Blink Twice, directed by Zoe (The Batman) Kravitz, who coscripted with E.T. (High Fidelity) Feigenbaum, references the heinous practices of Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, Jeffrey Epstein, et al: cultivated blowhards who've used their clout to lure and abuse women. That the movie rises from these men's sordid legacies is what makes it so distressing. For added chill, it's also one of those effectual, it-could-happen-to-you-type, terror tales.
Channing (Deadpool & Wolverine) Tatum plays Slater King, a billionaire who's done something off-kilter, though the precise thing is never identified, beyond that he's apologized for it. After a fund-raising gala, King decides to head off to his private island with some guys and several giddy but unsuspecting women.
One of the invitees is Naomie Ackie's Frida. Though Frida enjoys King's festivities, her companion, Alia Shawkat's Jess, inadvertently sees through to pretext, wherein the women are there to be drugged and violated. When Jess disappears, Frida wises up, enough to recall having visited the island before, but is this recollection merely imagined? It's one of those ever-so-incredulous deals that makes one desire a "blink twice" signal to confirm the danger is, in fact, prevalent.
Well, it is, and a mysterious, flower extract (along with some strange, perfume accompaniment) puts the ladies under, with boa venom (of all unsuspecting things and coupled, no less, by an Adam-and-Eve allusion), being the revealed antidote that snaps their stupors. With increased clarity, Frida and the ladies gain greater cause to move against the enforced norm, as they feign contentment with their enslavement. From there, the furtive fight for freedom mounts toward a fierce and fiery end.
The characters (and their related scenarios) are far from Shakespearean, but they work well enough for the daunting setup, acting foolish at times but for the most part, believable in their (re)actions. As for Tatum's dashing King, he projects the kind of commanding but affable charisma that makes one understand why women flock to him, despite the blatant warnings.
In addition to Tatum, Ackie and Shawkat, the casts features Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLaughlin, Adria Arjona, Simon Rex and Levon Hawke: a nice balance of fresh and seasoned stars.
In the end, Blink Twice is about taking a stand against a great wrong. Too many people turn a blind eye to egregious deeds, until they, themselves, are affected. This fact allows Blink Twice to resonate within a too-casual climate where way too many cultured creeps get off scot-free by claiming hardship and behavioral instability. On this basis, the movie presents a sound, wake-up call, and despite its overbearing, feminist ending and its penultimate, bigoted, male bashing, it concludes as an interesting and unique thriller.
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