SO much has been said about Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited fourth film ahead of its release that you could well find yourself loving or hating it before even settling into a cinema seat.

However, after the first instalment the jury is still out - thanks to the dubious decision to split it into two during the latter stages of production.

This, of course, was a calculated gamble - legions of Tarantino fans will watch the feverishly anticipated film in any format.

And for the average movie-goer attracted by the promise of a thrilling action movie, the intriguing cliffhanger is enough to persuade you to return for Vol 2 in a few months - if only to get some answers.

On the evidence so far, the flimsy plot - which sees The Bride (Uma Thurman) out for revenge on her erstwhile colleagues in an elite group of assassins four years after being shot in the head at her wedding - seems like merely an excuse for Tarantino to flex his film-making muscles. For this reason alone this film looks amazing and, although far from perfect, it is a must-see on the big screen.

Thurman puts in a compelling performance as her character - whose name is curiously bleeped out - cuts a swathe through her enemies in a series of unmissable action set pieces.

None of the dialogue one associates with Tarantino is present in Kill Bill - in fact some of the interchanges seem deliberately hackneyed and cliched, the work of a fan paying tribute to the B-movies that have inspired him. There are so many references to other films in here I needed the help of the internet to even begin to be able to spot them.

The excessive violence is more cartoonish than disturbing - and paradoxically the gruesome animated section concerning the backstory of the impressive Lucy Liu's character is horribly unsettling.

Kill Bill is muddled, flawed and a bit of a mishmash of ideas. In fact it's just one big exercise in cool for the sake of it - but it really is cool.

I for one can't get it out of my head and will be first in the queue for Vol 2. AMD