When it comes to the scariest movies of all time, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho finds a place on almost every list. In addition, people who have been following his works closely will tell you that he called this film about a murdering slasher a comedy. James Whale said the same thing about Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. We can assume that Juel Taylor, director of the new Netflix film They Cloned Tyrone, is aware of these feelings. This is his third feature, which has both sci-fi horror and comedy features making him one of the filmmakers to watch in terms of career trajectory and output.
Fontaine (played by John Boyega) is mourning his young son who was killed in a gang shooting at the beginning of They Cloned Tyrone. Fontaine lives dangerously indeed as he sells drugs to sex workers and pimps including Slick (Jamie Foxx), his best pal turned foe. One night they argue over money and end up with Fontaine dying inside his Chevrolet convertible. So imagine Slick’s surprise when Fontaine shows up again next morning asking for money as if nothing had happened!
In order for Slick to accept that Fontaine is really not dead anymore, they must declare truce between them and team up with Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris). The trio decides to investigate one house nearby assuming there could be some connection concerning Fontaine’s revival process. Inside, however, they come across secret corridors leading down into an underground laboratory housing an evil plot with wide-ranging consequences.
They Cloned Tyrone also has plenty of twists and several great supporting turns from well-known actors. David Alan Grier and Kiefer Sutherland both appear in it although their roles cannot be talked about here without giving away important portions of these stories. To put it simply, like Jordan Peele at his most brilliant this movie walks a tightrope between screwball farce and allegory.
Yo-Yo is the best invention in the film; she’s a perfect example of this fusion. For all her seeming bad choices, Yo-Yo as depicted by Parris defies that stereotypical image of a prostitute: while Slick is lecturing about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, there she is explaining it back to him. At one point in the narrative, her fascination with Nancy Drew prompts her to uncover what turns out to be an extensive conspiracy of which Fontaine’s miraculous return only forms a small part.
To accomplish this, Taylor along with Tony Rettenmaier, his co-writer also have Parris deliver long, rapid-fire speeches reminiscent of Howard Hawks’ style in lengthy single takes. By employing such techniques (often accompanied by intricate physical business), Yo-Yo becomes not only the character who has most agency but also the most enjoyable to watch.
They Cloned Tyrone’s stylistic elements align themselves with both its genre and tone, particularly through the character Yo-Yo’s aesthetics as well as production design. Although set in today’s world, Taylor and his production designer Franco-Giacomo Carbone have filled their screen with 70s throwbacks: leading characters drive oversized automobiles from that decade; rooms are decorated using colors associated with 70s themes like yellow, brown, or green; they don costumes resembling those found in blaxploitation flicks. In particular Foxx parades around wearing a double-breasted trench coat similar to what Melvin Van Peebles wore in Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song – another movie mixing conspiracy and violence with tongue-in-cheek humor.
However, Taylor has gone one step further by using a post-production overlay that makes the picture look grainy like it is a Grindhouse movie and even includes the cigarette burns which used to be present on film reels. As the film was intended for a direct-to-Netflix release, these are probably just signs of quality rather than any practical use. The result is an enjoyable watch; it’s a film about films with its own storyline at the same time.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy may have transformed John Boyega into a recognizable name but it did not make him an A-Lister. For instance, The Force Awakens placed him in the role of a “nothing” character—no past, no objectives, and no purpose in the story arc. Boyega himself has publicly expressed his disappointment over this matter arguing that he was only meant to increase diversity numbers for Disney as opposed to creating a compelling character. However, since then he has done little more than act out different roles under his own name.
We are glad They Cloned Tyrone is able to give Boyega such strong material and he grabs hold of it. He gives this decisive representation of similar theme in cinema play itself out. For every laugh Parris and Foxx get thanks to director Taylor, Boyega adds a touch of sadness to Fontaine that goes beyond mere loss of his child. It’s not that simple for him because Fontaine acknowledges his participation in impoverishment and crime but cannot extricate himself from them if he wanted. Also, through such serious portrayals as Fontaine’s role does Boyega succeed in keeping up with the rest of the movie crew? This results in some chilling scenes throughout the film and more disturbing climax.
They Cloned Tyrone takes its ideas from urban legends that circulated during 1990s along with other conspiracy theories involving corporations run by mad scientists practicing replacement theory popularized as political zeitgeist at that time. While Taylor does play some of these scenes for laughs, even then, given the current cultural moment’s conspiracy theories that are going around, there is something ominous about them.
Conspiracies du jour go far beyond rumors about hair salons and fast food chains and they do not discriminate based on race, age or sex. This may be why the movie works so well as although his story involves African-Americans, any villain could have executed the evil acts at the heart of They Cloned Tyrone to suppress any community. Change the characters’ background and erase all 1970s references and this film might as well be any dog whistle conspiracy peddled by Fox News.
A filmmaker needs to be very courageous in order to bring together a variety of tones like what occurs in They Cloned Tyrone; hence Juel Taylor establishes himself here as an audacious and promising artist. Just as Peter Bogdanovich, Quentin Tarantino or Alfonso Cuaron evolved their own style from a passion for cult and classic cinema, Taylor has similarly made his own tribute to days gone by while offering social commentary on present issues. And this is something that holds great promise for him in future if you consider his camera work.
Watch free movies on Fmovies
