Topline
Elon Musk has lent his platform to the controversial film “Citizen Vigilante,” directed by Uwe Boll and starring Armie Hammer. Musk shared the full-length feature and amplified praise for the project, which has faced a ban in Germany due to its graphic depictions of violence targeting immigrants.
Elon Musk has boosted several far-right anti-immigration European commentators on X in the past few months despite facing criticism from lawmakers in the continent.
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Key Facts
Released last week, “Citizen Vigilante” is set in Europe and centers on a protagonist who acts as a vigilante, targeting and killing corrupt government officials and immigrant criminals.
The film was effectively banned from German cinemas after it was denied an age certification.
Director Uwe Boll has denounced the ban as censorship, stating he was informed the film failed to receive a rating because it “incites violence against migrants.”
In response, Boll announced on Thursday that the film would be made available in its entirety on X for a 48-hour window.
Musk, a vocal critic of European immigration policies who frequently amplifies right-wing rhetoric, shared the complete 88-minute film via his personal account.
Tangent
The tech mogul shared several posts endorsing the film, suggesting that attempts to suppress the movie have created a “Streisand Effect,” inadvertently increasing its online visibility. Musk also amplified posts from users purchasing the film via Amazon’s digital video-on-demand service and highlighted its 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, despite the film receiving very few reviews from professional critics.
Chief Critic
In one of the limited professional assessments of the film, Variety described the lead character as a “xenophobic and entitled” embodiment of a broad American stereotype, focusing on “foreign bogeymen” while threatening perceived offenders with a suppressed handgun.
Key Background
Musk recently faced backlash from European leaders following riots in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which were triggered by anti-immigrant protests after a stabbing attack allegedly perpetrated by a Sudanese migrant. A report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate noted that three of Musk’s posts regarding the unrest garnered over 115 million views, accusing him of amplifying narratives that inspire violence against migrants with little to no platform moderation.