Early in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, we are introduced to Slater King (Channing Tatum), a tech billionaire, via a television interview where he apologizes for an undisclosed offense. However, the unsaid transgression is no mystery. The setting—an influential, rich white guy in a confessional interview lamenting his behavior and promising to do better—is a familiar enough scenario that we can assume he weaponized his power in some egregious manner.
Slater hosts a gala where catering waitresses and best friends, Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat), are working. Halfway through, they ditch their white button downs for cocktail dresses in the hopes of schmoozing with the man of the hour. When Frida’s accidental faceplant draws his attention, the girls get exactly what they were hoping for. Spellbound by his handsome looks, status, and confidence, when he invites them to his island for a vacation full of lavish poolside partying, they jump at the chance.
Joined by his cabal of miscreants—Cody (Simon Rex), Vic (Christian Slater), and Tom (Haley Joel Osment), and their invitees, Sarah (Adria Arjona), Heather (Trew Mullen), and Camilla (Liz Caribel)—Slater boards a private jet for the supposed getaway of their dreams. With their cell phones collected by Slater’s nervous and neurotic personal assistant and sister (Geena Davis), everyone is left to revel in the indulgences the island has to offer, be it weed, bottomless champagne, or elaborate nighttime dinners. Yet as the boozy days blend together, a sneaking suspicion begins to arise that something isn’t right.
“Blink Twice” believes it has a point to make about the sinister capabilities of rich white men, but it does nothing more than call it out. The writing stops at square one. It doesn’t engage with its proposed thesis, but instead makes a chop shop of buzzwords and hot topics from #MeToo to therapy bros. When the reveal of “Blink Twice” enters via a split-second frame, the shock of the film turning on its head is not one of horrifying suspense, but rather, dejection. And as the quick frame devolves into extended sequences of brutality into a cutthroat race to the finish, the film becomes an affirmation of a tired, simple narrative toolbox being sold as unflinching feminist grit.
“Blink Twice” sucker punches the audience with its sexual violence and then fails to find intelligence or dexterity in its handling of it or any of the themes running adjacent. Even the stylistic choices, with which the film rides on, are simple. And as the film tries to balance its tone and events with humor, it only belies the success of itself further. It’s unfunny. “Blink Twice” doesn’t earn a laugh when it’s trying to be fun, nor does it elicit a chuckle when collating an act of brutality with a punchline.
Of all the film’s infractions, the impact of its sloppy logic isn’t primary, but worth noting. The laws by which Slater is able to weaponize his power are inconsistent and confounding once you dip a toe past the surface. If there’s anything to be credited here, it’s the performances from the cast. From his heartthrob origins to “21 Jump Street,” where Tatum debuted his comedic chops, “Blink Twice” shows he’s formidable at tackling darkness too, and that he can indeed be a feared presence onscreen. Ackie manages well in her starring role, with the expressiveness of her eyes locking us in, and her chemistry with Arjona’s Sarah giving us a crutch with which to limp to the film’s conclusion. Yet even with their best efforts across the board, “Blink Twice” has already failed on paper. It is homespun exploitation followed by a pretentious conclusion that smirks at the viewer, declaring prideful resolution.
Kravitz’s leap toward discomfortable should not be misinterpreted as an auteur’s valiance. If we as viewers equate the brazen with the brave, our expectations are far too low. Courageous storytelling requires thoughtful engagement and nuance. Kravitz displays neither, opting for textbook exploitation while feigning sharp wit. She wields her blade haplessly, drawing blood from the women that “Blink Twice” is supposed to (eventually) empower.
