Blink Twice – Review | Prime Video (4/5)

BLINK TWICE is on Prime Video now and you do not want to miss out on this psychological thriller. You should know that the story is brutal but it’s also very current and important. Read our full Blink Twice movie review and watch it on Prime Video now!

BLINK TWICE is now on Prime Video, and despite how uncomfortable and violent it gets, you really should watch it. The story is as important as it is eerily current and realistic – yes, I said it and I will be getting back to the realism of it later. This is fiction, but reality has a way of being even crazier than fiction.

This is the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz and I really hope she’ll continue making movies as well as star in them. She stays behind the camera for this one but the cast is amazing, so that’s not a problem. The runtime is 1 hour and 42 minutes, and we need to get halfway through before we all know exactly what’s happening.

Continue reading our Blink Twice movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from January 21, 2025.

Small men and their power

In Blink Twice, we meet the tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) just as he has recovered rather successfully from being “canceled” (don’t they all?!). He managed to do this by apologizing via social media – again, don’t they all?! – and then “recovered” by buying his own island, where he is completely isolated.

Or, you know, where he hangs out with his pose of male friends and the women they invite to join them.

The film’s protagonist is the waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie), who dreams of a better life. She has a bit of a crush on Slater King, who is of course now a “better man”. At least officially. That’s why she ends up going when he invites her and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to come to his island.

A couple of other women join them on the island trip, which is truly a paradise. Delicious food is served and the champagne is flowing non-stop. And yet, something is wrong. Or, at the very least, off. Very off. Frida wakes up with dirt under her nails – more than once – but can’t remember what happened the night before.

When she starts to remember, she would probably rather forget. All the men seem oh-so-charming during the day. Sure, there’s the whole “boys will be boys” thing, but it’s nothing crazy, and everyone is under the influence of something all day anyway. However, the daytime is only one side of their behavior.

An important and all-too-relevant story

Without giving away spoilers (though the trailer does that as well), I have to get into aspects of the actual Blink Twice concept to truly explain why I love it. Basically, it’s all about how some people behave when they think they can get away with it.

Not all, but it seems far more than we’d expect. Also, many can be pushed (even bullied) to go along with more than they’d expect of themselves.

This is a work of fiction, and many would say that Blink Twice takes it to extremes. I strongly disagree that this is the case. Just look at the very current cases involving Diddy’s parties or the Gisèle Pelicot case from France. With those in mind, Blink Twice seems eerily relevant and highly relevant to what’s happening around us.

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Hell, you can just follow the news for the latest cases about women (and men) being exploited in various ways. The cases where several people (usually men, let’s be honest) are involved all seem to refer to the events as “playing around” or calling it “a game”.

Blink Twice may start out giving you that eerie Midsommar feeling of not knowing what’s going on. However, I promise it turns more along the lines of Antebellum (or even Get Out) and that’s much more brutal.

Watch Blink Twice on Prime Video now!

As mentioned earlier, Zoë Kravitz (The Batman) is making her directorial debut with Blink Twice. She also co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, who has previously only written on the TV series High Fidelity. However, he has a few short films in post-production, so more is on the way from him as well.

Recently, we also reviewed Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut (in October 2024), and while the two films are very different, they hit some of the same points. These are movies showing how some men behave towards women when they can get away with it. Usually by being charming first and then doing harm later.

For Blink Twice, the entire thing works so well thanks to the wonderful cast led by Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Alia Shawkat, and Adria Arjona. In addition, we see wonderful actors in smaller roles as well. From Geena Davis and Kyle MacLachlan to Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Levon Hawke, and Haley Joel Osment.

While I honestly found Blink Twice very unpleasant at times, it’s also an entertaining film with an important story. Even the ending hit the spot for me, which always helps.

Blink Twice made its streaming debut on MGM+ on November 21, 2024, and will expand its streaming release to Prime Video on January 21, 2025.

Details

Director: Zoë Kravitz
Script: Zoë Kravitz & E.T. Feigenbaum
Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat, Haley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke, Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen, Saul Williams