Shadows on the Wall | They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone

dir Juel Taylor
scr Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor
prd Charles D King, Stephen "Dr" Love, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner
with John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, Kiefer Sutherland, David Alan Grier, J Alphonse Nicholson, Tamberla Perry, Eric Robinson Jr, Trayce Malachi, Shariff Earp, Leon Lamar, Joshua Mikel
release US/UK 21.Jul.23
23/US 2h03

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In-your-face attitude fuels this comical thriller, which is also a retro-style satire of pulpy blaxploitation mysteries. Funky and fantastical, this is a busy, fast-talking movie that charges through an increasingly unhinged narrative then turns unexpectedly introspective. While it's made to a high standard, the storytelling is more than a little chaotic. But the central themes are urgent and pungent, and moments of insight stop us in our tracks.

After local drug dealer Tyrone (Boyega) is shot by rival thug Isaac (Nicholson), he's unnerved to wake up unharmed the next morning. And the pimp Slick Charles (Foxx) is even more rattled Tyrone shows up, still looking to settle his considerable debts. Wanting to work out what's going on, Tyrone teams up with Charles and his feisty employee Yo-Yo (Parris). And as they nose around, they stumble into a secret underground complex full of scientists. Apparently, the government is running mind-control experiments on their Black neighbourhood, and it's up to this trio to stop them.

Set in the present day, the film is populated by people dressed as colourful movie cliches driving the biggest 1970s cars imaginable through neon-lit, rain-slicked streets. Mind-control agents are administered through things like hair straightener, crispy fried chicken and communion grape juice, and they're also cloning everyone for some reason. But knowing that he's a copy without free will only makes Tyrone more determined than ever to be himself.

Performances are so broad that it's tricky to get a grip on the characters. These three oddball detectives make an enjoyably live-wire team, merrily stealing scenes from each other with goofy riffs and snarky outbursts. Then it gets more interesting as Boyega plays Tyrone's battle for his own identity and personal freedom. And Foxx and Parris also dig surprisingly deep into their more cartoonish personas as they plot an elaborate caper.

Even as it leans into its sci-fi premise, the film knowingly comments on how the system counts on us taking our autonomy for granted and accepting the status quo. But as Sutherland's mystery man notes, we are actually owned, and we have no power in a culture that tells us what to want, buy and crave, and who to get along with. The script is also a powerful reminder that each of us have dreams about who we are and where we are headed. The question is whether we can break out of the trap we're in and live.

themes, language. violence 16.Jul.23

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