A German film starring actor Armie Hammer, which was reportedly rejected by the country’s ratings board for allegedly “inciting violence against immigrants,” secured global distribution for a limited time thanks to an intervention by X owner and trillionaire Elon Musk.
Citizen Vigilante, starring Hammer, whose Hollywood career was derailed by sexual assault allegations in 2023, was shared in full for free on Musk’s X account from Thursday to Sunday.
The action thriller, written and directed by German filmmaker Uwe Boll, was widely panned by critics, with Variety writer Todd Gilchrist calling it a “violent, incoherent, morally bankrupt slice of exploitation.”
In Citizen Vigilante, Hammer plays a wealthy American property developer-turned-avenger named Michael Sanders who tracks down violent criminals in Croatia.
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In an interview with The Telegraph, published last week, Boll said the film was denied a certificate by Germany’s ratings board, calling the resolution “a deliberate censorship decision.”
“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,” he told the British outlet, adding that he believes it comes at a crucial time.
“In Europe at the moment, people are shying away from making this kind of harsh political movie, but I’ve always tried to smuggle politics into genre movies,” the director told the U.K. outlet. “This isn’t a documentary, it’s a thriller and I hope that viewers respond to it.
“I hope that the film gets released in Britain sooner rather than later, because I know that in America there’s a lot of interest and response.”
Boll claimed in an interview with Variety on Monday that the film received limited engagement and turned over less than it cost to make after its theatrical release earlier this month, but that Musk contacted his team with an offer to share the film on social media.
“He contacted my U.S. podcast, but not me directly, and they told me, like, ‘We got a message from Elon Musk,’” he told Variety.
“I thought that it must be a parody account… I mean, you’re not really thinking that he would contact you, but then it turned out it was true.”
Boll also posted a video on X announcing that it would be available to watch for 48 hours.
The film marks Hammer’s first leading role since the Los Angeles police investigated accusations against the Call Me By Your Name star of rape and sexual assault.
Hammer, who was dropped by his representation and from several projects as a result of the accusations, denied the claims made against him and was never charged.
Boll has directed over 30 feature films, including video game adaptations Postal and BloodRayne.
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