James Edwards Interviews Uwe Boll, Writer/Director of Citizen Vigilante

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James Edwards: Citizen Vigilante has become a cultural phenomenon and a big hit this summer. Following its release in June, your film skyrocketed to the number one spot for movie purchases and rentals on both Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, while concurrently showing in select theaters. In this film, Armie Hammer plays Michael Sanders, a wealthy American businessman in Europe who starts hunting down violent criminals and rapists that the legal system has refused to punish. Walk our listeners through what turns him into a one-man vigilante force.

Uwe Boll: I think he’s observing the unfolding events in Europe. Living there, he feels that people are not reacting logically to the crimes that are occurring, such as random stabbings and gang rapes. Since 2016, with the first wave of Syrian refugees, and continuing with arrivals from various places, citizens in Germany feel increasingly unsafe. For instance, we conduct extensive security checks during events such as fairs and Christmas markets. He questions why we must do this to ourselves.

I was very upset about everything that’s happening in Europe and how we seem to let it slide and I would say he is watching this kind of suicidal empathy, where perpetrators receive leniency, and excuses are made to avoid prosecuting violent crimes. But what about the victims? This situation inspired my film. I wrote it because I am furious about the political situation, but I am also furious about how the media responds to reality. There’s a tendency to sugarcoat the issues, claiming that migrants will contribute to pensions later, despite evidence to the contrary.

My character, Sanders, indirectly expresses my feelings. However, I am not advocating for violence. I view the movie as a warning about these discussions. Recently, I attended a ratings meeting in Germany where they screened the film. They still imposed a ban on streaming and home video releases, allowing them only in theaters for those aged 18 and over. I find this completely ridiculous. There seems to be a form of political censorship from the left. Historically, when I grew up, the left championed free expression and open discourse. Now, they are rigidly restricting speech.

In England, people can be imprisoned for simply saying something deemed inappropriate. In Germany, for instance, they sue people for their internet posts and have proposed a digital act within the EU that would allow surveillance of our conversations. They even want to limit the use of VPNs. It’s just unbelievable.

Edwards: In the opening scene, a mother and her young son are buying groceries. As they leave the store, a migrant approaches them with what appears to be a six- to eight-inch blade concealed behind his back. Given the recent murder of Henry Nowak in the UK, viewers can easily imagine how this scene might unfold. This moment serves as a powerful and gripping introduction. Why did you think it was important to immediately shake the viewers with such a striking scenario?

Boll: It’s a wake-up call. This will not be a comfortable movie to watch, and it’s also not fictional. I’m a fan of Jason Statham action movies, but I want to make it clear that this is different. This movie reflects reality and depicts what is a reaction to reality.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I remember films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now. They were blunt and concrete about the issues happening in society. Movies were influential during that time. However, gripping movies that provoke thought and discussion seem to be missing today.

For me, creating this movie—something concrete, blunt, and violent—was really for everyone who doesn’t feel represented today. It feels like, whenever a TV show starts, you’re just waiting for the moment when the diversity elements come in. Where is the transgender character now playing a cop? You can time it; every show makes sure to include all skin colors, religions, and genders. Otherwise, you won’t get funding from networks like Netflix.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Millions of people share this sentiment, and many also feel helpless about the current political situation.

Edwards: Citizen Vigilante does not shy away from showcasing migrant gangs, many of whom come from Muslim backgrounds, committing serious crimes. But you don’t stop there. Remarkably, the villains in this movie also include judges and even law enforcement agencies. Why did you feel compelled to dial it all the way up to that level?

Boll: Because we had judgments like this in Germany, right? In Hamburg alone, there were two judgments regarding gang rapes, and nobody went to jail. The rapists lived something like two blocks away from the victims. I find it cynical how judges tend not to be pro-victim. They often look for excuses to justify the perpetrator’s actions, such as blaming a bad childhood and emphasizing the need to protect them.

I believe in giving people a chance to reform, even if they have served time in jail. However, violent offenders are different. Shoplifting or breaking into a car to steal something is nowhere near as severe as rape or acts of violence. We frequently see people in cities running around with weapons like axes or knives. Sometimes they are subdued with tasers; other times, they just give up. But in some cases, they stab innocent people, as I illustrate at the beginning of the movie.

Imagine if you or a family member were randomly stabbed and died. What would you do then? I think we need to confront these uncomfortable questions. How much empathy should we extend?

I believe a lot of people are more empathetic with gangs, syndicates, rapists, and knife stabbers than with the victims, or, in general, the white people of a country who are more conservative and I feel that’s not acceptable.

I had a conversation with someone who hated the film and said that it was racist. I asked him about people demanding to pray in public spaces, particularly in German universities, where cafeterias are sometimes closed for prayer.

When I asked him about this issue, he insisted that he was the one conducting the interview, but I pointed out that I was just trying to ask a simple question. For me, it’s clear that we should not permit this practice. You can be a Muslim in America or Europe, but pray in a mosque or at home, because you’re not blocking the traffic. You can’t put up with this kind of threat because they will dominate the space. They’re saying, “We will have the power. We will grow. We are having more kids than you and they will have the majority in 30 years in England.”

How can someone who grew up in Germany or England and so on, think it’s a great idea that we all turn into Islamic countries where they have the majority and they will be the government? How could even one normal human being think this is a good idea? It’s insane to even consider and it makes me feel very uncomfortable about the future of our countries.

Edwards: To see someone popularize a movie with such a message seemed unimaginable before now. Elon Musk is promoting your film, and it has generated massive global news coverage. It’s a hit and one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. Have you considered what its legacy might be as a vehicle for positive change?

Boll: Yeah, that’s the thing. I want change. I think we are on the wrong track, and if we continue this way, it could lead to the downfall of Europe. It might take 30 years, but then everything will be completely different. I have children, so that’s unacceptable. That’s why I speak my mind, regardless of the consequences or whether people like me anymore.

I come from a place of deeply understanding the subject matter, having examined criminal statistics and seeing what is actually happening. I believe that the movie reflects this awareness. As the writer of Death Wish intended, it wasn’t just a revenge story; it was also a response to the dangerous situation in New York at the time when people felt unsafe to ride the subway. The film served as a reaction to that reality and ultimately contributed to increased security and police presence in the subways.

I feel that I am putting out an important film that aims to spark conversation and political change because the current approach won’t lead to a good outcome. Political parties often try to cover everything up and avoid discussing these issues, but the population is talking about them.

In Germany’s golden times, immigrants came in because they had jobs; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been allowed entry. Italians and Greeks integrated well while keeping their traditions, and they don’t exhibit crazy, radical, or traumatized behavior.

I grew up with a free-thinking mindset, reading extensively in philosophy, and I learned to doubt everything. I believe the most important lesson from studying literature is to question everything, including yourself. You need to let the facts speak for themselves and then make decisions based on those hard facts, not wishful thinking. A lot of politicians don’t do this. They prioritize getting elected over their beliefs and take actions that contradict their values just to gain support. That’s a big mistake.

Edwards: After your movie was banned in Germany, Elon Musk streamed it for free on X for 48 hours, sparking a surge in news coverage. Was that coordinated by your team, or was it essentially manna from heaven? How did Musk’s promotion of Citizen Vigilante come to be? Citizen Vigilante come to be?

Boll: No, I think that he noticed the traffic on X. I think he caught wind of the trailer or something like that. I’m not entirely sure how he first heard about the movie. My podcast partner, Gary Otto, with whom I’ve been working for about 15 years on the “Uwe Boll Raw” podcast, mentioned that Elon Musk sent him a direct message. At first, I thought it was a parody account or something—like, “You’re not serious. It can’t actually be Elon Musk reaching out to you.” But then it turned out to be the real Elon Musk. He liked the content and the film, and then he had the idea that the whole world should see it, especially given the ban that kept most people outside of the United States and Canada from seeing the movie.

There was a big explosion of discussion about the movie, and we felt the need to evaluate what it would mean in terms of paid content. We wondered whether everyone watching it for free would hurt our sales and be a disaster. However, we decided it was worth it and went for it. We embraced the opportunity.

Edwards: You can’t argue with the results. As I mentioned, Citizen Vigilante is at the top of Amazon’s rental charts and Apple TV’s Top Movies list. At the time of this writing, it is outperforming mega-budget films like the Michael Jackson biopic and Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary. I saw an online rumor that a sequel could be in the works, reportedly titled Citizen Vigilante 2: The End of Somali Scams.

Boll: I might like to do one set in North America. There are a lot of problems there, too. Of course, the Somali scam thing was kind of a funny thing. I was watching the Matt Walsh show and heard about the Somali scammers. It’s really sad, basically. It’s almost a satire. You see how all this money gets thrown out the window and people are getting away with it, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And it’s also another sign that this kind of migration doesn’t work. These people just take advantage of the system and are laughing all the way to the bank.

Edwards: Speaking of banks, you have another enjoyable movie called Assault on Wall Street. It came out in 2013 and follows a working-class guy whose life falls apart after the financial crash. His savings and investments get wiped out, his wife gets sick, and the insurance company denies coverage; the banks refuse to help. I think these circumstances of crushing economic hardship are very real today. If you’re a young person fresh out of college right now, you have very dim prospects of affording a home and raising a family. Assault on Wall Street and Citizen Vigilante both address vitally important issues. Nobody else in film is doing that right now.

Boll: Exactly. I remember watching Oliver Stone’s first Wall Street movie and absolutely loving it. However, when Wall Street 2 came out, it felt completely pointless. People didn’t hate it, but it had nothing to say.

I was particularly struck by the events surrounding the financial crisis when I saw Richard Fuld walking away after he had helped tank the entire economy. The statistics were staggering with over 100,000 Americans losing their homes, and something like 5,000 people committing suicide because of the fallout. That’s an unbelievable number of lives affected. It makes you think of the 1929 crash when people were jumping from the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building.

Many individuals were completely devastated by this banking crisis, which stemmed from greed, yet the perpetrators walked away free. This injustice is what motivated me to create this film. I really sympathize with Dominic Purcell’s character in Assault on Wall Street.

If I were in his position and my wife committed suicide because we couldn’t afford her medical bills and she didn’t want to be a burden to me, I would not survive.

Edwards: Refocusing on Citizen Vigilante, during the closing credits, a message appears on the screen stating, “This film is dedicated to the thousands of rape victims in Europe who were betrayed by our legal system.” If someone like Michael Sanders existed in real life, this Batman archetype, do you think he would be embraced by the public as a hero, as this character is in the movie?

Boll: I cannot say I hope so. I think what Sanders is doing is really a last resort, and it shouldn’t have to come to that.

Situations like this have occurred various times, but never at this scale. For example, there have been attacks on migrant homes. However, I think it’s somewhat positive that we see citizen groups acting as “sheriffs.” They patrol neighborhoods because law enforcement is often absent, helping people avoid muggings and bullying, especially in places like the subway and railway stations. These organized security groups work to prevent robberies, which isn’t necessarily a bad situation. It’s similar to a neighborhood watch in public spaces.

Take the Frankfurt railway station, for instance; it feels like Germany has changed significantly there. You barely see any Caucasian people, and it’s very unsafe there, but people arriving in Frankfurt through the railway station are getting mugged or assaulted. If the police don’t show up, and people step in to protect one another, why not? However, I am strongly against any form of violent escalation.

I’ve dealt with similar subjects in my films, like Heart of America, starring Elisabeth Moss, which addressed school violence. Many people think that movies influence violent behavior, but studies have shown that this is not true. Individuals typically act out for personal reasons, such as drug addiction or past trauma—not because they saw something in a film or played a violent video game. Many kids today are prescribed antidepressants at an early age instead of being encouraged to participate in sports or spend time outdoors getting some fresh air.

We cannot lose the battle for our survival, and I remain hopeful that we will win. Many voters only start to react when their financial situations worsen, often realizing too late that they’ve voted for the wrong party. This is the current situation in Germany, and we have similar issues in England, where people are running out of money and struggling to get by. For instance, many must continue working until around age 65, as retirement isn’t an option for them. The population is growing tired of the politicians who have led them to this point.

I think this is the call of the movie. Not that you  want people to take these actions, as Sanders does, but that things like this could happen if we don’t have common-sense policies put forth by the government that should be there to protect the historic nations and the historic makeup of these nations.

Note: Citizen Vigilante is available on Apple, Amazon, Fandango, Google Play, and in select theaters worldwide.

This article was originally published by American Free Press – America’s last real newspaper! Click here to subscribe today or call 1-888-699-NEWS.

When not interviewing newsmakers, James Edwards has often found himself in the spotlight as a commentator, including many national television appearances. For more than 20 years, his radio work has been featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines worldwide. Media Matters has listed Edwards as a “right-wing media fixture” and Hillary Clinton personally named him as an “extremist” who would shape our country.