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Tarantino's 'Hateful Eight' Opens Without Any Controversy Or Boycott

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com)  —  Quentin Tarantino's "Hateful Eight" opened in Hollywood Friday -- without a lot of haters present.

The film is under fire nationally by police unions and organizations and in Los Angeles locally from  the LA Police Protective League. -- all calling for a boycott of the film.

KCAL9's Political Reporter Dave Bryan was outside the ArcLight in Hollywood Friday evening. He saw no protesters, no signs.

It was Tarantino's fiery comments at a New York rally in October against police shooting and brutality, that fired up the police groups.

"And when I see murder," he said, "I cannot stand by and I have to call the murdered, the murdered, and I have to call the murderers, the murderers."

A vice president of the LA Police Protective League said the group still wants to distance themselves from Tarantino's comments.

"That is the rhetoric," said Jerretta Sandoz, "that was imposed several months ago on law enforcement. where Tarantino called all law enforcement officers murderers."

The director has maintained he never said "all" officers, just the ones who shot unarmed civilians.

"Meanwhile, while the 'Hateful Eight' is being played, Quentin is cashing in on his movie," Sandoz said.

Outside one of the theaters where the movie has opened, the idea of a boycott did not go over very well with Tarantino fans -- even those who were critical of his comments about police.

"We will watch 'The Hateful Eight,;" said filmgoer David Han, "but you shouldn't knock the police. He's a great film maker, but he should stay away from the political statements."

Last month. Tarantino addressed the police boycott, saying his remarks were clearly aimed at the officers who were directly involved in the controversial shootings, not all police -- and moreover, he was making a legitimate point.

He's also gone on several talk shows, to reiterate that point.

"Stop shooting innocent people," he said recently on "All In With Chris Hayes" on MSNBC, "We want justice. But stop shooting unarmed people. But they don't want to deal with that."

One couple Bryan spoke to seemed confused by the controversy. He said they flew in from Indonesia to attend the opening. He asked them if they would fly immediately back and they said they were going to Disneyland first and then flying back.

 

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