Why The NYPD Is Asking People To Boycott Quentin Tarantino's New Movie

Quentin Tarantino is known for making films that contain a lot of violent imagery. He’s also a man who has no problem speaking his mind. However, his choice of words have left New York City police officers angry, and they are now calling for a boycott of his films following his appearance at a rally to protest police violence.

Over the weekend, a rally was held in New York’s Washington Square to bring attention to nationwide problems with police violence. Tarantino attended the rally and marched with the crowd but it was the words he spoke when he address the assembled protest that is drawing the ire of the NYPD. The Pulp Fiction director used the term "murderers" when referring to some of the deaths and the hands of police officers in recent months. This language, combined with the fact that the protest came on the heels of an NYPD officer being killed while on the job, has led the policemen’s union to call for a boycott of Tarantino films.

The President of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, Patrick Lynch, feels that Tarantino’s films glorify violence. The New York Post quotes him calling the Reservoir Dogs creator a "purveyor of degeneracy."

Tarantino, for his part, admits that the timing of the rally was "unfortunate." It had been planned long before the officer had been killed and many people, including himself, traveled to New York for the event. Certainly nobody expected a police officer to be killed just days before the rally. While Quentin Tarantino’s words were certainly focused on much of the death that has occurred at the hands of the police, it’s also clear from his language that he would not condone the death of a police officer, either.

Tarantino’s new film Hateful Eight is set for a Christmas release. With a release date so far in the future, it will be interesting to see if anything comes of the call to boycott. While the new film is not specifically called out, the union’s request to boycott apparently covers all of the man’s films, so the upcoming release is really the only place where audiences staying away would have any noticeable impact. If the fallout of this past weekend continues, then it’s possible many might stay away. However, it’s also possible much of this may have faded into the background over the next couple months. The movie is going to be a major focus for the holiday movie season, however, so any impact may be noticeable.

It’s an all around terrible situation that just seems to have the worst possible timing. The deaths of several people across the country at the hands of police have grabbed national media headlines and become a major topic of concern. At the same time, the death of a police officer performing his duties is also a tragic occurrence.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.