Billionaire tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum) has been caught out behaving inappropriately towards women. He apologises publicly, steps down as CEO of his company, undergoes therapy and retreats to his private island for a period of reflection. As he returns to society, Frida (Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress, blinded by dollar signs, throws herself at him. King invites Frida and her best friend, Jess (Alia Shawkat) along with a handful of guests to party on his island.
In her directorial debut, Zoe Kravitz, who also cowrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, shows moments of promise but in the whole, Blink Twice, is a little unsatisfying. It works best as a horror tinged thriller but less well as #metoo drama. King and his friends appear to be controlling creeps from the start, so it is initially difficult to sympathise with Frida. The one really shocking moment comes when we see a short glimpse of what is really happening on the island.
The pace picks up after that with some great gory moments, and that is for the better, even if glaring plot holes are revealed. Unfortunately, the tricksy ending could be read as a cop out, providing King with a chance to excuse his actions.
The whole cast is pretty impressive, with Tatum playing well against type. Shawkat deserved more screen time, Geena Davis reminds us of her talents as King’s PA and Adria Arjona does well with an unexpectedly complex character.
Rating: 6 out of 10