Written by: Zoë Kravitz & E.T. Feigenbaum
Starring: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan
Rating: [3.5/5]
Proximity to fame and money will make people do the strangest things, which includes crossing boundaries they never thought possible. Saying no runs the risk of eviction from these circles, allowing not only for a subjugation of some but appeasement of vile behavior. We know of this happening within the world of elites, which Blink Twice displays both in a comedic and terrifying manner.
While serving at a cocktail party, Frida (Naomi Ackie) has the opportunity to spend time with tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum), who invites her and her best friend to spend time with him and his crew on a private island. Eager to party with a billionaire they agree and while they have plenty of fun while on this island, things begin to take a turn for the worst in some mysterious ways.
Navigating Blink Twice and the characters we follow in Frida and Jess (Alia Shawkat), we know they somehow will represent lambs getting ready for slaughter. With all of the charm Slater King purports and displays for all to see, something sinister always sat behind those eyes and this fun time at this island would resort to something else entirely. The only question remaining is discovering what direction this film would go and how exactly it would deliver it. Zoë Kravitz, with her directorial debut certainly makes a point in the way she navigates this story and the shocking direction it takes requires some bravery and it certainly paid dividends.
As Frida begins to find some discrepancy in the way each night ends and how she wakes up, it begins to unravel something quite disturbing going on with these people on this island. A difficult realization to make when she willingly came to this private island and gave up her cellular device for this once-in-a-lifetime experience to party with this billionaire tech mogul. This unnerving presence remains and when the shocks hit, they do so in such a brutal manner that leaves the final act of this film turn into something else entirely than expected and still handled incredibly well.
Without revealing too much because revelations of this film deserve to be seen with fresh eyes and limited knowledge, the feature does allow for a look at billionaire tech moguls, the money they possess, the power they obtain, and the sycophantic following they accrue. As we meet Slater, he’s making a public comeback after going through a situation that made him unsavory in the public eye, and the way he speaks on learning from that experience as opposed to how he really feels says a lot about whom these moguls answer to. They have built a level of wealth where that list continually shrinks, but seeing him on the defensive in some aspects and brutally offensive in others really picks at something we can carry into our current circumstances and the individuals who currently hold a disproportionate amount of power. It makes casting Channing Tatum in this role all the more fascinating as a choice by Zoë Kravitz given they were dating at the time. A great choice and one that delivers in further filling out what Slater King represents as a whole.
Each character has a role to play in this feature, and in of themselves serve as a commentary on the dynamics they have with the other partiers. While these characterizations border on simple archetypes, as they relate to the women of this story, it says plenty and comes attached with an intentionality that sheds plenty of light. From someone like Cody (Simon Rex) and Vic (Christian Slater), the mask begins to slip little by little revealing this sinister plot as a whole that gets unveiled. Each of these supporting actors did a splendid job in portraying this power imbalance and violence superbly.
In all efforts to speak cryptically about a film that reveals something that creates even more talking points, Blink Twice brings plenty to think and discuss. It carries a strong tonal balance handled well by Zoë Kravitz that has its comedy and also tragic horror in displaying this experience for all of the characters involved. It shines a light on these tech moguls, the influence they have, and how those around them will do nothing but appease them to live the same lifestyle. The way it all gets turned on its head in the second half deserves its plaudits, distilling it as a project very much with recommending for others to experience.
Films with Josh 
