‘House of Hammer’ makes the case that movie star could be a monster

It’s made clear in the three-part discovery+ documentary series “House of Hammer” that no criminal charges have been filed against disgraced actor Armie Hammer — but on a number of occasions in this devastatingly effective work, you find yourself shaking your head at the alleged monstrosities committed by this privileged and famous figure who seems to have inherited some of the darkest tendencies running through the Hammer family tree.

We’re also filled with admiration for the brave women who agreed to speak on camera — women who initially thought they were being courted like a leading lady in a Hollywood romance, but soon found themselves in allegedly real-life horror stories. Even though Hammer has vehemently denied all allegations of abuse and assault, there’s no denying the sincerity of these women as they recount their experiences in painstaking detail, no denying the pain on their faces as they tell their stories. It’s heartbreaking to watch.

Directors Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs are to be commended for handling this deeply troubling material in journalistically solid and sensitive fashion, as they weave together archival footage of the Hammer family; interviews with a number of Armie Hammer’s alleged victims, plus reporters and Armie’s aunt, Casey, and excerpts from audio and video recordings as well as text messages that provide evidence of Hammer’s extreme dark side.

“House of Hammer” chronicles Armie’s career, from his breakthrough dual role in “The Social Network” to a series of bombs to his resurgence as a major star with acclaimed work in 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name.” Married with two children, charming fans on the red carpet and flashing his mega-watt smile on the talk show circuit,Hammer played the part of the classic Hollywood leading man — but on social media, he was initiating relationships with women that would start with an avalanche of praise, eventually lead to whirlwind in-person romances, and quickly turn frightening, as Hammer spoke of and acted out on sexual encounters involving bondage, humiliation and, in some instances, alleged assault.

“I had lost my entire sense of self,” says Courtney Vucekovich, a businesswoman from Dallas. “I surrendered to him 100% ... he used me in every way humanly possible for months, and I f---ing let him.”

An ex-girlfriend who goes by “Effie” (her last name has not been publicly revealed) says Hammer raped her over a four-hour period in Los Angeles in April 2017. Another ex, Paige Lorenze, talks of Hammer’s “high protocol nights,” in which he would bring knives and paddles and other “obedience tools,” and says he carved his initial into her. “It’s all built around inflicting pain,” says Lorenze.

We hear a voicemail from Hammer in which he talks about “showing up at your place and completely tying you up and incapacitating you and then being able to do whatever I wanted.” We see a text in which he says, “I am 100% a cannibal,” and a handwritten note he left for a woman he hadn’t yet met at the time, saying, “I’m going to bite the f--- out of you.”

A considerable amount of time is also devoted to Hammer’s family, including his great-grandfather, Armand Hammer, who made a fortune with Occidental Petroleum and was involved in all sorts of dubious dealings, including illegally contributing financial support to Nixon’s Watergate fund; Armie’s father, Michael, who inherited the bulk of the family fortune and had his own share of demons, and Armie’s aunt, Casey, who is estranged from the family and says she is stepping forward to help stop the cycle of allegedly abusive actions by members of the Hammer family.

As you would expect, Armie Hammer declined to be interviewed for the series. He’s been through rehab for sex, drug and alcohol issues, he was dropped by his talent agency and publicist, he was replaced by Josh Duhamel in the Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy “Shotgun Wedding” and Miles Teller in the Paramount+ series “The Offer,” and he currently has no known upcoming acting work.