Director Quentin Tarantino can probably rest at ease after a successful Dec. 7 Hollywood premiere of his latest film, "The Hateful Eight," which proceeded without any incidence or further threat from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
The premiere of his three-hour film was held at the Cinerama Dome and the program, from the red carpet arrivals to the actual showing and open forum, went smoothly. Tarantino was even seen laughing with his friend, Actor-Director Eli Roth.
The past two months have probably been the most nerve wrecking for Tarantino, whose controversial statement during the New York rally against police brutality earned him the ire of the FOP when media and union leaders may have misinterpreted his words.
"When I see murder I cannot stand by, and I have to call the murdered the murdered and I have to call the murderers the murderers," Tarantino said. While the director claimed he did not generalize police as murderers, many seemed to interpret his words that way. Tarantino, however, clarified his statement saying that he was only referring to police officers who shoot unarmed individuals.
The FOP consists of over 330,000 sworn-in law enforcement officers who threatened to boycott his film. "Something could happen anytime between now and [the premiere]... The right time and place will come up and we'll try to hurt [Tarantino] in the only way that seems to matter to him, and that's economically," FOP Executive Director Jim Pasco said on Nov. 5.
"They say they've got a surprise waiting for me, and I'm kind of curious what that is. I can't imagine it being anything other than them trying to embarrass me... and they have the right to do that if they want," Tarantino said in response to the FOP's threat.
The FOP may not have done anything drastic during the actual premiere and only they know whether they finally accepted Tarantino's clarifications of his statement but one thing is for sure, the FOP has no plans of withdrawing the boycott.
We'll all just have to wait and see how the whole fiasco plays out.
