The Petulant Vigilante: When Trolling Becomes Cinema
There’s something deeply unsettling about the rise of films like Citizen Vigilante, Uwe Boll’s latest provocation. On the surface, it’s a vigilante flick—a genre as old as cinema itself. But what makes this particularly fascinating is how it embodies a new cultural trend: the weaponization of petulance. Personally, I think this film isn’t just bad cinema; it’s a symptom of a broader cultural shift where trolling has become the dominant mode of expression.
Let’s start with the protagonist, Michael Sanders, a landlord-turned-vigilante who’s somehow convinced he’s the solution to Europe’s supposed migrant-fueled crime wave. One thing that immediately stands out is the bizarre juxtaposition of his roles. He’s a landlord—a symbol of capitalist exploitation—who moonlights as a murderous do-gooder. What many people don’t realize is that this duality isn’t just awkward; it’s revealing. It suggests a worldview where profit and punishment go hand in hand, as if collecting rent and meting out vigilante justice are two sides of the same coin.
The film’s opening scene is a masterclass in clumsy provocation. A blonde woman and her child are attacked by a knife-wielding black migrant, complete with ‘ooga booga’ sound effects. If you take a step back and think about it, this isn’t just racist—it’s lazy. The scene isn’t trying to provoke thought; it’s trying to provoke outrage. But here’s the thing: it fails even at that. The execution is so shoddy, so devoid of tension, that it’s hard to take seriously. This raises a deeper question: if a film can’t even competently execute its own provocations, does it deserve our attention?
What this really suggests is that Citizen Vigilante isn’t interested in making a point—it’s interested in making a scene. Sanders’s monologues about the failures of the justice system and the need for citizens to ‘rise up’ feel less like a call to action and more like a tantrum. From my perspective, this is the essence of petulance: lashing out without a clear target or purpose. It’s the cultural equivalent of a toddler throwing a fit because they can’t have candy for dinner.
But let’s not dismiss conservative art outright. In my opinion, conservatism has produced some genuinely great films. Bad Boys 2, with its jingoistic excess, is a perfect example. Michael Bay’s vision of America—where the military industrial complex is unleashed and the cars are hotter than the women—is unapologetically conservative. And yet, it works because it’s well-executed. The same goes for Cobra, Rambo, or even Taken. These films have a clear ideology, but they also have something Citizen Vigilante lacks: craftsmanship.
A detail that I find especially interesting is how Citizen Vigilante tries to position itself as a conservative film but fails to commit to any coherent ideology. Sanders isn’t an anarchist, a fascist, or even a capitalist—he’s just a guy with a gun and a grudge. This lack of ideological grounding is what makes the film feel so hollow. It’s not conservative art; it’s petulant art. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a tweet designed to trigger the ‘libs’ without offering anything substantive.
This brings me to the broader trend of petulance in culture. With Trump’s 2024 victory, we’ve seen a surge in this kind of behavior—online influencers using slurs, comedians like Tony Hinchcliffe and Louis C.K. leaning into edgelord humor, and even official White House accounts posting ‘dank’ memes. What’s striking is how this petulance isn’t just a right-wing phenomenon; it’s everywhere. It’s in the way Fox News and The New York Times alike dig into scandals with glee, or how Bari Weiss’s brand of ‘intellectual’ discourse feels more like a temper tantrum than a thoughtful debate.
If everyone is trolling, then what even is trolling? If it’s all ragebait, who are we baiting? Personally, I think this cultural moment is a response to a deeper sense of powerlessness. With no hope for the future, lashing out becomes the default mode. But here’s the irony: petulance doesn’t change anything. It’s just noise—loud, obnoxious, and ultimately meaningless.
So, where does that leave Citizen Vigilante? In my opinion, it’s a film that doesn’t deserve our outrage. It’s too poorly made, too ideologically incoherent, to even be offensive. It’s like a school shooter fantasy but with even less self-awareness. The real tragedy isn’t the film’s existence; it’s the fact that it’s part of a larger trend of cultural petulance that’s crowding out meaningful discourse.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s this: maybe the future of political cinema lies with the left. As leftist movements gain momentum, I hope they bring with them a new wave of films that are not just well-made but also intellectually honest. Because, at the end of the day, petulance might be easy, but it’s not art. And cinema deserves better.
