William Boone

William Boone is the main antagonist in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.

Role in the Film
Boone was one of Colonel Brydon's most loyal soldiers in the British Army and had served England well.

He is first seen talking to Kitty (Colonel Brydon's daughter) and trying to advance himself on her and giving a tiger growl. Suddenly Mowgli (a missing boy who was raised by wolves) appears, thinking that he is attacking Kitty and knocks him aside. Boone is furious and challenges him to a fist fight, but is amazed by the Jungle man's agility and ends up pushing him into the river.

He calls his fellow soldiers that has Lieutenant Wilkins amoungst them, only for them to get tossed in the river as well. Boone orders Wilkins to shoot him, but the soldier hesitates with Kitty assuring him that Mowgli is harmless. Suddenly Ballo and Bagheera appear and all the other soldiers flee with Boone still in the river looking with hatred at his new enemy.

Later he burst in after seeing Mowgli in the Indian village speaking to Kitty. He refuses to listen to Kitty that Mowgli is harmless and goes with his men to capture him. Mowgli tries to elude the soldiers by dropping beads for them to slip on and climbs an Indian rope, bt ends up being knocked out by another of Boone's allies named Buldeo who gives him a jewelled dagger that he found on Mowgli's person.

Boone has Mowgli arrested for "attempting to harm" Kitty and with Wilkins and Sargeant Harley deduce that the dagger may be the key to more riches, so they torture Mowgli, but the Jungle man fights back, so they place him in the palace dungeon.

Brydon suddenly appears and emands to know what is going on. Boone explains that they have caught the trespasser, but his Colonel strongly disagrees with his brutality. After Brydon tries to talk to him, Boone says that he has never said a word since he was here, but entends to deal with this situation so Brydon leaves his captive in Boone's charge who allows Hurley to torture him agin.

Later Kitty comes down to the dungeon and tells him that will try to make Mowgli speak and understand the ways of man again, Boone disagrees stating that he is a savage and vicious. Kitty looks shows her disapproval to the way he treated Mowgli, but the rogue tells her that he did it to himself. He watches Kitty hold onto Mowgli's hand as sign of telling him that she is here to help him. Wilkins tells Boone that if he can learn to talk, then he can be forced to give them the information they need.

Later during an Indian celebration him and Wilkins approach Buldeo and his friend Tabaqui who tell him that the dagger comes from a lost mythical city called Hanoman filled with piles of treasure and says that many have found the city and never returned. Boone is convinced that if Mowgli is there to show them the way, the riches would be theirs for the taking.

Next Morning, Boone goes to see Kitty who is looking over a portrait with Mowgli. He asks how the lessons are going and is annoyed by the way Mowgli keeps copying the way he crosses his legs.

After going for a stroll outside with Kitty, Boone proposes to her and she accepts. He then tells her that he will give Mowgli a tour of the palace. He shows Mowgli his weapons for killing animals and asks him where he got the dagger. Mowgli tells him that he retrieved it from Monkey City where there are mountains of treasure. Boone's greedy eyes light up and asks the Jungle man to take him to this city, but Mowgli refuses after seeing the heads and stuffed corpses of animals Boone had previously killed and says that he doesn't keep the jungle law by killing animals for enjoyment. Boone mocks this lecture and swears one day that he will hunt down Mowgli for his refusal.

That night at a dinner party, Boone continues to show his dislike of Mowgli by making fun of him and after Brydon announces his engagement to Kitty, his men cruelly push him and knock him into one of the food tables. After this display of ill treatment and Boone calling Mowgli a "savage" and a "Pure Isle Jungle Boy", Kitty breaks off her engagement to him and decides to return to England.

Boone decides to take matters into his own hands and use force to get to the treasure. He decides to capture Mowgli so they can get to the treasure but this fails after they are intervened by Baloo. Boone then sends some Indian Bandits to ambush Kitty and her father.

Boone is waiting with Wilkins and Hurley near another area of the jungle and is annoyed that they have captured the Colonel as well. Mowgli comes to rescue them and Boone tells him that unless he takes them to the treasure, Kitty and her father will be killed. Mowgli agrees to take them,but promises that they will not survive.

That night, Boone aks Mowgli for directions to the city, ignoring the fact that Brydon's injuries could kill him and that Shere Khan is on the loose. Mowgli tells him to follow the mountains and if he is still alive, he will tell him more.

Next Morning Mowgli escapes with aid of Bagheera, Harley is the first to wake up and chases after him, but ends up drowning in qucksand. Boone shows no remorse and him and his men continue, ignoring Kitty's pleas not to leave her father. But as the go throught eh jungle they sse a sign on the ground left by Mowgli that the Colonel is safe. Tabaqui goes on ahead of them and finds Mowgli on top of some cliffs, he and his men watch the two fight ending with Tabaqui trying to use a huge boulder, but Mowgli kicks him and he falls over the edge of a nearby cliff to his death.

Now there is only Boone, Wilkins, Buldeo and Kitty left, Boone spots Mowgli and orders his remaining men to shoot him, but Mowgli leaps off the cliff and lands safely in the water.

They finally reach Monkey City and suddenly hear Shere Khan, Wilkins gets seperated from the group and ends up being chased and mauled to death by the dangerous tiger. Boone hears Wilkins' screams and calls to him, but there is no answer. He hears silent chuckle from Kitty and tells her that she could die too, but she assures him that Mowgli won't let him die. Now there is only hom, her and Boone left.

Taking Kitty roughly by the hand, he goes on and spots Mowgli telling him to follow King Louie. He angrilly shoots at him and goes into a corridor that lights up when he lights a match to the liquid candles in the room.

Buldeo tries to kill Mowgli while Boone is still holding Kitty, but while chasing him inside a crypt, he accidently sets off a booby trap that fills it with sand and buries him alive, while Mowgli escapes.

Boone after receiving no answer from Buldeo, spots Mowgli and precedes to shoot him, but Kitty stops him sending plummeting down into the treasure cavern. Boone picks himself up and is amazed by all the treasure. He laughs greedily to himself and suddenly hears Mowgli and aims his sword at him deciding that he has no furthur use for him. They engage in a fierce sword fight, but Mowgli wins and severly injures the evil soldier.

Kitty suddenly wakes up from her fall, Boone asks Kitty to stay and help him collect the treasure, but she refuses and she and Mowgli escape. Boone shouts after her that he doesn't need Kitty anymore and starts gathering treasure himself. Kaa the deadly python suddenly appears and scares Boone into falling into the water below them. While Boone is underwater, dragged down by the weight of the treasure in his backpack, he notices a few skeletons of people (whom Kaa had presumably killed in the past). Boone joins them when Kaa unexpectedly appears and strikes, killing him.