‘WHY Is Elon Musk Promoting THIS?’ Citizen Vigilante Director vs Mehdi Hasan

0:00Piers Morgan:Leaders aren't born, they are made, and they're made like everything else, through hard work. Well, the Chevy Silverado was made for hard work and designed to handle the big jobs. With over 13 ,000 pounds of towing capacity and trailering sway control, Chevy Silverado can haul the biggest loads on the roughest roads. It's a true workhorse. Right now, get 0 % APR financing on a Silverado 1500 pickup, plus no monthly payments until after Labor Day. See your Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy dealers for details. Chevy Drive Chicago. There's been a lot said about me, so I thought you should hear directly from me.

0:36I'm here to help you take that control back. In my film, he goes against criminals. Not Moskland, criminals. He murdered an entire family. And that's the same thing. No, he didn't. That's not true, Uwe. No, he killed the entire family, Uwe. You're lying.

0:54Piers Morgan:The controversial new movie Citizen Vigilante is not subtle. Armie Hammer plays a US combat veteran who shoots his way through a caricature of Europe, which is overrun by violent Muslim predators. The movie is reportedly banned in several countries for inciting violence against immigrants, but it's nonetheless being catapulted to global fame by Elon Musk, who is already talking about funding a sequel.

1:20Piers Morgan:The truth is this. You are all being used. The vigilante citizen is delivering a brand of justice that some believe the authorities have failed to provide. Targeting both criminals and those in power accused of allowing crime to flourish unchecked. There's been a lot said about me, so I thought you should hear directly from me. I'm here to help you take that control back. Well, violent vigilante movies like Charles Bronson's Death Wish were a mainstay of cinema in the 70s and 80s. They tapped into very real concerns about urban decay and gang violence, mixed-race street gangs and weak police were the bogeymen back then.

2:03Piers Morgan:Now it's Muslim migrants and the elites. Well, those movies had real-life consequences, inspiring unlawful copycat shootings, but also waves of tough-on-crime politics and, indeed, Curtis Sliwa's Guardian Angels. The question now is whether Citizen Vigilante is a legitimate expression of social anxiety and a rallying call for change, or simply racist slop written specifically to get Elon Musk's attention. Well, joining me to debate this is Mehdi Hassan, founder of Zateo News, who has called Citizen Vigilante 90 minutes of unabashed far-right political propaganda. And first, the film's director, Uwe Boll.

2:40Piers Morgan:Well, welcome to both of you. Uwe, let me just start with you. For those who've not seen the movie and haven't seen any clips or anything, just give me a little snapshot of what you believe it is and what it represents. First of all, I see only myself. I don't see you guys. So I just talked to the screen now. I thought that I maybe can see you guys. So, I mean, Citizen Vigilante is a reaction in a way to two different things. The one thing is two political correct films. You know, all this writers and diversity, whatever, as a filmmaker, I think we lost grip on movies we were used to. I grew up with Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, you know, Clockwork Orange, whatever.

3:36All these movies are not getting done anymore because there is like a Vogue police and algorithm and total bullshit going on so that we have Supergirl and other crap. What nobody really wants to see, but they're all go because they spend 200 million to make that movies. And then they're promoting that movies with 200 million. And I felt always I did movies like Rampage, Postal. I did a lot of political incorrect movies and I went, ah, here you are. Now I see you. So I went in all political directions in the past, criticizing politics left and right. I did Daphour about genocide in Daphour. I did Auschwitz to make clear we should never forget the Holocaust.

4:29So, you know, that's the thing. And I'm so pissed, like furious about the migrant situation in Europe that I did first a movie named Run with Amanda Plummer, Barkat Abdi, what is in the U.S. on Paramount Plus and Showtime and also out on Prime in Europe, where I showed the boats coming in and the holiday island and we follow different characters over the time. And there I showed not only empathy, I know that people want to have a better life and coming into Europe. And I'm not against it. I'm not religious. I'm not like against any, I have Muslim friends and everything. I'm not against Muslims.

5:14I'm against like this uncontrolled migration where people, for example, in Germany are not even allowed to work. Then the resentment in the population grows. Then you have also people just being bored because they're not working. So the integration stacks. Now they're turning into crime and also random crime, as we see with this rapes, with the knife stabbings. That's not like individual little cases. They're all over Europe into the thousands every year. and I think it doesn't work. You know, if you let people in a country, I think these people need to get properly integrated and not like, okay, we let them in and then all the communities are completely overloaded with them and it all ends in a disaster.

6:05Piers Morgan:Okay, I mean, look, just obviously a lot of people have taken grave exception to this movie. Todd Gilchrist of Variety called the film a violent, incoherent, morally bankrupt slice of exploitation. saying it's so astonishingly bad, it felt like Bol is deliberately sabotaging his star. Rod Dreher of the American Conservative magazine called it a fascist film. What do you say to those who have really, you know, got very angry about this and believe that you're inciting violence against Muslims? No, I don't. I think the film is also a warning. You know, like, you need to listen to your own population.

6:46You know, we cannot have like this kind of I mean, first of all, to this reviewers, I can say they're always trashed my movies. They just hate me because I'm not like this kind of filmmaker who bends over to this system, to the Hollywood system. I did 40 independent movies, but with big stars and Oscar winners from Ben Kingsley, Jason Stassel, whatever, J.K. Simmons. So they don't like me. That establishment doesn't like me because I make movies like straight in your face. So and as I said, I did that in various movies, The Sound on Wall Street against the bankers, 2008. And so for me, that's not it's not a question about left or right.

7:32You know, I'm not a member in a political party or something. I felt furious about the ignorance in Germany specifically also about real crime. And then people are getting away with it. They go like probation. They go 10 months in jail for rapes and knife stabbings. It's insane. You need to enforce the law and you need the citizens of a country. They need to be safe, you know. and, you know, all these movie reviews, I don't really take them serious.

8:05Piers Morgan:OK, well, let me bring in Medi, welcome back to Uncensored. You know, look, there are myriad movies which are very violent and involve different groups being targeted by psychopaths and killers and so on. What makes this, in your eyes, what makes this different and unacceptable? Yeah, great question. And a lot's been said. So let me try and answer that and respond to what Uwe Boll has been saying. A couple of things. Number one, I like a good revenge thriller. I like action films. I like low budget films as well. I love a Jason Statham movie, a Liam Neeson movie, even Steven Seagal. But this is not that.

8:49This is certainly not a taxi driver or a raging bull. It's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back. It's not a good film. You mentioned the Variety review. They said astonishingly bad. I would add comically bad. It's just an awful film with no real plot line and the dialogue is awful and the action is awful and the explosions are bad. But I'm not here to be a film reviewer. Uwe's already said film critics don't like him. They've called him the world's worst director. That's not my thing. I'm not a film critic. I'm not here to give my opinions on the aesthetics of the film. I am worried about what the film says and what message it sends and who's promoting it.

9:23Elon Musk. I wouldn't be sitting here, Piers, talking about this film. You wouldn't be doing this segment. I didn't write a Guardian article about it if it wasn't for Elon Musk. With the greatest respect to Uwe Boll, he makes a lot of films. We're talking about this one because Elon Musk amplified it to 240 million people on X on Twitter. He promoted it. He says he might fund a sequel. And took it to number one in digital purchase charts

9:46Piers Morgan:on Apple and Amazon. So it's made it a big hit, which is great, of course, for Uwe Boll. but not necessarily if you don't like the movie. So it's a huge... It's not about whether you like the movie or not. Why is Elon Musk promoting it, Piers? That is the question I want to answer. And then you get into the content of the film and the messaging, and the messaging is far-right propaganda. It is anti-Muslim. I'm glad Uwe Boll has Muslim friends, but this is a fundamentally anti-migrant, anti-Muslim film. This is a film which begins in Europe. It just says Europe blankly because it plays into this American right-wing stereotype, Piers, that you've tried to push back against on your show that a lot of right-wing Americans think Europe is some crime-ridden, immigrant-infested, violent dystopia, when in fact, the United States has a higher violent crime rate, higher murder rate than every single member state of the EU.

10:35Uwe filmed the film in Croatia, I believe, which is one of the safest places in the world. I think they only had like 23 murders in 2023. So let's just deal with this moral panic about crime, about immigrant crime. And then the film itself, it does advocate for vigilantism. The guy in it, Michael Sanders, the protagonist played by Armie Hammer, he murders an entire migrant family in cold blood at the end of the movie. Sorry to do a spoiler, but it's all over the internet. These are the clips that are being promoted on Twitter by Elon Musk's acolytes. They're gleefully sharing a clip of a guy murdering a father, mother, son, and daughter because the son apparently is a rapist.

11:10So he kills the entire family. I mean, that is an insane message to send in a film, not just to send in a film. And I know I've seen an interview Uwe did where he said he doesn't support that scene. He put it in there to shock us, which is his right as an artist. But that's not how it's being used online, Piers. It's being promoted online. When Elon Musk, Piers, is sharing, you know, he's retweeting people saying this is the moderate response. That's what he retweeted. The moderate response to murder an entire family. He retweeted another guy who said, hang the traitors first, i.e. the white judges, which is what the guy in the movie does, and then kill the invaders or kill the criminals.

11:46I mean, this is insane rhetoric for the richest man in the world, the most followed man in the world to be doing. At a time, I should add, when Muslims and migrants are being attacked in Scotland, in England, in America, in a mosque in San Diego, in Germany. Right. There are attacks on Muslims and migrants happening every day. I don't think we need this kind of messaging amplified by Elon Musk at a time when there is massive civil disturbance already. It's just it's just incitement. I'm sorry.

12:12Piers Morgan:I mean, Uwe says the movie's been effectively banned in his own home country of Germany. But in a recent interview, he said if it was six neo-Nazis raping a migrant woman in the film, it would have been the opening film at the Berlin Film Festival. You know, in other words, he says there's a lot of hypocrisy around this. I mean, the other point that a lot of people have made on the hypocrisy front is that, of course, one battle after another recently won six Oscars, including Best Film at last year's Academy Awards, and that's been described as an Antifa wet dream without any of this outrage. So why is it, Mehdi, that the outrage seems to be massively amplified for this because of the theme?

12:57Piers Morgan:Maybe I can also say something in between, but it's OK. Well, I'll let Mehdi respond, then I'll come back to you, Uwe. OK, go. Mehdi. So first of all, I know we won't get into difference between the quality of films. As I say, I'm not here for the aesthetics. It's all about quality, though, is it? You cannot point to me. Yeah, exactly. So let's put aside the quality of a Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar-winning film in this film. But in terms of, you can't point to me, Piers, a political figure or a public figure on the liberal left who has advocated for or glorified or amplified messaging to murder entire families.

13:33Piers, I've watched multiple segments on your show where you've rightly got upset with people for defending Luigi Mangione, right? I thought the right, I thought we were against vigilantism. I thought we were against murdering people who haven't been convicted in a court of law. That's what I'm against. I can't speak for others, but I'm consistently against political violence. And at a time when migrants are being demonized, dehumanized, when there's massive attacks on Muslims across the continent, as I say, there was just an attack in Scotland where the guy has been charged with terrorist related offenses.

14:03There was an attack in San Diego where three Muslims were murdered in a mosque by two neo-Nazis who left a manifesto behind saying they wanted to wipe out Muslims and invaders, etc. This language, in the film, they blame the Quran for rapes. The character rants about, you know, the worst immigrants coming into the country. It's just one evil, bad migrant after another. And that's a real problem. Again, Piers, look at the reaction to this film. I'm not saying Uwe Bolle is a racist. I'm not saying his intent was racist. I'm saying, hold on, let me finish my point. The reaction is people all over social media peers glorifying the violent message of this film.

14:43And if I made that film, I would be wondering, wow, that is not the message I wanted to say.

14:47Piers Morgan:And I will ask that question. I want to play a clip. This is Patrick Bette David. He's a right wing commentator. Let's see what he said about it. The movie is going to inspire a lot of people to do this. I'm telling you right now, this is one of the this is one of the darkest movies I've seen. that's going to inspire actual vigilantes who are sick of it in Europe. Like here's Tommy Robinson. I think this level of guys is going to show up. Yeah. Not Tommy. Because the next level guys are going to be like, okay, you want to do this? We'll take it ourselves. Don't worry about it. Yeah. We got it.

15:24Piers Morgan:You want to, like, you know, back in the days in New York City when the mob would say, what did you do to one of our girls? Yeah. You did that? Don't worry about the cops. Yeah. Don't worry about the state. Don't worry about the federal. worry about the Gambino family. Worry about, I think, that level of chaos has shown up to Europe. Now, Uwe, the problem I would have with that is that is, you know, I know Patrick well, he's reflecting a view that, as Mehdi said, a lot of people have said online from the conservative right. Elon Musk has been promoting this saying this is what people want to see.

15:57Piers Morgan:The audience wants real films again. And the storyline that Mehdi referenced there in the film's climax, where Armie Hammer's character, you know, executes an entire Syrian refugee family while delivering this son of self-righteous political monologue about the need for justice. You know, you put it all together, and because of Elon Musk amplifying this to over 200 million people so aggressively, there is a real possibility, is there not, that people will do what Patrick Bed-David said, that they will seek to take the law into their own hands, They will seek vigilante justice. Would you be comfortable if that starts to happen?

16:39Of course not. But the reality is, I mean, I have to interfere. You talked a long time. So, first of all, I think we both want a peaceful life for everybody, no matter what religion is going to call it. But the reality is also that, like how Medhi here said, is he completely omits the other side. Yeah, migrants got attacked, but also other people got attacked from migrants. And unfortunately, way more. And not because of, it has nothing to do with the religion, actually. It has to do with the way they grew up in the countries they came from. They may be in war zones. They like this kind of, you know, like they have very harsh sentencing.

17:28They are more used to violence. We have more traumatized people running around. And for me, the question is why we should have a security risk for our own population in having a lot of people kind of unvetted, like out of very hard like circumstances coming in. And then they do this random stabbings, you know, I mean, that you that he. What happens, what happens? What happens if somebody. What happens? Hang on, hang on, hang on. Let me jump in.

17:57Piers Morgan:What happens if somebody does watch your movie, because Elon Musk has told them to, and you know it's got you a massively bigger audience than it would have done otherwise, because Elon has done that. What happens if somebody does take the law into their own hands and they go and murder a refugee family? If you make a movie, you do the movie the way you want it, and whatever the consequences are, look, people are not flipping out and killing because of movies or video games. That subject matter is closed scientifically for tens of years. So if people getting violent or Belfast or something like this happens, right, that happens because other things happened before.

18:42Also, then the media doesn't talk about it, that there was that guy trying to chop a head off a guy. So if this stuff or the Nova case... Can I ask you this, Yves? Wait one second, only one finishing the line. So, you know, if this happens and then people flipping out and attacking the migrant home. Yeah, there are innocent people in a migrant home, and that is not what I want, you know? But it's not coming from nothing. I think people feel alone. They feel unprotected. They're furious with the law in England where you get arrested, whatever, when you say Starmer is a wanker or whatever, then you get arrested.

19:14But you cannot even say your own opinion. That's Germany the same. That's a big problem, you know? Okay, Mehdi. Well, Germany's a country where you're locked up if you're trying to be pro-Palestine. They've been arresting even anti-Dionist Jewish people. So Germany's free speech record is pretty bad on that front. But just two things I wanted to ask Uwe. One is, you mentioned it's not about religion or Islam. Well, then why did you include dialogue in the film where the father of the rapist tries to justify it by citing the Quran? Why does the protagonist talk about Islamists taking over Europe?

19:46I think it's a little bit disingenuous to say it's not about Islam when it very much is when you watch the film. And my main question to you is, I actually agree with you. I don't think video games or movies should be blamed for violence. I watch a lot of action movies. I wouldn't blame, you know, what happens in them for real well. What I would blame, though, Uwe, and I wonder whether you agree or disagree, is the way your film is being used by the political right in the U.S. When Elon Musk retweets someone saying this is the moderate response, do you believe, Uwe, that it is a moderate response to murder a family?

20:15Because that's what Elon Musk is retweeting. No, of course not. But it's also like... So you would condemn how your movie is being used by the American right? Yeah, but look, what should I say? Because you used to be a big critic of Trump. Don't do it. You used to say Trump was a liar. I mean, your politics have just to do that. Well, let him answer the question, Mehdi. Let him answer the question. Okay, so I made a movie, and if the movie gets hated and laughed, right, and whoever it is, it's, like, not under my control. You know, I think my run movie was a very solid quality movie, what showed empathy for migrants.

20:50and did somebody gave a shit no did i get hailed by the whatever netflix bought the movie for 20 million no so and that's the thing i make movies and by the way i did that with my own money and i need an audience so if i throw a movie out then i see who goes in that movie if it's like house of the dead like my zega video game this movie or if it's a political movie so you have to understand i'm not a subsidized filmmaker i'm not like in any form sponsored by a netflix says uber we'll give you the money do whatever you want so i make so you know so i'm i make the movies also to find an audience in this case uh the more conservative republican uh audience also in germany of course but and in england too responds to the movie but i think also they are Like normal people.

21:42I don't talk about political agitators. I talk about the normal people on the street. They feel left alone by the politics in Europe. From Stama, was it? From Macron? From Merz? Yeah, yeah. On that point. On that point. Hang on, hang on. Hang on, hang on. Hang on, Mehdi. On that point.

22:00Piers Morgan:It is indisputable that there are many people around Europe who do feel that way. Right? It's indisputable. You may shake your head, but it is a fact that a lot of people in the UK, we see 100 ,000 people turn up in London, but Tommy Robinson. So it is undeniable that people are feeling that way. I think the numbers are massively exaggerated, and this concept, which Americans in particular seem to have, that we've been overrun by Muslims in the UK is preposterous. However, to deny that a lot of people are genuinely concerned, for valid reasons, about the influx of migrants into the UK, legal and illegal, when it's clearly been out of control, many people feel for 25 years or so, I don't think that is a deniable thing.

22:47Piers Morgan:It's a reality. The question becomes whether this kind of movie, which shines a torch on this from a very particular position, whether it can inflame tensions and encourage violence. And then the argument becomes, well, if it does, why wasn't there the same debate about one battle after another, which was from the left, invicting violence on people. So let me just, I need to deal with something that Uwe said, and you've touched on it and you tried to interpret my head shake. I don't accept that Uwe or this movie is speaking for the people of Europe. Like I said, the very title itself just showing Europe, nondescript Europe.

23:24You'd even pick a country because none of these countries match the kind of propaganda out of the American right. And Uwe said something very revealing a moment ago. He said, you know, he has to make, he has to go where the audiences are. And I think that's what he's done with this film. and he's found Elon Musk and he's found this MAGA crowd that love this stuff that's bullshit. You want to make a film about a rape cover-up, make it in the US about Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Uwe himself used to be super anti-Trump. He was attacking Trump and Trump voters and Fox just a few years ago. He was calling Fox a fascist channel.

23:52But what does that have to do with it? Now he's in bed with his mute. But what does that actually, as a filmmaker, what does any of that matter? I'm telling you. I'm telling you what matters. Because he said he goes to where the audiences are and this is a very cynical attempt to get a right-wing audience for your film. Uwe's mentioned the film Run twice so far. This was a film he made last year. Just a year ago, he was making a film that he himself says was empathetic and humane. I looked it up. This is what Uwe said in September of last year. He said Run is about empathy and consequence. It looks at the refugee crisis, not as a political issue, but as a human tragedy unfolding in real time.