabin.

A shady government organization asks Swagger to stop an assassination attempt, but then he’s revealed to be a patsy for the shady organization and framed for an assassination.

Like in its spiritual successor “John Wick,” the villains kill the hero’s dog. On the lam, Swagger must use his sharpshooting skills to track down the bad guys and exonerate himself.

“Shooter” is the perfect movie to watch on an airplane or on cable when nothing else is on. It has a repeat-viewing quality because it’s easy to consume, understand, and forget.

The most beloved quality of “Shooter” may be its unabashed and irresponsible weapons fetish. Swagger is disillusioned with the military, but his sniper skills are a superpower.

The appeal of “Shooter,” even to an international audience, may be its brazen, pro-violence leanings, as it’s about a good guy with a gun taking out a corrupt U.S. government.

It’s cathartic, right-wing entertainment that taps into the immature power-slash-revenge fantasies of malcontents. “Shooter” offers a harmless release valve to those audiences.