Movie Review: BLINK TWICE, Starring Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie

Zoë Kravitz directorial debut is nothing short of phenomenal.

Kravitz new film, Blink Twice, channels the same vibes as Jordan Peele’s masterpiece Get Out. If you feel uncomfortable watching the film, yet enjoy it at the same time, don’t feel bad, that’s the point. In Blink Twice, Kravitz tackles gender inequality, White Privilege, #MeToo, and so much more. She is able to do this thanks to a well-written, suspenseful and juicy script which she co-wrote with E.T Feigenbaum. Oh, I can’t forget about the top-notch acting in the film.

Channing Tatum stars as Slater King, a tech billionaire, who needs to disconnect from things. King purchases his own island, which he often travels to in order to “disconnect” from the world. Is King a good guy? Is King a sleazeball? We don’t really know, as Tatum holds his cards close in playing the rich, seemingly reclusive King. In fact, Tatum owns the role. This may be the best work of Tatum’s career. For as strong as he is as Slater King, Tatum excels in his chemistry with Naomi Ackie, who plays Frida, a cocktail waitress who seems to have an interest in King. The chemistry between the two is undeniable. Both Tatum and Ackie should be up for consideration come award season, they really are that good in the film.

Frida draws King’s attention at a party, where the billionaire asks her and her friend Jess, played by Alia Shawkat, to travel to his island, along with several friends. Each of the friends’, while having some charming trait that makes each of them kind of likeable, also have traits that will leave the viewer being suspicious of them. From the very first scene, we know that things are not on the up and up in Blink Twice, but we just don’t know what it is that is bothering us, similar to Frida as the film wears on.

Without spoiling anything, it’s worth noting the talented cast of the film. Christian Slater, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment are all associates of King. Each of them has no problems living his lavish lifestyle, and each of them ooze sleaziness in one way or another. Geena Davis plays King’s assistant. Each man brings a date along to the island, most notably Adria Arjona, who plays Sarah. Sarah is a former contestant on a Survivor-type reality show. She has kept herself in stellar shape and seems to be ready for any new challenge that awaits her.

Ackie plays Frida with perfection. Frida is not trying to alienate herself from the group, but she is obviously not rich or used to such a lavish lifestyle. She has, however, seemed to make a deep connection with King.

Blink Twice oozes with suspense. Kravitz does not do anything subtly. She is masterful at playing up the big moments and smaller moments of the film with slick editing choices and intricate visual and sound designs. It’s not an easy task for a director to create a suspenseful film that is filled with tense and uneasy moments, while entertaining and keeping the audience engaged. Kravitz keeps the audience on their toes for the entire 1 hour and 47-minute runtime that seems a lot shorter due to the audience being so invested in the story. She takes an ongoing gag involving a chair in King’s room and turns it into one of the more tense moments of the entire movie. It’s masterfully done.

I personally found Blink Twice to be one of the best and bravest films of the year. Kravitz doesn’t flinch when addressing the reasoning for what is taking place in the film. Along with the tremendous script, I can’t forget about the standout performances of Ackie and Tatum. They are the perfect combination. The supporting cast is also on top of their respective games. Slater, who is a rarity in motion pictures anymore, is enjoyable as a rich, sleazy, privileged prick. Is Blink Twice a horror film or a thriller? Does it really matter? I don’t care what you classify it as because once it’s over, you will just call it a great time at the cinema.

Blink Twice gets an A. See it in theaters on August 23.