Blink Twice Review: Naomi Ackie-Channing Tatum Sell an Effective and Shocking Thriller

In this psychological thriller film helmed by first-time director Zoë Kravitz, we see a story unfolding wherein Frida finds herself on the remote island of tech billionaire Slater King ready to have a fun time and forget about the worries of her life. As she grows closer to the charismatic man as well as his posse of friends, something starts to unravel around her that she is unable to put a finger on… at first. However, she soon realises that things are not all that they seem.

The film is written by Kravitz & E.T. Feigenbaum and has a runtime of 102 minutes.

Blink Twice Review

For her directorial debut, Kravitz builds sort of an uncomfortable tension in her film Blink Twice where, from the moment Frida meets Slater, we know that something is wrong with this man. Enigmatic, charming and dripping with sex appeal, Slater is the type of man women dream of partnering up with… until they hear about their corrupt ways. And something similar happens in this film, wherein things unravel slowly and then all at once, leaving viewers to feel breathless in the second half of the runtime.

As Frida and Jess move to the island on short notice to spend a few days with these rich men, in classic thriller style, the audience realises that behind the swanky exterior of it all, the matching outfits that the women wear and the very little control they have on the things happening around them is nothing short of a walking and talking red flag. The film very cleverly creates the illusion that Frida and the rest of the women have some power in their hands, with Slater telling her that she doesn’t HAVE to give up her phone if she doesn’t want to. But, really, as we get to know later on, that’s all really just a farce.

Blink Twice lulls you into a false sense of security, making us believe that all of these people are having so much fun drowning in booze and smoking one fat blunt after another. However, it’s between these lines that the real terror lies and if you look hard enough, you can see the horror that women have to face every day and why we have to constantly look over our shoulders. The nagging sense of discomfort works in Frida’s mind as well, but she pushes those thoughts away in order to live the life that she has always wanted, reminding us how desperate people can turn a blind eye to the dangers in front of them just so that they can come out of their mundane and difficult lives.

I think the film does an excellent job of building the tension and then giving us a simple explanation that scratches the itch when it comes to thrillers. Instead of keeping things too vague, it explains things but doesn’t go the overexplaining route. Thus, the moments of violence that we see don’t go into uncomfortable and exploitative territories but do the job of being impactful and horrifying still, tying everything together with a nice bow in the end. For fans looking for one, no there is no Blink Twice post credit scene. So that ending is what you get and I am here for it.

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Thanks to the fantastic performances by Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum, the film turns out to be a really engaging affair. Tatum, especially, nails the psychotic but charismatic CEO and his performance throughout the runtime is nothing short of chilling. Ackie is fantastic as well and is the heart of the film – you root for her the moment she comes on-screen because she is so genuine in portraying her character that it is hard to not love her. Her chemistry with Alia Shawkat is sweet as well and they really embody what it means to be besties. Interestingly enough, I liked her with Adria Arjona as well; they form such a solid power team that it is hard to hate her.

However, I think the movie is extremely in-your-face with its different social commentary moments and there is hardly any room for subtlety or even for viewers to interpret things in their own ways. You are shown exactly what is happening and what that means to the T, especially in the second half when things start to unravel. I also felt that the central mystery surrounding the forgetting part can be called sort of a stretch because it does get a bit much. But the concept is explained and used well enough to forgive. I think the overexplaining is also fine sometimes because not every film has to be a cerebral exercise. The film’s messaging is great and although quite evident and goes without saying, it delivers a satisfying ending that will give you a justice b*ner!

Final Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed Blink Twice. The film is hard-hitting and puts a limit on its showcase of violence, slowly intensifying the tension surrounding an insane and uncomfortable situation effectively from the first minute. With fantastic performances, this one will be a memorable watch for most thriller fans.

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