Medusa Deluxe is a one-location whodunnit set in Preston (UK) that revolves around a thwarted hairdressing competition. Edited to give the conclusion that most of it was filmed in one take, this loud, abrasive thriller/comedy runs out of steam about 1 hour in, and despite great performances, I began to lose patience with it. I found it claustrophoibc and at times repetitive. Instead of building to a crash and bang, it just fades away. The dance routine over the end credits is worth hanging around for.
A murder mystery and dark comedy set in the world of a hairdressing competition taking place in a labyrinthine old theatre in the north of England. It's full of outlandish and emotional characters who have some great and funny lines but the film lacks any suspense or real mystery. This is partially due to the decision to go for a one take film where the camera tracks around the maze of corridors following various of the characters. I'm not convinced this was necessary and appears to have limited the ability of the film to have any tension or story focus. Anyway the film didn't work for me and I was left feeling it was all a bit crazy and self indulgent by director and writer Thomas Hardiman. The story, for what it is, has a renowned hairdresser found dead just before he's to finish his greatest style and he's found scalped, a horror of all horrors to the remaining hairdressers! These are then shown with all their petty jealousies and emotions as the film attempts to juggle the mystery with the batshit crazy weirdness of the whole thing. A film some may love but definitely a marmite film and not for me.