Somewhere in Europe, a mother shopped with her son. As they left the store and walked toward home, a black man with a knife stabbed the mother in the neck. She bled out on the ground. Michael Sanders (Armie Hammer) was an American who had come to Europe upon his father's death. He found the situation intolerable and was only too happy to explain how things should be. Though he owned rental property, he refused to let the government use any units to house immigrants. He lectured a trio of rowdy youths about proper behavior, warning them to clean up their act; the next time he met them, there was no warning. Judges who released criminals became his targets. Then there were the criminals themselves; he was not forgiving. Much of the populace celebrate his vigilantism and he is regularly discussed by the evening news. Chief Henry (Costas Mandylor) was determined to end his reign of justice.
As a Uwe Boll film, it is badly made. The same scene will be filmed from three angles and he will use the complete footage. For example, the cop approached the door and set an explosive charge on the lock. Different angle, the cop approached the door and set a charge on the lock. Third angle, the cop approached the door and set a charge. At another point, several police are mowed down in automatic gunfire. It looked like 2 dozen men were killed but there were about 8 bodies on the floor when the action ended. Yes, different angles again. Then there is the non-linear filming. At another scene, the police are carrying out bodies from an apartment building. What is this about? It is the site of Sander's massacre of a Muslim family, which proved to be the finale of the movie. Boll must be trying to ape Pulp Fiction.
The news reports are astonishingly wooden, as if the female newscaster was reading the script for the first time. Because much of the acting is wooden, Hammer comes across as an old pro. Of course, it isn't a demanding role. Sanders is intensely serious and takes no guff. He explains to most of his victims why he is punishing them and how they deserve it. He is Death Wish and the Punisher mixed together. Mandylor proved to be bland, speaking with an unidentifiable 'European' accent. The rest of the cast are unknowns and have tiny roles.
The point of this movie is the message. Citizen Vigilante is an answer to the dramatic rise in crime across Europe and the various governments unwillingness to address it. One of the storylines in the movie echoes a real incident: a 14-year-old girl was raped by 7 teens who were given suspended sentences. Sanders claims that he will provide justice until the populace learns to provide it for themselves.
The movie is poorly made, poorly scripted, and full of holes, but the message is explosive. Where most movies and TV shows will paint the white majority as a bunch of intolerant racists and the immigrants as entirely worthy, this movie flips that narrative. The movie is a call to arms, a demand that the politicians reverse course, and perhaps a standard for the abused populace to gather behind.
Recommended.
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