Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino has called out US police on their recent violent behaviour Jason Merritt/Getty

Controversial director of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino has said he is now looking in his "rearview mirror" after police unions threatened to hurt him economically prior to the release of his latest ensemble film The Hateful Eight.

Speaking on American talk show Real Time with Bill Maher he said that since criticising the Fraternal Order of Police and marching on an anti-police force rally where he also spoke that he now fells "uneasy" around those in uniform after he called some officers "murderers" commenting on a spate of police shootings in the US. Police unions have now called for their members to boycott The Hateful Eight when it is released in January. The unions have threatened a non-specific "surprise" prior to the release.

Speaking to Maher Tarantino said: "It's interesting, I'm now all of a sudden looking into my rearview mirror again and I'm seeing the bubblegums - police cars - again in a way that I haven't thought about in 20 years."He also accused the police of putting themselves ahead of protecting the citizens of the US and its communities.

"I actually don't think it is an issue of individuals, good cops versus bad cops. I think it's inside of the institution itself", he told the talk show host.
"If they were really, really serious about this, they wouldn't close rank on what I'm obviously talking about, which is bad cops. And I'm obviously talking about specific cases where it is murder as far as I'm concerned."

Òscar-winning documentary director of Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore took to Twitter to defend the Kill Bill director. He said: "Quentin Tarantino, a brave and good American, standing with families who've lost loved ones to police."

Speaking at the anti-police brutality march in New York at the end of last month Tarantino told the crowd: "If you believe there's murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I'm here to say I'm on the side of the murdered."

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