They Cloned Tyrone Review - Heavily stylized, but doesn’t lack in substance

4.5

Summary

This stylish satire mixes several genres and will likely remind you of 70s Blaxploitation movies with a touch of Tarantino thrown in for good measure.

This review of the Netflix film They Cloned Tyrone does not contain spoilers.

After premiering at the American Black Film Festival last month, followed by a brief theatrical release, Juel Taylor’s directorial debut, They Cloned Tyrone, finally made its way to Netflix. This stylish satire mixes several genres and will likely remind you of 70s Blaxploitation movies with a touch of Tarantino thrown in for good measure.

They Cloned Tyrone review and plot summary

They Cloned Tyrone is set in the Glenn, a predominantly black neighborhood somewhere and at some time in the U.S. (it could be the 90s, the early 00s, or it could be the 2020s). Local drug dealer Fountaine (played by John Boyega) is just trying to get through his day filled with illegal activities.

He goes to the local convenience store, buys a scratchcard, makes his mom a sandwich, runs over the competition, and bursts into a pimp’s motel room to collect what he’s owed. And then he gets shot several times and dies.

The next day, Fountaine wakes up again in his bed and goes through his usual routine. This time, however, he notices a neighborhood resident being scooped up by a mysterious Jeep.

Back at the local pimp’s motel, a shocked Slick Charles (played by Jamie Foxx) informs Fontaine of his supposed deceased status. The two seek out sex worker and Nancy Drew fan Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), who confirms she heard the shots that supposedly ended Fontaine’s life the night before.

Within the first ten minutes, the film tells us exactly what we need to know about our three leads, their relationships, and the world they live in.

Confused about the goings-on in the neighborhood, the three unlikely heroes go to investigate. What they find is a government conspiracy involving fried chicken mind control, underground laboratories, and white men with Afro-textured hair. As a bonus, we get 24’s Kiefer Sutherland as one of the villains.

This film perfectly blends various genres like sci-fi, comedy, and thriller, while producing an engaging and entertaining movie. The social satire aspect is done masterfully and the symbolism used makes a second, maybe a third, viewing almost compulsory.

But the heart of this feature is in its three leads and the amazing chemistry between them. Boyega carries his role as the brooding drug dealer turned hero, while Foxx’s delivery of witty one-liners to break the tension is excellent. Parris is the glue keeping the trio together as she delivers her lines with spicy hilarity and vulnerability.

This is a heavily stylized movie, but it doesn’t lack substance. These characters are not just walking stereotypes, they’re written as complex human beings, making it hard not to care about their fates.