Director of controversial Armie Hammer movie makes WILD claim about why Germany banned it

*Warning: Some may find this content distressing*

In a series of shocking claims, divisive filmmaker Uwe Boll has responded to the fact that his upcoming movie Citizen Vigilante – starring Armie Hammer in his comeback role – has been blocked in Germany.

Citizen Vigilante was mired in controversy from the very beginning. Boll has been dubbed the “world’s worst director” in the past thanks to his critically panned films including House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne, and In the Name of the King.

And for his upcoming thriller, he reached out to Armie Hammer and offered him his first major movie role since the actor became embroiled in scandal in 2021, facing multiple sexual abuse allegations. 

Releasing on June 19th, Citizen Vigilante stars Hammer as Sanders, a man who takes the law into his own hands after becoming increasingly frustrated by crime and social decline.

The film has drawn criticism already, with one early review from Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere saying it’s driven by “furious anti-immigration emotions”.

The reason the outlet covered it is because Boll reached out and suggested doing a podcast on the film. But after watching it, Wells sent a frank response to the filmmaker. 

He wrote, “The film is so blunt and crude and more or less brimming with hate against ‘the immigrant other’, and lacking in setting up a believable context and a social realism backdrop…

“It basically struck me as an anti-immigrant, anti-insect, kill-em-all riff on Michael Winner’s original Death Wish.”

Now, reports have emerged that Citizen Vigilante has been denied an age certification in Germany, effectively banning it from being distributed and screened in the country. 

Go check who is directing this and come back https://t.co/0v5K58aJu0

— august (@regularaugust) June 17, 2026

This was something Boll addressed in his response to Wells, where he said he makes “political movies that hurt because they put a finger in the wound” before referencing crime statistics and arguing that migrant crime is a legitimate subject for fiction films.

He claimed Citizen Vigilante is one of the only European films willing to tackle the issue and insisted critics were ignoring what he described as reality.

Boll then made his most controversial remark, writing: “If I had made a film about five neo-Nazis raping a migrant girl it would [do quite well] in Germany. But now my movie is banned instead because I made a movie about the reality.”

The filmmaker went on to accuse what he called the “woke left in Europe” of ignoring facts surrounding immigration and Islam, while making a number of wider political claims. 

Another controversial comment from Boll is that if Germany doesn’t “reduce Islamic migrants… they will take over in around 30 years and then will start killing everybody who is not a convert to Islam.”

Ultimately, he’s not even trying to hide his intentions behind the film. His comments are likely to add further controversy to what was already attracting attention because of Hammer’s involvement.

The actor has largely remained absent from Hollywood productions since 2021, when messages allegedly sent by Hammer were leaked. 

Among the messages, which were presented in the 2022 docu-series House of Hammer, were references to violent sexual and cannibalistic fantasies, allegations that quickly dominated headlines and led to him losing projects and representation. 

In March 2021, a woman who Hammer had a four-year affair with while still married to now-ex Elizabeth Chambers came forward and accused the actor of rape “and other acts of violence”. 

Hammer has consistently denied engaging in any criminal conduct, and no criminal charges were filed against him following an investigation by the LAPD.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hammer revealed that Citizen Vigilante was the first acting offer he had received in five years. 

It was Boll who contacted him about the opportunity, with Hammer admitting: “I’m pretty sure I cried… I would have done a f**king cat food commercial. I just wanted to work again.”

Hammer also revealed that he was initially shocked by Boll’s unconventional filmmaking approach. According to the actor, the screenplay he received was only around 50 pages long. “I was like, ‘Where’s the rest?’” he said. 

Hammer ultimately accepted the role, which marks his first major film project since the controversy that derailed his Hollywood career.

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Featured image credit: Everett/Shutterstock/Quiver Distribution