Blink Twice (2024)

​"Blink Twice" stars Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis, and Alia Shawkat.  Released on August 23, 2024, the film has a waitress experiencing terrifying events at a tech mogul's private island.

The film featured the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz.  While we're close to the end of summer, that doesn't mean there's no time for a last-minute vacation.  What better way to attend this memorable late holiday than on a luxurious island filled with drinks, fun, and women in bikinis?  But, of course, like many other trips, there's a good chance anything that can go wrong on the island will go wrong.  This serves as the basis for this latest psychological thriller, whose marketing is as mysterious and seemingly frightening as its plot.  But Channing Tatum is hosting this surreal party, so that's more than enough for me to attend.  Does it deliver a party worth remembering, or are we better off spending the last summer days getting drinks at the bar?  Let's find out.   

The story follows Frida (Ackie), a cocktail waitress and nail artist.  While working at a fundraising gala, Frida meets its suave host, a tech billionaire named Slater King (Tatum), sparking an enticing friendship.  King then invites Frida to join him and his friends on a paradise-filled party on his private island.  Frida and the other guests are having the time of their lives, but this so-called "paradise" suddenly becomes a nightmare when strange events occur around them.  As the secrets involving Slater and his island unravel around her, Frida attempts to solve this puzzling mystery and escape the party alive.

This might be one of the rare occasions when I eagerly anticipated a movie without watching any trailers.  I read the synopsis and saw the cast lineup consisting of Tatum, Ackie, and Osment, and I was immediately hooked.  Plus, it has gotten some solid reviews recently, which further heightened my intrigue in bizarre mysteries.  However, those aren't the only reasons for my interest in "Blink Twice".  This is another occasion where an actor attempts to establish themselves within the realm of directing, with Kravitz taking charge in the director's chair.  It always intrigues me to see actors expressing their distinctive narrative visions of storytelling through their direction, and most of them have succeeded in delivering some compelling creative concepts.  So, it's unsurprising that Zoë Kravitz's "Blink Twice" is no exception.  The film was a bizarre yet well-executed thriller whose commentary and entertainment values compensate for its lack of impact regarding its shock value.

The only element that immediately caught my attention from "Blink Twice" was that it had a trigger warning that played before the film, primarily because of its sexual content.  There's nothing wrong with giving audiences a heads-up on what to expect from a film.  However, the problem with this is that there had been other movies with similar topics that might be way worse than "Blink Twice", and I don't remember seeing any trigger warnings showing before them.  I understand that the filmmakers tried to be considerate toward sensitive viewers, but I don't think this warning was necessary.  While there were some questionable moments involving sexual harassment, they were not shocking or provocative enough to warrant such a caution.

Besides that, however, "Blink Twice" was a solid kinetic thriller that also functions as a tale of power and toxic masculinity.  The depiction of sexual assault, while not personally shocking, effectively underscored the peril of individuals exploiting their authority to subjugate their victims.  While the screenplay was pretty constrained in its themes and surprises, it delivered plenty of merits in its dysfunctional characters and simplicity to make its familiar narrative elements as alluring as Tatum's facial beard.  I would also credit Kravitz for her impressive sense of direction.  With the film being strange and unsettling, Kravitz allowed herself to fully embrace this mood in her presentation.  With the film's sharp editing style and sound design, Kravitz provided a restrained yet lively and vibrant outlook of a party gone wrong.  It worked well for its pacing and charisma and created an engaging build-up that gleefully descends into violent madness.

As mentioned earlier, the cast was one of the reasons for my curiosity about the film.  Unsurprisingly, they didn't disappoint in delivering charismatic performances that match the film's atmospheric paradise.  Naomi Ackie delivered a compelling performance as Frida, effectively portraying her character as a frightened and vulnerable yet resolute figure whose hope for freedom isn't without a price.  Channing Tatum is usually known for playing magnetic and likable characters in his filmography, adding to his popularity in the movie industry.  While Tatum's performance as Slater King retains the actor's trademark charm, it also allowed the actor to unleash the deranged side of this seemingly likable billionaire.  The result is another eye-opening performance worthy of continuing Tatum's recent cinematic streak.

Overall, "Blink Twice" is a nightmarish and consistently entertaining paradise whose talents compensate for its middling surprises.  Its content and storytelling may not be uncomfortably disturbing enough to warrant a trigger warning.  But, besides that, it's a suitably crafted and kinetic thriller that's as insane as its unhinged host.  Ackie and Tatum delivered enticing performances along with the remaining cast, and Kravitz's frenetic presentation and editing were riveting enough to showcase her potential as a filmmaker.  Those seeking original content during the final days of summer would indeed have a good time with this film.

B-