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New Quentin Tarantino Comments Prove More Defiant Despite Boycott Threat To ‘The Hateful Eight’

By Colin Fredericson
Published on: 09:45 PST, Nov 5, 2015

Quentin Tarantino’s comments won’t change, despite continuing pressure from police. Quentin Tarantino’s comments were further explained last night on MSNBC. He reassured his supporters and detractors that he isn’t going back on statements he made at an anti-police brutality rally in New York City.

The controversy started after Tarantino joined an anti-police brutality march called Rise Up October. The protesters marched through Manhattan with signs and megaphones on high. Tarantino flew in from California to join the event, where he was one of the featured speakers. Eleven people were subsequently arrested at the event.

The New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) responded to Tarantino by calling him anti-police, and by criticizing him for glorifying violence in his films. If you see the trailer for his upcoming movie The Hateful Eight, then perhaps the criticism seems valid. That is a violent, revolver-laded, human shooting gallery of a movie. It’s also the type of thing Tarantino fans expect.

But Tarantino said his remarks weren’t aimed at all police officers, just the ones who commit violence against unarmed citizens. He says that he has policemen fans, and trusts that they will not look into his comments as a blanket statement. He doesn’t think they would join the proposed boycott of his work. Tarantino says he is raising an issue that remains problematic.

The Wall Street Journal caught this part of the MSNBC interview in which Tarantino calls out PBA president Patrick Lynch.

“I actually have a whole lot of police officers who are big fans of my work, and they’re not going to take Patrick Lynch’s word on what I said. They’re going to read what I said, they’ll watch this show, they’ll hear what I have to say, and I think they’ll make up their own mind.”

The Wall Street Journal further revealed more charged comments via Tarantino about the police brutality backlash.

“Anybody who acknowledges that there’s a problem in law enforcement in this country right now is considered by law enforcement to be part of the problem. They would rather start arguments with celebrities than examine the concerns put before them by a citizenry that lost trust in them.”

Quentin Tarantino has long been criticized for violence in his films. His response has usually revolved around some variation about real life violence being terrible, but movie violence being okay. He has never made the connection and refuses to see any relationship between movie violence and violent people in real life.

Over the years, Tarantino has become highly offended about the controversy that pours in after almost any of his films. He has never taken ownership of the criticism, and has usually been dismissive of the critics.

Despite the proposed boycott, film analysts don’t think the comments will hurt ticket sales for The Hateful Eight. The film is scheduled for a Christmas release. Unless America has developed the same kind of distaste for cinematic violence as it has for real life violence, then Tarantino may once again rake in box office profits.

Variety interviewed analyst Jeff Bock about the potential backlash to Tarantino’s next film.

“It’s a minor distraction. People love Quentin Tarantino as a filmmaker and an artist, and whatever he does on the side is white noise. It’s not going to stop people from watching his movies. He has a few personality wrinkles, but we’re not talking about Roman Polanski here.”

Roman Polanski refers to the international filmmaker who committed an awful sex crime, but still managed to win Academy Awards afterwards. Quentin Tarantino’s comments are much milder, in comparison.

[Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]

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