Musk takes 'crusade' to Europe with Armie Hammer film

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Elon Musk helped draw attention to Citizen Vigilante, a violent European-set film directed by Germany’s Uwe Boll and starring Armie Hammer, after it was initially refused a rating by Germany’s film regulator. The film depicts an American vigilante carrying out killings while targeting Muslim migrants and officials portrayed as “woke.” Critics cited by the BBC say the movie carries an anti-immigrant message, while its defenders on the right argue it reflects concerns about disorder in Europe.

According to the BBC, Musk made the film available free on X for 48 hours in late June, after which it briefly rose on streaming charts including Apple and Amazon. The BBC also reports that Musk reposted a message framing vigilante murder as a “moderate response” to immigrant crime. Boll estimated the film earned about $600,000 from streaming after the publicity, against a reported $2m budget. Reviews cited by the BBC ranged from Variety calling it extremely poor to conservative commentator Rod Dreher describing it as fascist propaganda.

The article places the episode within Musk’s broader engagement with European right-wing and far-right politics through X, the platform he bought in 2022. BBC reports that he has amplified figures and parties in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and the UK, and has increasingly used or promoted anti-immigration language such as “remigration,” a term associated with mass deportation demands.

Musk did not respond to BBC requests for comment. In a separate Economist interview cited by the BBC, he defended promoting the film by saying it was a movie worth watching, while rejecting the idea that Europe is a “hell hole.”