Blink Twice Review: Flashy Thriller Uses Huge Stars to Expose the Horrid Underbelly of Billionaires

Summary

• Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut delivers a wild (and wildly uneven) ride of dark truths and eerie tricks on a private island getaway.
• Channing Tatum’s performance and the way Kravitz films him mesmerizes while the ensemble cast is brimming with brilliance.
• Blink Twice
  ultimately runs out of steam and makes some odd decisions that seem incongruous with the rules it establishes, but it’s still a lavish, clever film.

Be careful out there, even if you think you’re “having a good time.” If a tech billionaire swoops in and wants to whisk you away to his private island on a whim, maybe think twice — Blink Twice? — even if your pal is along for the ride for moral support. If this concept sounds familiar in terms of narrative cinema, then so be it. But in her first feature film as a director and writer (with E.T. Feigenbaum from her series, High Fidelity),acclaimed actress Zoë Kravitz takes these familiar tropes and makes something flashy and trippy.

It helps that Kravitz has got a wildly talented cast at her disposal to flesh out Blink Twice, even if said cast doesn’t include herself. Yes, she’s solely behind the camera for this one, and shows clear promise in the position. Blink Twice does, however, include her real-life fiancé Channing Tatum, who’s been busy on the big screen of late and is simply soaking up this juicy new character named Slater. And a real-life Slater — Christian Slater, that is — is also along for the ride, playing his wealthy pal in a story that takes us to an outrageously luxurious getaway and has a certain number of eerie tricks up its sleeve.

Seeing Tatum go to very dark places is perhaps engrossing enough to fill the respective seats this weekend, even when Blink Twice‘s twists go a bit off the rails in the outrageous second and third acts. If nothing else, Kravitz’s directorial effort will certainly provoke some conversations, and reveals her stylish eye.

Channing Tatum’s Flirty and Dirty Vacation

Naomi Ackie plays Frida, the film’s damsel in distress who indeed needs to “blink twice” if she’s in danger. Or at least, that’s the joke Slater’s therapist, Rich (Fallout star Kyle MacLachlan), makes to her after they all meet at Slater’s latest gala, where Frida happens to be working as a caterer in the film’s first act. Ackie once evoked a similar, bright-eyed charm as the one and only Whitney Houston in the underwhelming film I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but strikes more of a nerve here thanks to Kravitz’s confident, skilled direction and her script with co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum.

Thanks to the urging of roommate and fellow caterer pal Jess (Search Party and Arrested Development standout Alia Shawkat), the two of them are soon off jet-setting to a private island after Frida rubs Slater the right way during the gala. Wait, isn’t she merely a server among Slater and his fellow billionaires? No matter. Slater’s arresting eyes can’t seem to look away from her, and now he insists she join him for a vacay alongside his colorful entourage.

In addition to MacLachlan’s Rich and pal Vic (Christian Slater), there’s Slater’s snobby chef buddy Cody (Red Rocket star Simon Rex), party animal Tom (Haley Joel Osment, having a grand ol’ time), anxiety-stricken publicist Stacy (Geena Davis, hell yeah!) and others. Plus, there are women besides Frida and Jess aboard the private jet, including the seemingly stuck-up Sarah (Hit Man stunner Adria Arjona), who sees the pack of fresh faces as a sort of competition as to who can best win over the billionaire Slater.

In fact, sexual tension and the inherent power struggle therein becomes a prominent aspect of the film’s narrative and themes. (Is the title a playful critique of the sexism in Bob Dylan’s brilliant song, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right?”) It’s not long before Frida is watching — with wanting eyes — YouTube videos of Slater on some sort of apology tour for his past missteps, but that doesn’t stop the single ladies from shying away from all that he and his absurdly lavish and remote digs have to offer.

Forgive but Don’t Forget This Bleak and Topical Satire

But as the Blink Twice promotional campaign suggests, things start to feel like Ari Aster’s Midsommar once Frida and Jess’ trip goes on with seemingly no expiration date. As the days pass, the creepy on-site staff start to act stranger and stranger. The film benefits from satirical and bleak humor surrounding the offensively rich guests on their island and how stuck-up & party-hard they all seem, particularly heart-shaped sunglasses-wearing bros like Tom and his infinite playlist of party jams.

Love those shades. There are other fun props and symbols throughout the story that will ultimately carry significant thematic weight, such as Jess’ cigarette lighter that everyone passes around that cleverly, indirectly, brings about some jaw-dropping truths as the second and third acts come about. Things get uncomfortable as the vacation begins to revolve around the notion of “forgive and forget,” and if Slater can’t get you to forgive, maybe he has billion-dollar ideas to help pull off the latter…

Blink Twice & Stop Making Sense

Unfortunately, that latter half of the story falters a bit, as this strangely sadistic arrangement establishes a set of rules that seems to fluctuate unevenly to conveniently mold the story. It’s a similar effect to the hit film A Quiet Place, for anyone who had complaints about certain inconsistencies in the logic and ‘ground rules’ of that film’s world. Similarly, you may be left scratching your head as to how the antagonist(s) pulled off certain tricks but was completely unable to finagle others.

One could argue these minute details are small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. It’s mostly a wild ride that showcases the performance ranges of Tatum, Ackie, Shawkat, and Arjona foremost. The supporting players, particularly the reliably hysterical Rex, also help fuel the darkly comedic fire of rich grownup kids perpetually complaining about their perfect lives. And when the ladies catch on to a number of misdeeds by the end, you may find yourself jumping for joy at a certain revenge saga. It’s mostly pretty entertaining, visually lush, and with high-concept editing to match — so hats off to you, Ms. Kravitz.

From Amazon MGM Studios, Blink Twice will be released on Aug. 23 only in theaters.