Rage simmers beneath the surface of “Blink Twice” (R, 102 minutes, in theaters).
Then it rises, leading to an explosion of fury.
It all begins when cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie), dolled up with her coworker/pal Jess (Alia Shawkat) in order to appear as guests, meets high-tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) at a swank party. Romantic sparks fly, and Slater, about to fly off immediately to his private island with a select group of revelers, asks Frida and Jess to join them.
Channing Tatum plays billionaire party animal Slater King in “Blink Twice.” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Thrilled by their good luck, the two friends join the group, which includes seven other guests (Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, Simon Rex, Haley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke, Liz Caribel and Trew Mullen), along with Slater’s assistant (Geena Davis) and bodyguard (Cris Costa).
Slater has a scandalous past. Zoe Kravitz, making her directorial debut (she also co-wrote the screenplay), skips the details; we only know that Slater’s reputation appears to have been irrevocably tarnished, though he’s publicly apologized and vowed to change through philanthropy and by isolating himself on the island to “stop and smell the roses.” He says he’s “trying to do better.”
Doing better apparently includes hanging out by the pool, eating gourmet meals, drinking champagne and tripping out on hallucinogens with his guests.
Frida minds none of this; she’s having the time of her life.
That is, until things take a dark turn.
Naomi Ackie, left, and Alia Shawkat appear in a scene from “Blink Twice.” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Speaking of dark, Kravitz does an excellent job of keeping us in the dark about what’s going on as the suspense amps up. Rest assured, the mystery is revealed, and with a satisfying payoff. Kravitz also gets the most out of her ensemble cast, with Ackie, star of “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody”; Tatum; and Arjona (“Hit Man”), who plays an edgy veteran competitor of a “Survivor”-type TV show, standing out.
Beyond working as a gripping straight-up thriller, “Blink Twice” has something to say – though to go into specifics would tip off too much about the plot. Let’s just say the film goes beyond the obvious (the shallow/corrupt lifestyles of the rich and famous) to address other deep-seated problems with humanity. It considers the question “Forgive or forget?” in an imaginative, provocative way that will stick with you.
The longer you think about “Blink Twice,” the better it gets. ***½ (out of four)
Tim Miller
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or follow him onTwitter @TimMillerCritic. Or you can ignore him completely.
