Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen,)Reservoir Dogs, 1992

Besuited alpha male, particularly famed for impromptu ear-severing. A charming psychopath who likes to simmer and sit tight. Perks up when obscure Dylan-esque Seventies pop hits come on the radio and has a habit of flicking away cigarette butts just before something really nasty happens. Approach with due trepidation.

Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi),Reservoir Dogs, 1992

Nervous, ferrety individual, never wholly at ease in group situations. A complainer. Disdains the common practice of tipping waitresses and doesn’t like being called Mr Pink on grounds of slight to his masculinity. Tends to hide during Mexican stand-offs. Watch out for this one.

Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman),Pulp Fiction, 1994

Good-time gangster’s moll with an alarming coke habit. Loves milkshakes and jitterbug dance contests. Just don’t leave your uncut heroin lying around, or be prepared to plug her in the chest with a hypodermic. She’s trouble.

Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson),Pulp Fiction, 1994

A principled killer with a philosophical bent. Quotes chunks of Biblical verse when dishing out punishment. Often terrific company and very tolerant of a shambolic, bungling colleague, but too smart for this game. Wants out. To be respected and on no account messed around.

Max Cherry (Robert Forster),Jackie Brown, 1997

Bail bondsman with a heart of gold. He’s seen it all but wears it phlegmatically. Fond of movies at the mall — anything that starts soon and looks good. Did something about his hair a while ago and that helped. Heaps of promise as a romantic prospect… but a gentleman to the core, tragically slow to make his move.

Louis Gara (Robert De Niro),Jackie Brown, 1997

Laconic parolee. Not the sharpest card in the deck. Could do with a shave and almost certainly a shower. Moody and unpredictable — not to be wound up under any circumstances. Wildcat associates have been known to take bullets in broad daylight for calling him “Lou-isssss”. Don’t do this.

Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu)Kill Bill, Vol 1, 2003

Dainty-looking Chinese-Japanese-American. Don’t be deceived. Saw her parents murdered at age nine and now runs the Tokyo Yakuza. Has 44 bodyguards who call themselves the Crazy 88. In boardroom situations, super-touchy about her ancestry. Best not go there, or swift decapitation may ensue.

Stuntman Mike(Kurt Russell),Death Proof, 2007

A deranged serial killer. Also, kind of a road hog. Games of chicken are a bad idea — he’ll win. Getting in his passenger seat an even worse idea, since it’s custom-fitted to trap. If he’s ever met you, he’s got you written down in his creepy notebook, so be warned.

Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah)Kill Bill, Vols 1 and 2, 2003/4

Aka California Mountain Snake. Trained assassin. Foolishly disrespected her sensei and lost an eye, then got her own back by poisoning him. Wears patch. Uses a black mamba to dispose of former colleagues. Worth avoiding, on balance, unless rampage of revenge strictly necessitates a face-off.

Col Hans Landa(Christoph Waltz),Inglourious Basterds, 2009

All smiles. Fond of strudel. A class act, really, in the field of Jew-hunting. Expert in polished conversational torture. Prone to jump across the room and throttle you once he’s had his fun. Beware overtures of friendship from this one. He means you damage.