As 'Inglourious Basterds' is just about to hit cinemas worldwide, I thought i'd give a rundown of my thoughts on Quentin Tarantino's directorial work.

Reservoir Dogs is what many would consider a perfect directorial debut. It contains some of the most iconic scenes in modern cinema, and in the 98 minutes that you spend watching it, you not only feel a great connection with each of it's fantastically well-rounded characters, but you also feel a connection with Tarantino himself. Never will you find a film that so boldly states it's directors ambitions whilst never succumbing to self-indulgence.

Tarantino put it best himself when he stated that his aim for Reservoir Dogs was to create a heist film that wasn't necessarily about the heist. We never see the heist in question, and it is only explained to us by the central characters. However the writing is so sharp and engaging that you never feel like you have missed out, and this is where Tarantino shines the brightest.

Many claim this to be Tarantino's masterpiece. I am one of them.

Pulp Fiction is one of those very rare films that I could literally watch again and again and again. It still manages to impress me each and every time. This was before Tarantino became a little bit too smug and self-indulgent, when his indie-directorial-cool seemed effortless and not as forced as it was in, say, Kill Bill.

The opening scene of this film involving Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield is one of the finest character introductory scenes you will EVER see. And this is even more impressive when you take into account that the characters never discuss themselves or anything remotely linked with the plot, but instead they are discussing quarter pounders with cheese.

Best Bit: Butch Coolidge and the taxi driver. A subtle yet brilliant scene/

Until recently I was very much under the impression that this was Quentin Tarantino's debut as a director. In fact, I had only heard of it after buying the Tarantino boxset, and had assumed that it was his obscure first step into the world of movies. It certainly plays out that way.

To me, Jackie Brown does not have the feel of a Tarantino movie. It does not gel with the rest of his output, and it does not stand out in my mind along with his other work. Even though it is a fairly good crime drama, it is nothing more than that - a crime drama. Certainly, it does have its charm and good, well-rounded characters, but it just doesn't hit you as much as his other work.

Tarantino is best at making Tarantino movies. This is a crime drama, pure and simple. And there are better crime dramas out there.

Best Bit: Any scene with Robert De Niro in. He inevitably steals the show.

If Reservoir Dogs was Tarantino's heist movie, Pulp Fiction his gangster movie and Jackie Brown his 'blaxploitation flick', then the Kill Bills were his balls out martial arts movies.

The term 'style over substance' was given a new definition upon Vol 1's release, with every single last detail of the entire movie seemingly created purely for the benefit of cool computer wallpapers and ringtones.

Saying this makes the film sound bad, but it isn't by any means. No, it's not as engaging as his other work. But that's not the point. Kill Bill makes you sit back and think "yeah, that was pretty fucking cool" for its entire runtime.

Vol. 2 was more of the same, but tweaked into a state of surrealism that was charming in the first installment, but a bit tired and try-hard in the second. I'm not sure whether the whole scene with The Bride digging herself out of a grave with a spoon was supposed to be funny, but if it was, then it's slightly disappointing that the film spent so long on the whole 'palm-fist' scenario just for that stupid and throwaway outcome.

That leads me onto another negative - Pai Mei. I understand that his character was intentionally overblown, but that overblown? Eventually I grew tired of any scene featuring him and I found myself grateful when he met his demise, allowing the film to venture onto genuinely interesting action scenes.

All in all, both films are what they were intended to be - a collage of great action scenes. They both have their faults, in particular Vol. 2, but Kill Bill remains a good foray into a franchise from Tarantino. Plus, it has The Bride, one of the best femme fetales in cinema history.