Raylan Givens may be the star of the neo-Western series Justified, but Boyd Crowder, the show’s villain, certainly steals more than a few scenes. The show follows Raylan, a U.S. Marshal, who returns to his hometown of Kentucky to take on the local criminal element. Boyd, a man Raylan used to work with, proves to be his main target.
Though a relatively small-time criminal, Boyd has big ambitions and won’t let too many people stand in his way. He is calm, funny and charming, but can turn deadly in a split-second. Find out why Boyd Crowder is not a man you want to cross with some of his most intimidating quotes.
“You can come after me if you want but it will be the last thing you ever do, I promise you that.”
Boyd deals with a lot of dangerous people, but he is not one to run and hide. He will stand toe-to-toe with the deadliest crooks in Harlan County and never blink. If someone decides to step up to him, he’ll make them regret it awfully quick.
While setting up his very own criminal enterprise in Harlan, Boyd ruffles a lot of feathers. After ripping off some thugs, the men let him know they’ll find out who he is and make him pay. Boyd freely offers up his name, letting them know how scared he isn’t.
“I’ve been accused of being a lot of things. “Inarticulate” ain’t one of them.”
One of the most entertaining aspects of Boyd’s character is the way he speaks. For a low-level criminal, he has a poetic way of speaking that is mesmerizing. Actor Walton Goggins is a pro with the show’s sharp dialogue, too.
Boyd often uses his verbal prowess to intimidate. When he turns down a deal from a fellow criminal, the other man says “so we’re clear: you are saying no?” Deadly serious and unwilling to repeat himself, Boyd replies, “I been accused of being a lot of things. “Inarticulate” ain’t one of them.”
“You shoulda been on the other side, with me and your daddy. You’d still be able to shoot people and be an a*****e… your two favorite activities.”
The relationship between Raylan and Boyd is one of the best hero-villain relationships in television history. Apart from sharing a past together, the two men alternate between helping each other and trying to kill each other. You get the sense that Boyd would just rather Raylan join him in a life of crime.
Regardless of his badge, Boyd isn’t shy about standing up to Raylan. He knows that Raylan is just an inch away from the outlaw life that Boyd leads and likes to remind Raylan of that fact frequently.
“Now, you want to put me out of my misery? How ‘bout you stop running your goddamn mouth and do whatever it is you got to do?”
Boyd is not a stupid man and he understands self-preservation. Whenever he finds himself in a situation where his life is in danger, he will do everything in his power to get himself out of that situation alive. At the same time, he’s no coward and is not easily intimidated.
After running afoul of the Mexican drug cartel, Boyd finds himself facing a painful death. After trying to bargain his way out of the situation, he accepts his fate. Not giving his killers the satisfaction of fear, he tells them to get it done.
“I’ll give you fifteen reasons in the mag, and one in the chamber.”
The stylized dialogue of Justified makes it such a fun show to watch. Everyone on the show has a one-liner ready to go at all times. Boyd is one of the most badass characters, as he is always a danger and always has something cool to say.
The only character to give Boyd serious competition in this respect is Raylan, so when they face-off, it’s a lot of fun. During one of their tense confrontations, Raylan demands, “give me one reason why I shouldn’t come up there and kick the living s**t out of you.” Raising his gun, Boyd gives his old friend several reasons.
“I may not know a lot about a lot of things, but I do know how to blow s**t up.”
Because of his lofty ambitions for his career as a criminal, Boyd often finds himself dealing with some higher-level bad guys. They can often underestimate Boyd, seeing him only as an uneducated country hick. He seems to enjoy proving them wrong again and again.
During a meeting with some of these sophisticated criminals, they begin to question Boyd’s value. Seeing things going south, Boyd’s decides to do what he does best: “blow s**t up.”
“A man who talks out of both sides of his mouth deserves to have it shut permanently.”
Just because Boyd is a criminal, doesn’t mean he is willing to put up with dishonest people. He has dealt with his fair share of treachery throughout the series, and he deals with it harshly.
After the latest double-cross, Boyd is as merciless as always, saying, “a man who talks out of both sides of his mouth deserves to have it shut permanently.” It’s a great quote and given Boyd’s penchant for quoting famous people, someone asks who said that, to which he matter-of-factly replies, “Boyd Crowder.”
“I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay and you never forget who packed your bags.”
Harlan seems to attract a certain type of visitor, as more than a few members of various organized crime outfits have attempted to move into that territory. These are usually more powerful people than Boyd, however, when they are playing on his home turf, he always has the upper hand.
Robert Quarles is a memorable and sadistic Detroit mobster who came to Harlan looking for his next big score. Though Quarles had the means, the locals like Boyd stood firmly in his way. As Quarles hits yet another dead end, he seems out of options. Boyd is quick to bid him an appropriately condescending farewell.
“I don’t give a s**t about what you said. I’m an outlaw.”
It’s hard to deny that Boyd is a likeable guy. He is extremely charismatic and has on occasion shown he is willing to do the right thing. However, as things build up to an inevitable showdown with Raylan in the show’s final season, Justified reminded us who Boyd really is.
After kidnapping a man and forcing him to drive him around, Boyd and the man have a frank conversation. As the doomed hostage tries to explain that Boyd is not the celebrity gunslinger he makes himself out to be, Boyd shows that, deep down, he’s just a cold-blooded outlaw.
“Fire in the hole!”
Boyd’s time in the coal mines of Harlan made him very proficient with explosives. He seemed to develop a liking for that form of destruction, as he tends to incorporate it into his life of crime quite frequently.
In the very first episode of the series, Boyd blows up a church with a rocket launcher, calling out, “fire in the hole!” This sort of becomes his catchphrase in the series and is a perfect summary of the character: bold, destructive and not afraid for people to know it. He is an outlaw from a bygone era.
