“This film is dedicated to the thousands of rape and murder victims in Europe who were betrayed by our legal system.” ~ The closing dedicationAfter hearing Citizen Vigilante (2026) was banned in Germany and described as timely by some, condemned as racist by others, and dismissed as a false flag, I was curious to see whether it lived up to the controversy.
Produced, written, and directed by Uwe Boll, the film stars Armie Hammer as Michael Sanders, a vigilante who takes justice into his own hands after losing faith in the legal system.
The film opens with a brutal daylight stabbing of a woman walking with her young son. The scene is bloody and shocking, and it immediately reminded me of the unprovoked killing of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Almost immediately, the film stumbles as it cuts to a breaking news report that laughably presents the news media establishment as an impartial and trustworthy source of information. As we routinely see, today’s media is ideologically driven and plays a significant role in shielding crooked politicians, selectively reporting certain crimes, and helping normalize the broader social decline that the film claims to condemn.
The film also portrays the vigilante’s growing popularity by showing ordinary people celebrating his violent methods. While revenge fantasies certainly have their audience, I found this depiction of widespread public support to be more a projection of the Left’s glorification of political violence. Just consider the unapologetic admiration expressed for Luigi Mangione, Tyler James Robinson, and the would-be assassins of Donald Trump.
For all its flaws, Citizen Vigilante is at its strongest when it explores public frustration with violent crime and a two-tier justice system perceived by many as placing ideology above the needs of victims. Its portrayal of corrupt judges whose decisions fuel public outrage is among its more convincing elements.
Rather than creating a compelling antihero, Michael frequents brothels, is a slumlord, and deliberately runs an innocent motorist off the road simply to "own" a drugged and sedated judge he is about to kill. As if that were not bizarre enough, in one scene he stops mid-coitus with a prostitute to inspect mold in the room—only to resume as though nothing had happened.
Most glaringly, he massacres a police tactical team in an over-the-top sequence that again resembles the kind of anti-police fantasy more commonly associated with the radical Left than with a law-and-order vigilante. Since the officers are never depicted as corrupt or complicit, one cannot help but wonder why he did not simply flee through the escape hatch instead of slaughtering them. This is a major contradiction that weakens both the character and the film’s so-called message.
While Citizen Vigilante raises important questions about crime, justice, immigration, and public confidence in legal institutions, those questions are ultimately overshadowed by implausible action, inconsistent characterization, and excessive violence.
~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 12th, Feast of Santa Veronica
