Movies

Armie Hammer stars in a new film about a vigilante. Germany banned it for violence and anti-immigrant messaging.

Five years after abuse allegations effectively pushed Armie Hammer out of the public eye, he is back with a new film. The movie, Citizen Vigilante, follows Hammer as a businessman turned vigilante. It has already faced controversy, particularly in director Uwe Boll’s home country of Germany. The nation has effectively blocked its distribution.

Germany has effectively blocked the distribution of Armie Hammer’s comeback film

Citizen Vigilante first ran into problems because of its original title: The Dark Knight. Warner Bros. issued a cease-and-desist order, forcing filmmakers to change the title. 

It now faces further trouble in Germany. The film, which critic Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere described as having “furious anti-immigration emotions,” follows Hammer’s character as he takes the law into his own hands. Though not every one of his targets are migrants, most are.

Germany’s film rating board, FSK, has refused to give the film an age classification. As it cannot be distributed without an age classification, this effectively blocks its release in the country. 

“The rating system refused to give us a rating, so now you can only watch it if you bring in a Blu-ray from Austria or Switzerland,” Boll told The Telegraph. “And I think they did that on purpose. It was a deliberate censorship decision. 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.”

Armie Hammer said he cried when he got the role in the film

After facing multiple allegations of abuse, Hammer, a once-successful movie star, dropped out of the public eye. Citizen Vigilante is his first movie in five years.

“I’m pretty sure I cried,” Hammer told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was just this moment where I was like: I’m going to get to do the thing that I love more than anything — other than my children.”

He said he was willing to take on any role in order to get in front of a camera again.

“I would have done a f***ing cat food commercial,” he said. “I just wanted to work again.”

Despite desperately wanting the role, he admitted he felt terrified when he got on set. 

“I was scared s***less until the moment Uwe said action for the first time,” he said. “And then I was like — ‘Wait. I do know how to do this.’ There’s a reason I had the success I had.”

He has since starred in three low-budget films.

Boll is the first director to work with Hammer since his cancellation. He explained why he wanted to work with him.

“I cast Armie Hammer in the lead because he’s a great actor, and also because he was cancelled and wanted to work,” he said. “He wasn’t charged with anything, there was no lawsuit. He was just a guy who was famous and f***ed around.”

Boll tossed Hammer’s name in the ring to play the new James Bond.

“He’s a handsome, charismatic guy, who could be James Bond. In fact, he’d be perfect for the part,” Boll said. “That way, you wouldn’t even have to cast a woman as 007.”