Under strict orders from the studio not to reveal any spoilers (we don’t want to piss off Jeff Bezos or the ghost of Louis B. Mayer now, do we?), makes writing a review of “Blink Twice” (Amazon/MGM), Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut a bit of a challenge, but I’ll give it my all.
Like “Saltburn,” but with a feminist twist, “Blink Twice” pokes the rich (and out of touch) with a sharp stick dipped in snake venom, and not only survives, but thrives. Frida (Naomi Ackie, whose performance goes a long way in helping us forget the disastrous Whitney Houston biopic), who aspires to be a nail artist, and her roommate Jess (bi actor Alia Shawkat) get a cater-waiter gig at a gala for a foundation started by hot tech gazillionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) who is on a kind of apology tour for some major misdeed.
Quick change artists, Frida and Jess, switch out of their work attire into something slinkier and crash the party as uninvited guests. Slater zeroes in on Frida, and before you can say private jet, Frida and Jess are whisked away to his private island along with hangers-on Sarah (Adria Arjona) and her chef boyfriend Cody (Simon Rex), as well as Vic (Christian Slater), Tom (Haley Joel Osment), young Lucas (Levon Hawke), and party girls Heather (Trew Mullen) and Camilla (Liz Caribel). Also on the jet are Slater’s ditzy assistant Stacy (Geena Davis), his therapist Rich (Kyle McLachlan, who utters the old adage, “blink twice if you’re in trouble,” early in the movie), and security man Stan (Cris Costa).
In addition to divinely decadent meals, there are fat blunts, endless bottles of alcoholic beverages, various vapes, and dancing to vintage disco music (Candi Staton, Rufus with Chaka Khan). There is an attentive staff catering to the guests’ needs, including an expert snake-killing housekeeper (María Elena Olivares) who for some bizarre reason acts as if she knows Frida, and insists on calling her Red Rabbit.
Before long, the fun begins to fade. Without their phones (which were taken from the guests upon their arrival), they lose track of time. At first, they don’t mind, but weird things start happening, beginning Jess’s sudden disappearance following getting bitten by one of the snakes. Frida takes it upon herself to do some snooping, and what she discovers is far more shocking than most of us could ever imagine.
With a theme of repressed memories, forgiving, and forgetting, “Blink Twice” takes the audience to some very dark places. As the body count mounts, a pair of heroes emerge from the flames, and the surprising finale is one you won’t soon forget.
Rating: B+
