Summary
Highlights
The movie opens with Charlie entering a diner where a news report about the 'Midnight Mangler' (a serial killer) is playing. Charlie is creepy towards the waitress, Anna, and later forces her at gunpoint to come with him. He then brutally murders her, but immediately finds himself back in the diner, reliving the same night. This marks the beginning of his endless loop, where he repeatedly kills Anna and attempts to escape.
Charlie becomes increasingly frustrated by the time loop. He tries to escape by physically leaving the diner, shooting Sam (another patron), and even murdering everyone in the diner, but the loop always restarts. He realizes he cannot escape and begins to observe the other patrons, struggling to comprehend his situation.
Desperate, Charlie begins to experiment with his actions within the loop. He frightens a couple, kills a nurse named Sophie and the janitor, and confesses to being the Midnight Mangler. He attempts various brutal murders on the diner patrons, finding a strange sense of power. He also persistently tries to get an omelette from the chef, leading to numerous failed attempts to overpower the chef who seems impervious to his attacks.
After countless murders and attempts to break the loop, Charlie grows weary. He even shoots himself, but the loop persists. When he collapses in despair, David, a silent patron he has repeatedly tried to interact with, finally speaks, chastising Charlie for giving up. David's words ignite a renewed, albeit twisted, motivation in Charlie.
Charlie encounters a priest in the diner and, exhausted by his actions, seeks forgiveness and a way out. The priest advises him to 'start over'. In the next loop, Charlie shockingly begins to act as a decent human being, intervening with bullies, being polite to Anna, and offering advice to the cheating couple, reflecting on his own traumatic past.
After seemingly forming a connection with Anna and even kissing her, Charlie inexplicably stabs her. The loop breaks, and he wakes up in a laboratory. He discovers that the diner was a simulation, part of an experimental rehabilitation program called 'Neuroscape' for convicted murderers. The 'priest' is Dr. Lovato, and 'Anna' is Dr. Amy, who is revealed to be the daughter of the real Anna, one of Charlie's victims.
The program aims to make serial killers confront their crimes and develop remorse. Charlie's failure means he will be denied parole. The doctors claim the simulation is not 'real', but Charlie is clearly suffering from its psychological effects. The film concludes with Amy, seeking revenge for her mother's murder, sedating Charlie and sending him back into the simulated diner loop, ensuring his endless torment.