That's not the worst of it. Believe me, it can become much more sordid, evil, and twisted. Violence is vital to Tarantino's work, but it's not the only recurring theme. Tarantino is very much a man of habit. There are often recurring themes, names, or music in his films.

Just one year later, Tarantino had written a script for a movie called True Romance - he sold the script for $50,000 and used the cash to fund himself while writing Natural Born Killers and Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino hadn't had much experience directing films (only one month spent at Robert Redford's Sundance Institute), but, armed with just the basics, he started shooting Reservoir Dogs. The resultant film made a profit . . . just . . . and secured Tarantino cult status.

Then came Pulp Fiction - the movie that starts with the ending - and boasts a starry cast (John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, and Tarantino himself . . .). Made for $8m, it raked in a $100m profit for Miramax. It also gave him a chance to create music (he co-wrote Scooby Snacks with The Fun Lovin' Criminals - used in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs).