Two nights ago, I was on the rental screen for "Citizen Vigilante" on my TV's Amazon app. I'd heard about the film being touted as having been banned from Germany over its content because it openly called out the failed systems that protected violent illegal immigrants, particularly those of the Islamic persuasion.
I was hesitating on spending the money on the rental, though. My issue was that the film was written and directed by Uwe Boll, a man whom I can only describe as being one of the worst filmmakers on the planet. He's been responsible for some of the absolute most horrendous video game-to-movie adaptations the world has ever seen, and what's more, when critics would call him out for his awful movies, he would invite them to physically fight him in a boxing ring.
When I learned he'd made the movie, my expectations for it cratered. Boll is like a low-budget Michael Bay, a man who relies more on flash and shock than on developing plot and good character progression.
European Commission Trying to Slip Illegal Immigrants in Through the Cracks
But as the film gained momentum due to its German ban and what people who saw it described as cathartic, it became harder and harder to ignore. I was about to rent it to view from my computer when, 'lo!, Elon Musk himself posted the full movie on X from his account for viewing. I'm writing this now after having just watched the film.
So, here's my brutally honest review that I'm going to try to keep as spoiler-free as possible.
Let's start with my feelings on it. Is the film good?
From the stance of an art critic? Absolutely not. The plot is janky, the main character is a single Boondock Saint wanna-be that's only interesting thanks to Armie Hammer's acting, and some scenes just don't make any sense.
Uwe Boll's horrific dialogue rears its ugly head, but I'll give him the compliment of it being much improved since the last movie I saw of his. In fact, I'd dare go so far as to say that his usual on-the-nose dialogue actually did this movie a favor. The lack of subtlety or refinement actually was something that gave the message he was sending with the film the umph it needed.
Which brings me to my judgment of the film from the perspective of just a normal guy. Is the film good for what it is?
I enjoyed it, and for all the same reasons everyone else is.
The film felt good. Oddly, it scratched an itch that's been developing for years, thanks to most artists' and commentators' complete fear of having the wrong opinion on a subject we can't afford to have a wrong opinion about.
The film takes place in Europe, where you find the protagonist, an American, taking it upon himself to kill gang-rapist migrants who have left a trail of battered or dead women in their wake. In fact, the movie begins with an immigrant stabbing a mother's neck, which is automatically something you do not see in any modern movie. We all know it happens, but the elite don't want it talked about, and want to accuse you of all sorts of social sins if you do.
But the protagonist doesn't just stop at killing the migrants. He takes out the judges who let them walk free. He kills law enforcement officials who try to get in his way. He injures out-of-control teens who have no respect for the rules of society. He gives speeches on why crime makes society more expensive.
Basically, the film has almost every fantasy that a modern Western citizen has had over the past decade. It's watching the corrupt government and its cronies get theirs, in between killing the bad guys they refuse to come down on, thanks to race or status. It feels almost gratuitous and over-the-top at times, but we're so starved for this kind of message that you're more than willing to forgive it.
By the time I finished the movie, I felt like I had indulged in junk food. It was delicious, even if the quality was less than desirable.
And to be honest, as much as I detest Boll, I can't help but show him some respect for making this film. Obviously, this wasn't going to get him any pats on the back from the art community or film industry, but his lack of ever caring what those people thought served him well here, and he came out with a movie that, honestly, is his best so far.
If you've got the time and don't mind blood, sex, and cursing, then I encourage you to watch the movie and scratch that same itch we all have.
