Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, has promoted the film Citizen Vigilante by posting it for free on his X account, leading to a surge in viewership and worldwide distribution. The film, starring Armie Hammer and directed by Uwe Boll, follows a businessman taking violent revenge on immigrant criminals and has been criticized for allegedly inciting violence against migrants.
Musk's intervention boosts film's profile
From Thursday to Sunday, Musk posted the film on his X account, making it available for free. This resulted in a major boost to its marketing and commercial profile. The film was released in the US on 19 June by Quiver Distribution, which has now acquired worldwide rights. Musk also posted: 'Citizen Vigilante 2 will be even better.'
Germany denies certificate for inciting violence
In an interview with the Telegraph, Boll claimed that the film was denied a certificate by Germany's ratings board, the FSK, saying 'it was a deliberate censorship decision.' He added: 'I hired a lawyer to complain about it, but we lost in a six-two vote, as I was told that the film was inciting violence against migrants.'
Plot and critical reception
In what Boll calls 'a harsh political movie,' Hammer plays an American businessman who conducts a campaign of vigilante violence against criminals in a non-specific European country. Boll says he was inspired by a case in Hamburg in 2016 in which three teenagers who participated in gang rape were given suspended sentences. In a damning review, Variety critic Todd Gilchrist called the film 'a violent, incoherent, morally bankrupt slice of exploitation' and 'so astonishingly bad, it almost feels like [Boll] is deliberately sabotaging his star.'
Boll's controversial career
Boll, who has regularly been called the 'worst director of all time' and claimed to have retired in 2016, has directed over 30 feature films, including notoriously terrible video game adaptations Postal and BloodRayne.
Culture war context
Musk's intervention has given the film cachet in the ongoing culture war, in which Musk has regularly supported far-right anti-immigrant activists, most recently after the knife attack in Belfast in June. Boll told Variety that Musk had contacted the makers of his podcast Uwe Boll Raw to request the film. 'I didn't really chat myself with him or talk to him. It was very quick, you know. I think this guy, I don't know what he's doing per day, but I think his attention went like fast, you know. So, I felt also if we don't in a way agree to do it, he would've just moved on.'
Hammer's controversial casting
Before Musk's interest, Citizen Vigilante had already courted controversy by casting Hammer in the lead, as the actor attempted to make a comeback after accusations in 2021 of rape and physically abusive behaviour. Authorities in LA county declined to pursue sexual assault charges against Hammer, and he denied claims that he is a cannibal and that he sexually abused a number of women in interviews with Tyler Ramsay and Louis Theroux.
Title change forced by Warner Bros.
Boll was also forced to change the film's original title from The Dark Knight after what he claimed was 'a friendly conversation' with Batman studio Warner Bros.
