A German thriller film starring Armie Hammer has secured global distribution rights after tech billionaire Elon Musk streamed the movie for free on his X social media account, as reported by The Guardian.
The movie, titled Citizen Vigilante, was posted on Musk’s personal account from Thursday to Sunday following a domestic U.
S. release by Quiver Distribution on June 19.
According to reports from Variety, the distribution company has now successfully acquired the worldwide rights for the project following the sudden surge in international visibility.
Film's Controversial Journey
The film, written and directed by Uwe Boll, follows an American businessman who launches a violent, targeted campaign against foreign criminals within an unspecified European country.
Director Uwe Boll stated that the project was inspired by a real-life 2016 criminal case in Hamburg where three teenagers received suspended sentences after participating in a gang rape.
The production faced intense institutional resistance in Germany prior to finding an audience on social media, where it was allegedly denied a screening certificate.
The German ratings board, known as the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK), rejected the film due to concerns regarding its depictions of targeted violence.
"It was a deliberate censorship decision," said Uwe Boll, Director.
Boll contested the official classification through a legal representative, but the administrative panel ultimately voted to uphold the restrictions placed on the movie.
"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," said Uwe Boll, Director.
The thriller faced further obstacles before its release, including critical backlash and intellectual property disputes with major Hollywood entities.
Variety critic Todd Gilchrist heavily panned the project during its initial rollout, calling it "a violent, incoherent, morally bankrupt slice of exploitation."
The critic expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the creative direction, arguing that the film actively damaged the reputation of its lead actor, stating it was "so astonishingly bad, it almost feels like [Boll] is deliberately sabotaging his star."
Boll also revealed that he was forced to alter the film's original title, which was previously identical to Christopher Nolan's famous Batman sequel, after holding private discussions with the intellectual property owners, describing it as "a friendly conversation."
The project marks a controversial comeback attempt for lead actor Armie Hammer, who was dropped by Hollywood agencies in 2021 following severe personal allegations.
While law enforcement authorities in Los Angeles County declined to file criminal sexual assault charges against Hammer, the actor has spent years publicly addressing the media fallout.
The distribution boost materialised after Musk personally reached out to the production team via their official podcast, Uwe Boll Raw, to request a full digital copy of the controversial thriller.
"Citizen Vigilante 2 will be even better," said Elon Musk, Tech Billionaire.
Boll noted that the entire digital transaction happened rapidly without extensive direct discussions between himself and the Tesla executive.
"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," said Uwe Boll, Director.
