Armie Hammer’s new film has been banned in Germany for “inciting violence against migrants”, according to its director.
Citizen Vigilante stars the actor as an American man who becomes a vigilante targeting migrants and corrupt officials, and is apparently inspired by a case in Hamburg that saw the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl by teenagers, with the perpetrators getting suspended sentences.
The film is written and directed by Uwe Boll, who has claimed that it has been banned in his native Germany, telling The Daily Telegraph: “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.
“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.”
Speaking further about his political views, Boll said: “It’s absurd how I feel politically. Now you’re being told that if you’re a conservative about anything – social, sexual, political – that you’re a Nazi.
“But this is how things stand at the moment. If you question anything – such as the hundreds of billions being pumped into Ukraine – then you’re either a friend of Putin or a Nazi or both.”
When asked whether he was a Nazi, he added: “I am not a Nazi!”
Boll also spoke about casting Hammer, sharing: “I cast Armie Hammer in the lead because he’s a great actor, and also because he was cancelled and wanted to work.
“He wasn’t charged with anything, there was no lawsuit. He was just a guy who was famous and fucking around. He’s a handsome, charismatic guy, who could be James Bond. In fact, he’d be perfect for the part.”
Hammer faced accusations of sexual assault from multiple women in 2021, all of which he denied. He was not charged following an investigation, though he was dropped by his agency and was forced to drop out of Shotgun Wedding. His role in Next Goal Wins was also re-shot with Will Arnett.
This month, the actor said he “cried” when he was offered the role in Citizen Vigilante, telling 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.
“I would have done a fucking cat food commercial. I just wanted to work again.”
He added: “I was scared shitless until the moment Uwe said action for the first time. And then I was like, ‘Wait, I do know how to do this.’ There’s a reason I had the success I had.”
Speaking earlier this year, Hammer said the allegations were “the greatest thing that ever happened to me” after gaining “a sense of distance and perspective from it”.
NME has reached out to German rating agency FSK for comment.