by MATTHEW HAYS

Speculation has been running wild about Quentin Tarantino's much-anticipated fourth film, Kill Bill Volume 1, his ode to chopsploitation flicks of the '70s. Quentin groupies, industry onlookers, all wondering aloud: has the auteur lost his mind? His appearance on The Tonight Show last week didn't help; Tarantino was clearly bombed out of his mind, babbling like a lunatic.

The answer to the sanity question becomes quite clear with the first part of Kill Bill (the film was so unwieldy it had to be split in two; part deux will arrive in February). Indeed, Tarantino has gone off the deep end, but in the best possible way. Casting aside the need for anything resembling realism, the writer-director has simply handed his lead (Uma Thurman) one basic motivation - in this case, cold-blooded revenge - allowing her to high-kick, slice and chop her way through the remainder of the movie.

The premise is ludicrously simple. On her wedding day, Thurman is shot by an elite band of nasties, including Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah and the mysterious Bill. But miraculously, Thurman manages to survive the brutal gunshot to the head, recuperate and then begin to hunt down those responsible for her attempted slaying. The movie then leaps back and forth in time, explaining various subplots and character backgrounds, skipping along the surface joyously with stunningly choreographed fight scenes. There are the trademarked Tarantino touches: the silly one liners, the pop culture references (the movie begins with a Klingon proverb and some dialogue quotes a breakfast cereal commercial jingle) and epic dismemberment.

I can hear it now: people are undoubtedly going to complain that Tarantino is too nuts and that he's become too superficial. But being a major advocate of both insanity and superficiality, I must defend Kill Bill Volume 1. Yes, I would suggest that Quentin see a psychiatrist, at least for a check-up. (And he might also want to stop in at Betty Ford for a rest.) He probably has gone a bit insane; but if the hilarity and chaotic charms that Kill Bill provides are a symptom, his mindset has proven a damn good thing.

Kill Bill Volume 1 opens Friday, Oct. 10

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