Starring - Augie Duke (Necropolis: Legion, Hell's Kitty), Michael Reed (The Disco Exorcist, Brides of Satan), and Armen Garo (The Wolf of Wall Street, Gotham)
Release Date - 2021
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "A dream vacation with some time to kill"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I know I've bitched and moaned about the pandemic but it really has left a lasting impact on the movie industry. It's not often that I get in new movies for review because of all the new mandates put in place due to Covid-19. However, I look forward to any film I get in for review that was filmed over the last two years. Several weeks ago I received the press release for Craig Singer's 6:45. Singer is the director behind some seriously underrated horror titles like Dark Ride and Perkins 14. I was even more intrigued about the film when I saw that it starred the Disco Exorcist himself, Michael Reed. I reached out to my friends over at Well Go USA and they were kind enough to send over a review copy for me to check out. Like always, I want to thank Well Go for hooking me up with a review copy.
The film follows young couple Jules (Duke) and Bobby (Reed) who are on their vacation. They are in a secluded town that is only reachable by ferry but this particular week the ferry is not running in remembrance of a terrible murder that happened some years ago. Their first morning their they awaken at 6:45 and begin their day like most would on vacation with some sight seeing, eating at local places, and some drinking. However, that night they fall victim to a killer using the same method on them that happened to those that died all those years before. The following day Bobby awakens at 6:45 remembering everything that happened the day before while Jules does not. He quickly finds himself in a loop of awakening at 6:45, going about his day, and then dying. After many, many, many repeats he decides to confess his infidelity to her to see what would happen and finds himself rid of the curse but something more sinister has happened... something so dark that he has completely wiped it from his mind.
Honestly, I was looking forward to 6:45. Singer really impressed me with Dark Ride and Perkins 14. I remember that I wasn't alone with Perkins 14 hit store shelves. I was an active member of the UHM message boards and it was a common to see conversations about this one pop up for weeks after the film's release. I was hoping that 6:45 would deliver the brutality that his previous films did while utilizing the fantastic actor that Michael Reed is. Sadly, the film missed it's mark with me but there was some enjoyable aspects of it. The acting in this one is absolutely fantastic. Duke and Reed are phenomenal together. I went through their filmography to see if this was their first time working together and as far as I can tell it is. However, they have some seriously impressive on screen chemistry. They were very comfortable with each other and their dialogue exchange feels very genuine. I know I've praised Reed in the past for his performances and he continues to impress me. With that being said, Duke is just as enjoyable in her role. The supporting cast is impressive as well but Reed and Duke's characters are the center of the story. The story for this one is one of several horror films that borrowed the premise from the classic comedy Groundhog's Day. I fucking loved Happy Death Day and it's sequel so this type of premise can be very effective in a horror film. However, this one just doesn't set up an intriguing premise like some of the other films that use this same plot device. I could really get behind a young couple getting murdered and murdered again as they try to uncover the reason for their continuing murder but the way 6:45 approaches the story makes it more focused on how the character of Bobby handles being stuck on repeat with the horror taking the back seat. If it was more focused on the murders and who caused the original while tying it to them then it would have been a lot more entertaining than the psychological twist it goes. I found it to be very underwhelming. Finally, the film doesn't shy away from the blood which is what I expected from Singer. We get some seriously bloody death but they are mostly the same over and over again. We get some great practical effects for the kill but the repetitiveness of it takes the impact away from the viewer. Overall, 6:45 could have been another great horror release from filmmaker Craig Singer but it struggles to find it's own footing. It falls victim to it's own premise where the repeating storyline becomes repetitive. It has a great cast and solid deaths but it's one I can't recommend.
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