By George & Josh Bate
Imagine receiving a spur-of-the-moment invitation to go to a billionaire tech mogul’s private island. Would you say yes? The vast majority of people probably would, taking this once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy luxury side-by-side with one of the world’s richest men. The allure of such a proposition though is quite startling in the way in which it makes us overlook some worrying warning signs. In a post-Epstein world, would it really be a good idea to blindly travel to a billionaire’s private island? Well, that decision, one in which warning signs are ignored judgment is suspended in favor of taking a once in a lifetime opportunity, is one that lays at the heart of Blink Twice, the feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz.
Also co-written by Kravitz, Blink Twice follows a down on her luck waitress named Frida (played by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s Naomie Ackie). Alongside her friend Jess (played by Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat), Frida works a big event attended by tech billionaire Slater King (played by Magic Mike’s Channing Tatum). Frida quickly becomes infatuated with King and, before she knows it, receives an invitation to King’s private island. Frida and her friend Jess jump at the opportunity to spend time with the mega wealthy King and his similarly rich friends, at first enjoying the luxury life and exciting parties offered on the island. Eventually, however, Frida begins to sense that something isn’t quite right about King and the island. Her suspicions lead her down a troubling path, full of disturbing and startling revelations.
With starring roles in the acclaimed HBO drama series Big Little Lies and Matt Reeves’ superhero crime epic The Batman, Zoë Kravitz has impressed in front of the camera in recent years, but, with Blink Twice, steps behind the camera for her first effort at directing. Without knowing beforehand that this marks Kravitz’ first directorial effort though, one would never know in watching the film. Blink Twice is a polished, masterfully-crafted psychological thriller that appears to be the work of a seasoned, confident veteran. Every frame, including a rather abstract first image accompanied with some seriously ominous music, has a purpose and plays a part in collectively telling this mind-bending story.
Aided by cinematography from Adam Newport-Berra, who has previously shot episodes of Euphoria and The Bear, Kravitz constructs a visually stunning film that matches the marvels of the stunning location in which it was filmed. In the midst of various aesthetically bland and rather lifeless blockbusters, Blink Twice is a refreshing palate cleanser: a movie that actually feels like a genuine movie.
The audience follows the film’s events from the perspective of Frida, the down-on-her-luck cocktail waitress who has made the impulsive (and admittedly understandable) decision to accompany a billionaire to his private island. Alongside her friend Jess, Frida is a newcomer to this group of friends and, like the audience, is initially unaware of all the members’ personalities and relationships with one another. It’s a situation many of us have been in – joining an established friend group as an outsider – and one that actress Naomi Ackie plays perfectly. Ackie, whose previous work includes playing Jannah in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Whitney Houston in the biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, nails the apprehension and excitement that would come with the opportunity to go to a billionaire’s private island. Surrounded by wealthy and somewhat off-putting characters, Ackie’s Frida is immediately likable and relatable, which makes the reveals later in the film all the more poignant.
The billionaire, meanwhile, is played by Channing Tatum. The Magic Mike actor, who recently lived out a long-held dream to play the X-Men superhero Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, is integral to Blink Twice from the very moment he enters the frame for the first time. Tatum often receives attention for his performances in more comedic roles like 21 Jump Street and Logan Lucky, but the actor has underappreciated range and depth in dramatic roles, as seen in the likes of Foxcatcher and The Hateful Eight. Tatum brings a natural charisma to the role as billionaire Slater King, which is so important in making Frida’s decision to come and stay on the island feel so believable. As Frida gets used to the parties and luxuriousness of the island, Tatum’s King is the perfect example of charming and chivalrous. But, underlying that, there is some intangible, off-putting quality. Tatum portrays these different sides to the character so subtly and ends up delivering his best performance in years here.
Although Ackie and Tatum impress, the real scene-stealer of Blink Twice is Adria Arjona. Coming off a similarly captivating performance in the Netflix action-comedy Hit Man, Arjona takes on the role of Sarah here, one of the members of Slater King’s friend group that accompany him to his island. Arjona largely hovers in the background of the film’s first half, but suddenly takes on a more prominent role, ultimately becoming somewhat of a surprise co-lead with Ackie. Between her work as Bix in the Star Wars series Andor, her turn in the aforementioned Hit Man, and now Sarah in Blink Twice, Arjona is on an incredible run of roles and is most certainly an actress to keep your eye out for.
Narratively, Blink Twice is unafraid to take its time getting to its reveals and living up to its billing as a psychological thriller film. Much of the movie is spent showing Frida, King, and company drink, use drugs, and dance while having the time of their life living in total luxury. In less capable hands, these scenes could easily grow tiresome and make the audience eager for a quicker narrative shift into darker territory, but that isn’t the case here. Kravitz manages to infuse all of these seemingly innocuous scenes with an ominous sense of dread. Eventually, this dread comes to reality, but, until then, Blink Twice still engages as the sort of psychological thriller where you’re just waiting for something to go wrong.
Until then, the set-up very much takes a page out of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None in taking a group of people and placing them in a contained island setting where something is clearly afoot. Blink Twice is not a murder mystery though, although it certainly has elements of a mystery film. Best characterized as a psychological thriller, the film eventually dips its toe into full-blown horror territory when certain secrets of the island come to life. Many similar films fall apart when such details are finally revealed, but that is not the case here. The twists and reveals in Blink Twice are all coherent and make sense, rather than perplex and frustrate.
Unfortunately, Blink Twice doesn’t land its ending. After a dramatic and intense final act, the film concludes on a disappointing note. It’s all a little too clever for its own good, and takes the twists/reveals a step too far. Until that point, the film manages to stay within the realm of realism, although that falls apart with an unfittingly poor ending.
VERDICT: 8/10
Marking the feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice is an extremely well-made, polished, slow-burn psychological thriller. The premise of a person accepting an invitation to visit a billionaire’s private island hooks from the very beginning and sets a story in motion that unsettles, rather than downright scares. Naomi Ackie leads the film with genuine likability and relatability, while Channing Tatum delivers his best performance in years as the billionaire tech mogul Slater King. The real standout here though is Adria Arjona, who steps into a surprisingly prominent role in the film’s second half that continues to emphasize why she is one of the industry’s most compelling emerging actors. Ominous and unnerving, Blink Twice subverts issues that similar psychological thrillers have with well-executed and coherent twists/reveals. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for an ending, which disappoints in being a little too clever for its own good. Nonetheless, Blink Twice marks a confident, refined debut from director Kravitz, one that shows you maybe should think twice before accepting that private island invitation from a billionaire.