The central gimmick of Harold Ramis’1993 masterpiece Groundhog Day—a character caught in a time loop must resolve a conflict within his own character to break the cycle—has been recycled in countless films, ranging from comedies like 50 First Dates and Palm Springs to sci-fi mindbenders like Edge of Tomorrow and Source Code. Each of these managed to find a fresh take on the idea, with varying results on the follow-through. Director Craig Singer has taken his turn with the endless-repetition-of-days concept, working from a script by Robert Dean Klein, but the result is a puzzling and ultimately off-putting misfire that squanders the thematic potential of the premise in favor of a senseless descent into darkness and gore.
What 6:45 has going for it is a lot of stylish cinematography from Lucas Pitassi and some intermittently engaging performances from the principal actors, particularly in the film’s opening 30 minutes. The setup makes swift work of ratcheting up the tension as Bobby (Michael Reed) and Jules (Augie Duke) arrive at remote Bog Grove for a romantic getaway. Grand mansions and ocean views make for an evocative setting, rendered strange because of the near-total absence of other humans on the wide streets and plazas. Where is everyone? Crusty innkeeper Gene (Armen Garo) reveals that most folks are lying low because it’s the anniversary of a grisly murder that took place on the island, although his words are less terrifying than his dead-eyed stare and creepy affect. The ferries aren’t running, and, naturally, there’s no cell reception. All the pieces are in place for a tense thriller.
Bobby and Jules settle into their room for a lot of sex that quickly pushes beyond steamy into gratuitous territory, and, at 6:45 every morning, they begin reexperiencing the same day. Or, rather, Bobby reexperiences it while Jules remains unaware that anything is repeating, and here’s where the script begins to strain. During the first day, Jules and Bobby were murdered in broad daylight by a hooded wraith, but for some reason Bobby refuses to share this information with Jules, who thinks he’s just in one of his moods. The story calls for Bobby to be disbelieved and misunderstood for much of the runtime, but his own belligerence and inarticulateness contribute to his dilemma, sapping any sympathy he might have earned.
The more time the film spends with the couple, the less viewers might want them to survive, or to even solve the mystery of their imprisonment in time, which frankly seems like the right place for them to spend eternity. Bobby’s unsavory characteristics become increasingly apparent, and the fact that Jules continues to give him second chances seems indefensible, whether or not her memory is wiped clean with each repeating day.
By the time the title card “Day 100” rolls around, you might feel like you’ve been watching the film for that long, despite the fact that it clocks in at just over 90 minutes. The convoluted storytelling—Why is the town practically empty every day? What challenge is Bobby trying to overcome through repetition?—never really gels. In the third act, the resolution does with violence what the opening scenes did with sex: shows too much and goes too far, for no discernible reason. While 6:45 looks and feels like a slick and seductive thriller, with gorgeous photography, inventive editing and initially engaging performances, the weight of narrative dysfunction overcomes the style and saps any sympathy for the characters in their dilemma. Any groundhogs associated with this film would be better off staying in a hole in the ground.
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