Blink Twice Review: A Jaw-Dropping Thrill Ride

When Zoë Kravitz announced that she would be making her feature directorial debut, the project was titled “Pussy Island.” She told Deadline at the time that the title was “kind of a joke at first,” but as the story co-written with E.T. Feigenbaum (“High Fidelity”) evolved, the title possessed a deeper meaning. “It alludes to this time and place we claim to not be in anymore, in terms of sexual politics,” she said. Kravitz clarified that the title was still meant to be playful, and leads with that playfulness, but that it harbors some “heavy meaning” within its letters.

Unfortunately, the title doesn’t exactly mesh with our Puritanical social rules, and putting a billboard outside the megaplex with Channing Tatum’s face and huge letters reading “PUSSY ISLAND” was likely an impossibility, so the title was changed to “Blink Twice.” Admittedly, there’s a sick part of me that misses the far more provocative name, but “Blink Twice” truly encapsulates the shocking, ambitious, and total mindf**k of a movie Kravitz has created. Pulled from the expression “blink twice if you’re in danger,” the title likewise evokes the microdosing of anxiety that comes from “blink and you’ll miss it.”

Cocktail waitresses Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat) are invited to the private island of billionaire tech mogul Slater King (Tatum), along with his entourage Vic (Christian Slater), Cody (Simon Rex), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), Lucas (Levon Hawke), Stacy (Geena Davis) and their dates Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), Heather (Trew Mullen). The first third of the film lulls the audience into complacency with repetition, unlikable snobs oozing wealth and privilege, all the while teasing the looming warning that something is wrong with this island.

The result is a genuine, jaw-dropping thrill ride, and the biggest surprise film of the year.

Naomi Ackie’s Frida serves as our guide throughout “Blink Twice,” walking a razor-thin tightrope at all times to ensure the tone is juuuust right. When the repetitive perfection of the vacation of a lifetime starts to tiptoe into exhausting territory, Ackie’s grounded relatability keeps the film on course. Shawkat once again proves that she’s the greatest “ride-or-die best friend” actor in the game, locked and loaded with necessary levity to diffuse even the most ominous moments. All of Slater King’s homies and cronies are clearly having a blast doing their best Coke-Addled Elon Musk Reply Guys, and Gambit in “Deadpool & Wolverine” was right — Whoo, Channing Tatum ’bout ta make a name for himself, ‘ere. 

Tatum has more than proven he’s capable of playing serious strong men, beefy himbos, and the best damn actor to ever wear a side cap and jeans without a shirt, but Slater King provides him with the opportunity to show off a brand new side of his talents. Ackie and Tatum very clearly needed to establish a great deal of trust for their dynamic to work, and the push-pull of their chemistry is palpable … which only makes things even more devastating to watch unfold. But the real stand out is Adria Arjona, if only because “Blink Twice” feels like the first movie to truly understand how to utilize her the way “Andor” did. When she, Ackie, and Tatum all share the screen, it’s nightmare magic in the best ways possible.

Given her history as an actor, Kravitz’s film is very much a playground for a stellar ensemble cast to shine, chewing scenery and leaning hard into the different flavors of affluent dickheads they’ve been tasked with playing. There’s certainly a playfulness to their devil-may-care hedonism. Still, Kravitz wisely front loads this paradise with unmistakable red flags planted directly in the heart of horror tropes — a haunting score by Chanda Dancy, perfectly symmetrical interior designs, groundskeepers killing snakes with their bare hands, etc. — that the main characters all ignore as not to kill the vibe.

“Blink Twice” often plays like the Tether (as in Jordan Peele’s “Us”) of Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion,” the crooked funhouse mirror reflection of a movie audiences feel like they can predict from the start, but Kravitz’s narrative voice is so strong, she’s practically screaming not to be underestimated. When “Blink Twice” revealed its true face, an uncontrollable gasp was pulled from deep within me. This isn’t just a bold creative swing, it’s a disorienting, rage-filled foot kicking down the door of expectation and commandeering all expectations.

For as dark as the story becomes, the film still has such a twisted sense of humor that feels right at home with Kravitz’s sensibilities and social commentary. The pacing might be frustrating for some, and the intensely bleak material might be too much to handle, but that’s precisely what makes “Don’t Blink” so interesting. Nothing about the film plays it safe, and it’s very clear that Kravitz refused to go anywhere other than the jugular.

/Film Rating 8 out of 10

“Blink Twice” opens in theaters on August 23, 2024.