They Cloned Tyrone: The Heart Of The Matter

They Cloned Tyrone follows a drug dealer, Fontaine (John Boyega) as he discovers a conspiracy growing under his town, Glen. Fontaine is accompanied by a pimp, Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) and a prostitute, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) who become embroiled in the conspiracy after they witness Fontaine’s murder the night before he mysteriously returns back to life. This science fiction narrative is diversified by its mostly African American cast, with a Jordan Peele style narrative that uses race as a focal point for the deeper themes and context surrounding the mysteries. 

The highlight of this film is the power behind the casting, with Boyega in particular, delivering a complex and compelling performance. By the end of the film, Boyega is revealed to be portraying a few different versions of his character, with each version coming through as completely different individuals. This masterful execution sells all of the mystery and action across the screen, with Boyega’s nuance in each character allowing the narrative to evolve naturally and organically. Fontaine’s character is indicative of the stereotypical lifestyle that his creator has made for him. This is made definitive by the reveal at the end, but in the larger scope, he represents everything that the stereotypical lifestyle dictates, with every aspect of his being showing the way that a large portion of society sees African Americans. This not only informs the larger discussion of the movie, but it also highlights a major injustice in our society, displaying the horrifying consequences of boiling down an entire race into specific categories based on behavior, judgment, and lifestyle. 

Teyonah Parris brings a lot of heart to this narrative in her portrayal of Yo-Yo, with the character taking form in the iconic “stripper with a heart of gold” persona. Yo-Yo has higher aspirations than the rest of the characters, which is revealed to be because she is one of the few townspeople to not be a clone. This means that her thoughts and actions are mostly all her own (except for the chemical interference from the foods and hair gel). This character represents how a life of possibilities will always be hindered by a greater force that views you as a subject rather than as an equal. Yo-Yo has an inkling to escape this world she’s grown accustomed to, which shows her ability to grow past what the US Government views her as, giving her the most agency out of any character. This was a stroke of brilliance from the writers, as the narrative doubles as a conversation about the subjugation of African Americans, but also women. In this case, the female character with the headlining role also has the most power throughout the film, which proves to be an excellent change of pace to the traditional Hollywood formula.

Rounding out the main cast is Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles, who serves as the comic relief and foil to Boyega’s Fontaine. Slick doubles as the most paranoid and also most intelligent of the bunch, as he manages to uncover many of the plots surrounding the government’s tests on the people of Glen. Slick is a prime example of subverting expectations, as his intelligence pulls the group out of many sticky situations. This is yet another example of how this film breaks stereotypes, with Slick constantly going above and beyond what a pimp would be expected to do. Slick also learns the most, with his revelation about being a clone hitting him less existentially than Fontaine. Instead, Slick takes this information and chooses to change the course of his life, this shows the individuality of people, and how everyone has their own way of viewing life regardless of their circumstances.

Ken Seng’s cinematography places a film-like grain across the entirety of the picture, helping solidify the grittier aspects of the narrative. This vintage feel helps mystify the time period in which this film is set, furthering the mystery that evolves throughout the movie by making it look ambiguous. This is furthered by the use of CRT TV’s and flip-phones while the Government is shown using futuristic technology behind the scenes. This begs the question, is the government responsible for the lack of technological progression for these characters or is the film actually set in the early 2000s?

The score and sound of this movie differ in quality depending on the scene, which is very odd considering this film was made for Netflix viewing. Films like The Batman are clearly made for theater viewing, as made evident by the wide dynamic range of the audio that just sounds awful when coming out of a TV, but a film made for Netflix should ideally be mastered for living room viewing. Instead, They Cloned Tyrone shifts between deafening bass and illegible dialogue that makes subtitles absolutely necessary. This is the only real low point for this movie, and it unfortunately distracts from the overall experience.