THERE are some directors in whose world it is always a privilege to spend any amount of time - Tim Burton, for example, or Martin Scorcese.

These are the men whose every scene is infused with a love of film and who can present the mundane made magically new in almost any conceivable scenario.

And one man whose name most definitely deserves to appear alongside them is the former wonderkid, Quentin Tarantino. Where would we be without Quentin? We'd never have given a washed-up John Travolta another chance, or known the power of Samuel L. Jackson. I would never have found myself laughing almost hysterically at the fact that a man was shot in the head in a car. Face it, QT creates cool. And yes, he's done it once again.

Finally back where he belongs - behind a camera - after a (too long) sabbatical, film number four in his arsenal takes new strides, breaks ground and, once again, reinvents.

Kill Bill is simply superb from A to C to B, as Quentin would, of course, always have it. The genius non-linear structure which allowed Vince to walk out of that coffee shop in Pulp Fiction here means that we know Lucy Lui cops it before a Samurai sword slices that wee bit too close to her cranium.

The plot can be summed up in a sweet sentence - a woman who was left for dead on her wedding day seeks out those who wronged her to get revenge, in particular the head honcho, Bill. Twist is, all involved are top class assassins, which makes for a little bit of a bloodier battle than there would have been between, say, a warring bunch of flower arrangers.

Uma Thurman, playing The (rampaging) Bride, combines extreme vulnerability with a steely reserve and expert grasp of a Samurai sword. You're rooting for her all the way to the showcase with a room full of masked men who are a darn sight scarier than The Matrix's Agent Smith. It was also obvious that it would take Quentin to reinvent the fight scene, saving it from CG oblivion and tight leather.

In this volume, focus falls on two of the bunch, meaning that Darryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and David Carradine are waiting for their glory in February. So step forward Lucy and Vivaca A Fox, as the betraying O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth and Vernita Green/Copperhead respectively, first for the chop.

Kill Bill is truly the most inventive and impressive cinema I have seen all year. Totally defining in every scene, its stylistic originality - colour, anime, black and white - enhance both its awe-inspiring and hilarious qualities.

The weight of expectation for this project has done nothing whatsoever to dampen its impact, as this film grabs you by the eyes, ears and, most importantly, the heart.

You really want Uma to kick some tail - and, by heck, she doesn't let you down.