On the surface, this sci-fi mystery seems like another urban crime drama, but what bubbles underneath will shock and delight fans.

After Fontaine (John Boyega, Star Wars Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Attack the Block ), a drug dealer in the fictitious city of Glen, robs and runs over a rival dealer, retaliation is inevitable. But before payback comes to fruition, Fontaine stops at a motel to collect money from Slick Charles, a pimp more interested in drinking and partying than worrying about paying off his debts. Slick is played charismatically and entertainingly by Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-winner, and one of the film’s producers, multi-layered portrayal of this particular pimp perfectly balances the debonair and boisterous tough guy.

Fontaine (Boyega) is subsequently shot by the head rival drug dealer (Isaac J. Alphonse Nicholson, Just Mercy, P-Valley) outside the motel parking lot. But comes back to life and briefly encounters a version of his injured, bullet-laden self on the street. When he knocks on Slick’s door at the motel again, the pimp is dumbfounded. Fontaine doesn’t realize he’s already been there.

Slick enlists his reliable escort, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris, Wandavision, If Beale Street Could Talk), to help Fontaine figure out what’s happening. The on-screen dynamic between Slick and Yo-Yo is enjoyable to watch; his pimp hand is weak, and she knows it but still has to oblige and pay him for her work while poking fun at his detective skills.

The unusual trio forms a bond as they discover a secret elevator behind the refreshments from the local convenient store to a lab where there are a variety of human-like Back clones housed in life-size capsules, overseen by white scientists. After Fontaine finds his clone on a stretcher, he replays a series of repetitive events in his head that he can’t explain, similar to Bill Murray’s character Phil in Groundhog Day, but way less light-hearted and more sinister.

John Boyega, the British-Nigerian actor who rose to stardom with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, is scarily good in They Cloned Tyrone as the hardened and stoic Fontaine. The soundtrack deserves mention as well. Classic 70s and 90s tunes permeate the film giving it a slick urban film noir feel. Director and co-writer Juel Taylor (Creed II, Space Jam: A New Legacy) paints a gritty world of a community in disarray with limited options — that seems to exist and is designed with these characteristics by the government. Other notable characters making a splash: David Alan Grier as the charlatan preacher and Keifer Sutherland (Nixon) as the ruthless government messenger to keep the clones in check.

They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix. Click here to watch and learn more!

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