Citizen Vigilante revolves around an American businessman, played by The Lone Ranger star Armie Hammer, going on a Death Wish-style rampage that sees him primarily target immigrants. Right-wing figures on social media like Elon Musk have rallied around the Uwe Boll-helmed movie, which has a 6% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (and a 93% Audience Score).
Many have condemned Citizen Vigilante's anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim message, with the backlash overshadowing Hammer's big comeback and delivering yet another blow to his already tarnished reputation.
Now, though, it's being reported that he was deeply unhappy with the cut of the movie he saw. According to Puck, a source told them, "The first time he saw it, he was in tears. And not tears of joy. He called me and said, 'F***. This is hateful, disgusting."
The insider added that, while the actor knew Citizen Vigilante "certainly leaned toward the right," he was shocked when the final cut was so extreme in its messaging. "Uwe works in a very frantic way. It’s not like he sent him a hundred-page script. When he saw the final product, he was, 'That was not the movie I thought we made,' and he freaked the f*** out."
This may sound like damage control on Hammer's part, but he did say that he was only sent a 50-page script by Boll. In fact, he was so desperate for work, "I would have done a f***ing cat food commercial."
Before returning to acting—Hammer's career was derailed after multiple women accused him of emotional and physical abuse and cannibalistic fantasies—the actor was selling timeshares in the Caymans and working as a sober companion. He was paid a reported $250,000 for his work in Citizen Vigilante.
Boll is moving forward with a sequel, but would Hammer return? Well, he's struggling to land roles in anything other than low-budget indie fare, making a mainstream return particularly challenging. A source tells the outlet, "It would have to be life-changing money [for a sequel]. Everyone has a breaking point."
For what it's worth, Hammer did previously praise Citizen Vigilante's script he read while doing the rounds to promote it. "I got an email from Uwe and he said, 'Hey, I have this movie; I want you to do it.' And I just started crying because I was so happy that someone was giving me the chance to do the thing in my life that I'm the most passionate about outside of my kids."
"And I read the script. I didn't even have to. I had already typed, 'Yes, I'll do it.' But then I read the script and I was like, 'Whoa, this is intense.'"
In Citizen Vigilante, a man takes justice into his own hands, hunting down criminals. His vigilante crusade turns him into a social media sensation while putting him at odds with law enforcement and drawing the attention of dangerous enemies.