The Truth Behind Citizen Vigilante - Uwe Boll | PBD Podcast | #829

In the first week of the COVID shutdown, filmmaker Uwe Boll felt a sign. He had spent years running a Michelin-starred German restaurant in Vancouver, one that cracked Canada’s top 50 list. But when the pandemic hit, he closed it immediately, sold the equipment, and went back to making movies. The result is Citizen Vigilante, a film that became #1 on Amazon and Apple, was made free on X by Elon Musk for 48 hours, and is banned in Germany. Critics gave it 8% on Rotten Tomatoes; audiences gave it 94%. Boll is not surprised.

The film as a pressure valve, not a call to arms

Boll insists Citizen Vigilante is not a recruitment video for vigilantes. "The idea is the governments need to make sure to protect their citizens that you're like peacefully can walk in the inner city and be not scared that somebody stabs you from behind," he says. The film is meant to "bring the pressure and to open the eyes of this kind of vocal people who close their eyes and don't want to see the reality." He distinguishes between inspiring action and provoking thought: the goal is to make the consequences of inaction unforgettable, not to tell viewers to take up arms. "The idea is not like okay let's be all vigilantist now we shoot everybody who doesn't have a bus ticket," he clarifies. "The idea is the governments need to make sure to protect their citizens."