Quentin Tarantino revisits the seedier side of Los Angeles - following Reservoir Dogs - with this violent, tongue-in-cheek homage to trashy crime novels and popular culture.

Playing out in the manner of a three-dimensional jigsaw, the film interweaves three tales, which only fully connect when the final credits roll.

The first story introduces Vincent (Travolta) and Jules (Jackson), a pair of low-paid hit men on duty for the meanest ganglord in town, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) - whose sexy wife, Mia (Thurman), takes a fancy to Vincent.

This is a potentially problematic situation for Vince.

He's heard that Wallace is likely to get mediaeval on anyone stupid enough to give so much as a foot massage to his wayward wife, but he's also been asked to show her a good time while the big man's away on business.

In the second, a pugilist (Willis) plans a spectacular double-cross against Marsellus when he is ordered to take a fall in his next boxing match.

Deciding that there's more money in doing the opposite, Butch backs himself and ends up on the run from the big boss and his goons.

The final chapter follows a pair of lovers (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth) as they prepare to hold up a diner but get more than they bargained for.

Tarantino won many accolades, including a Best Screenplay Oscar and the Palme d'Or at Cannes, for this ultra-brutal black comedy that redefined cinema in the 20th century.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and such an original style of film-making, his movie boomed into a wildly entertaining and exhilarating adventure that's both thrilling and engrossing.

Dominic Bloch