The Global Story: Citizen Vigilante and Elon Musk’s war on ‘woke’ films

The film *Citizen Vigilante*, directed by Uwe Boll, has emerged as a lightning rod in the culture wars, specifically regarding its depiction of migration and vigilante justice in Europe. Journalist Mike Wendling explains how the film, which features a disgraced former A-lister, gained prominence after Elon Musk promoted it on X as a response to perceived "woke" bias in Hollywood. Unlike traditional cinema, this production functions as a political project, utilizing non-organic audience engagement to bypass conventional distribution. While the film claims to address social disorder, its blunt, propagandistic nature contrasts sharply with nuanced vigilante films like *Taxi Driver*. This trend highlights a growing alternative film ecosystem, similar to the success of *Sound of Freedom*, where conservative-themed projects leverage niche markets and social media to challenge the traditional Hollywood establishment.