The Pulp Fiction director was at his home in Los Angeles on 11 October (15) when he spotted a stranger in the grounds, and he asked the man to leave but he refused.

He called the emergency services, and police officers arrived on the scene to deal with the intruder, who left without incident, according to TMZ.com.

Tarantino went on to cause controversy when he took to the streets of New York City for an anti-brutality rally on 24 October (15), during which he reportedly called cops "murderers" over their handling of suspects.

A number of police union officials subsequently called for a boycott of Tarantino's movies in response to the remarks, but the director has since spoken out to insist he was misquoted.

"All cops are not murderers. I never said that. I never even implied that," he declared.

He also told the Los Angeles Times he will not be silenced by police unions singling him out, adding, "Their message is very clear. It's to shut me down. It's to discredit me. It is to intimidate me. It is to shut my mouth, and even more important than that, it is to send a message out to any other prominent person that might feel the need to join that side of the argument."