Mix together Get Out, Don’t Worry Darling, The Stepford Wives, Glass Onion and The Menu and you get Blink Twice .
It’s a testament to actress Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut, and her impressive skills as a first-time filmmaker, though, that her movie still works as its own brutally balletic beast.
When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island.
But as ever stranger things start to happen, Frida begins to questions her reality – and safety.
Masculinity has rarely been this toxic on screen and Kravitz and co-writer E.T. Feigenbaum (the High Fidelity TV series) ram home the consequences of these actions to both those who participate in it and their victims.
With its initial party atmosphere and lush surroundings, Blink Twice starts out as a seemingly perfect paradise – but it’s always clear that something odd is afoot.
From Frida’s strange encounters with a maid and constant Polaroids being taken to time jumps and Tatum and his chums’ impossibly accommodating niceness, you never believe Frida and friends are out of harm’s way.
Tatum has never been this sinister and he uses his real-life and on-screen charisma and sex appeal to reel in Frida .
Ackie is fantastic as she’s pulled from emotional pillar to post and capably takes on a leadership role.
Adria Arjona’s Sarah undergoes an equally impressive transformation as secrets begin to unravel and there’s a memorable, and welcome, turn from Geena Davis (Stacy ).
Christian Slater (Vic ), Haley Joel Osment (Tom ) and Kyle MacLachlan (Rich ) all fit their plenty hiding under the surface characters perfectly.
The method behind the mystery stretches credibility but results in effective pangs of disbelief – and a very well played, satisfying ending.
Blink Twice is gripping, nail-biting and cringe-inducing – in a good way – filmmaking shot in vibrant fashion by a debut director worth keeping two eyes on going forward.
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Rachel Dunne said: “Give The Devil’s Hour on Amazon Prime a go; it’s great!”
● Blink Twice is available to buy or rent on Sky Store now.
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