TL;DR – A weird and fascinating film, full of style and an ending that does not hold back.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

They Cloned Tyrone Review –

Blaxploitation films are a genre I am familiar with but not nearly as versed with as I should be. It is a world, a vibe, a style of filmmaking, and a world that I need to know more about. There is no better time than the present; if it stars one of the current generation’s best actors, that is just gravy.

So to set the scene, Fontaine (John Boyega) runs a drug empire in the local neighbourhood, but one constantly under threat by people moving into his territory. It is a dangerous world, and one day as he tries to get money owed to him by Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), danger catches up to him as he gets gunned down in his car. Fontaine is dead, dead-dead, making it all the more interesting when he wakes up in bed the next day.  

This film has a curtain surreal nature that takes immense skill to build. It starts with this world being deeply inconsistent with time and place. It could be the 1970s, the 2000s, or today. Cathode-ray TVs, Cadillacs, and blockchains combine. Even the location the film is set is left deeply ambiguous. The Glen could be anywhere in Suburban Eastern USA. Even the licence plates can’t help you with it just being ‘A swell place”. The last work I saw that nailed this dislocation was Sex Education, so seeing it used differently here was fascinating. This, along with the rest of the production with the costumes, and a fantastic score full of muted brass and moody electronics, creates the vibe you need.

One thing is clear, They Cloned Tyrone would not work if the cast did not throw themselves into their roles. There are moments when Fontaine, Slick Charles, and Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) are conversing, and it is like three freight trains crashing into each other with the intensity they bring to the scene. John Boyega must work through some very difficult emotional states and still feel his performance rooted in reality. He gives an award-winning performance here as you feel those words land with emotional weight. Jamie Foxx makes a great counterpoint bringing a very different energy to the role that you need the texture to this world. I was also here for everything that Teyonah Parris did because it was fire.

I love me a good mystery, and They Cloned Tyrone delivered. Waking up alive after you were gunned down, with no memory of your death, is one hell of a hook to discover what is happening. It 100% is some Nancy Drew-level stuff. It was fascinating watching it all unfold as each new domino fell. There is a control to the situation that makes every turn fascinating as you try to unpack the odd Science Fiction world they find themselves in. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it goes to some very uncomfortable places, and they did not shy away from it at all.

In the end, do we recommend They Cloned Tyrone? Yes, yes, we would. It is an odd film at times, always compelling, filled with fascinating set-piece moments and some stellar performances. If you liked They Cloned Tyrone, we would recommend to you Da 5 Bloods.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of They Cloned Tyrone
Directed by – Juel Taylor
Written by – Tony Rettenmaier & Juel Taylor
Music by – Desmond Murray & Pierre Charles
Cinematography by – Ken Seng
Edited by – Saira Haider
Production/Distribution Companies – MACRO Media & Netflix
Starring – John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Tamberla Perry, Eric Robinson Jr. & Kiefer Sutherland with Trayce Malachi, Shariff Earp, Leon Lamar, Joshua Mikel, Ryan Dinning, Swift Rice & Charity Jordan
Rating – Australia: MA15+;