Film Threat

No, writer-director Keith Jardine’s feature-length debut, Kill Me Again, is not a remake of the John Dahl 1989 film of the same name. But this neo-noir time loop thriller is a Roswell reunion, as Brendan Fehr and Majandra Delfino play the leads here. They played lovers on that sci-fi teen show, but they portray nothing of the sort here. With this preamble coming to an end, let’s dive into the story and examine what works and what doesn’t.

Charlie (Fehr) wanders into a diner late at night, just wanting to lie low. The waitress, Anna (Delfino), is not amused by this stranger’s attempts at small talk and warns her replacement of his creepiness once the other waitress arrives. By chance, Charlie is outside the building smoking when Anna is leaving, and he again awkwardly flirts with her. But as she’s walking to her car, he pulls out a gun and forces her into his truck. After a brief yet tense exchange, Charlie stabs Anna to death and then suddenly finds himself re-entering the diner earlier in the night. Confused, Charlie goes on a killing spree, murdering all the guests and employees. Again, he finds himself back at the start of his night in the diner. Does he have to murder the right person at the right time to escape? Or can this serial killer learn to tamp down his impulses and not kill for a whole night?

The time loop has been used over and over to varying effect. Some titles, Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day, stand out as shining examples of how to do the time loop right. Meanwhile, Haunter stands as the worst use of time loops in cinematic history. Until Death recently utilized the time loop to mostly scary effect. Happily, Kill Me Again sets itself apart by using the killer as the lead. This adds a fresh angle to the proceedings because this is not about who will live this time around. The focus is on whether Charlie can use his wiles to figure out why he is stuck and how to murder his way out. The sequence where he repeatedly attacks the cook because breakfast is cut off at noon is hilarious and grisly. The dark humor and thrills are front and center due to the nature of Charlie and what brings him to the diner in the first place. Jardine never loses sight of this and strikes a perfect balance in the tone.

Brendan Fehr’s character stands at the entrance of a neon-lit diner in Kill Me Again

Brendan Fehr’s character enters the neon-lit diner in Keith Jardine’s Kill Me Again.

“…Charlie stabs Anna to death and then suddenly finds himself re-entering the diner earlier in the night.”

Director of photography Juergen Heinemann makes the entire production look and feel like a neo-noir. The lighting is stylized, featuring a palette of blues and reds that bathes the characters. New areas of the diner, such as the kitchen, are explored in later restarts of the night, so the place never feels like just a booth and a counter. The mostly single-location also feels creepy and off even before Charlie begins killing, which makes the odd happenings even more mysterious.

Fehr is charming, smarmy, and scarily intense as the “Midnight Managler.” He’s good-looking enough that it makes sense that his forceful introduction doesn’t raise any alarms. However, the actor portrays the part with some peculiar traits, making it clear that he does not interact well with people, causing tension simply by speaking. Delfino is excellent as the person Charlie is drawn to for unknown reasons. She runs the gamut from dismissive to sweet to terrified and so on, and expertly plays each moment. Jardine plays a vital role in David. Though he only has a handful of lines, he makes quite the impression. Tait Fletcher plays the fry cook and is hilarious.

Kill Me Again is a slick and cool time at the movies. The cast finds new ways to play the night with each new time loop. The crew ensures the motion picture looks good and leans into its noir roots. The director balances the darker themes with the horror and humor very well.