What a wild ride.

Medusa Deluxe is a murder mystery set at a British competitive hairdressing contest. One contestant is found dead and scalped. The other contestants, models and lovers interact as the uncertainty of what happened washes over them.

The plot itself is not the most important aspect of this film. The flamboyant atmosphere and over-the-top characters dominate the screen.

The other true star of this film is the director, Thomas Hardiman, who made his directorial feature debut with this A24 film. His film was shot as it was a one-shot throughout. It clearly was not and I enjoyed picking out the hidden cuts, but it is a big swing to attempt to do this as your debut. Plus, it was done so well that if you did not know much about filmmaking, you could believe that they just followed the actors with the camera. It was smooth and beautifully constructed. This was a remarkable debut as a director.

The performances are all excellent. Some of the characters are strange, but every actor does an exceptional job. Standouts included Clare Perkins, who played Cleve, a hairdresser with a serious anger problem, Luke Pasqualino as Angel, the lover of the victim, and Harriet Webb as Kendra, another of the hairdressers.

There are some really strange things happen too as the movie progresses. There is a dance routine at the end of the film that is just amazing.

Now, the murder mystery does fade as the film goes. The story itself is a little weak and does not feel like the most important part of the film. However, the dialogue is spectacular, the characters are eccentric and bizarre, and the film’s technical aspects are just excellent. There are also some impressive stunts and a scene involving fire that is outstanding.

This is an original film with some of the most creative moments in it.

I rented this film on Vudu.

4.35 stars