Deadly Cuts

I'm really fond of dark comedy, and I really love Irish comedies. So this was brilliant fun for me. It was a bit campy at times, but it kept everything fun.

These girls really put the "deadly" in the deadly cut, in a really humours way. But in the rough town where they're trying to keep their hair salon, they have to! No body, no problem! The acting was great, and there's a lot of really likable characters, even in the bit rolls. Especially the other people from the small Irish town.

Even though the overall plot was predictable, the giggles kept coming. So it was just fun, with murder on the side.

Not a profound work of cinema, but Deadly Cuts is, nonetheless an extremely entertaining film. Somewhat implausible though, imho. But I loved the camp.

This was a surprisingly well done comedy, not too wet and well acted and directed. Similar to zoolander but smarter and funnier without going over the top to the point of ruining the idea. Worth the watch, especially if you think Irish people are inherently funny.

Greetings again from the darkness. If we have to depend on Dublin filmmaking for the year's first stellar comedy, then so be it. This is the first feature film from writer-director Rachel Carey, but it certainly won't be the last. Somehow she's created a black and blue comedy that plays like a mash-up of ZOOLANDER (2001) and BLOW THE MAN DOWN (2018), two films I feel sure had not previously been mentioned in the same sentence.

Piglinstown is a small, working class community in Dublin ... the metaphorical 'other side of the tracks'. Michelle (Angeline Ball, THE COMMITMENTS, 1991) runs the salon, and is just one of the local business being threatened by gang activity and gentrification driven by greedy politicians. Michelle's staff includes Stacey (Erika Roe, HERSELF, 2020), a stylist who believes winning an upcoming competition can not only save the salon, but also her dreams of finally being accepted by the mother that deserted her many years ago; Gemma (Lauren Larkin), the in-house amateur psychologist and therapist; and Chantelle (Shauna Higgins, "Red Rock"), a socially awkward wizard with hair color. It's a motley crew of women who are stronger than they think, and display a camaraderie that defines small business and small towns.

The ladies embrace the upcoming "Ahh Hair" competition as their road to salvation, where a win would boost the salon's reputation and make tearing the shop down for luxury apartments an unthinkable act. The problem is that the annual competition is consistently won by the posh shop where Michelle once worked before a catastrophic on stage occurrence many years ago. The high end shop is now run by her hilariously intimidating rival Pippa (Victoria Smurfit, "Marcella"). This becomes a bit of a parody of class distinction between Dublin's north and south side.

But there is much more here than the hair styling competition. Some of the grit of the working class rears its head one evening when the gang leader threatens the ladies of the salon. One thing leads to another and soon the shop has earned its name, "Deadly Cuts." Although crime and violence play a role here, the gore is minimal and mostly occurs off screen, and even packs its own level of humor. Ms. Carey loads up her script with a slew of one-liners, each expertly delivered by a cast that embraces the cinematic lampoon. "The hair tongs are heating up" is merely one example of what is broadcast by FAD TV during the competition. For a rollicking good time, check this one out ... though you may need the closed captions unless your ears are in full Irish mode.

Featured at the 2021 Seattle International Film Festival.

I didn't have high hopes seeing the low score but gave it a go after watching the trailer. As can often be the case, I was worried the trailer showed the best bits with the funniest jokes but this wasn't the case for Deadly Cuts. The script was not only sharp and witty but the acting was fantastic too. Maybe some of the humour is lost on people outside of Ireland!? Yes, it's "just" a fun, dark comedy .... But it's bleedin deadly!