Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum in Blink Twice. Photo / supplied
Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum in Blink Twice. Photo / supplied
Actress Zoë Kravitz turns writer-director for this solid, pacy thriller which skewers the phenomenon of famous men doing wrong and then saying sorry. The sparkling, edgy, extremely cautionary tale centres on waitress Frida (an impressive Naomi Ackie) and best mate Jess (Alia Shawkat) who accept an unexpected invitation to techbillionaire Slater King’s private island.
There, among a posse of his close friends and staff, the girls are provided with all-white outfits, endless champagne, haute cuisine and drugs.
But there’s no such thing as a free steak dinner, and soon Frida gets a sniff that all is not as sunny as it seems.
Kravitz casts movie-star boyfriend Channing Tatum as King, who’s been in the spotlight for unspecified bad #MeToo behaviour – he’s introduced in the opening credits offering an apology. Tatum is fantastic. As he gazes into Frida’s incredulous eyes while keeping a gentlemanly distance, his King turns on the charm with just the merest undercurrent of menace.
If the film and its on-the-nose messaging echoes the sociopolitical commentary and style of Don’t Worry Darling mixed with Get Out, these are points still worth making.
Sure enough, just as revenge follows extreme cruelty in female-driven thrillers, the plot devolves into an R16 gorefest of retribution, which is bound to leave the audience variously appalled, supportive or satisfied.
Rating out of five: ★★★½
Blink Twice directed by Zoë Kravitz is in cinemas now.
