6.6
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy lurking directly beneath their neighborhood.
John Boyega
Fontaine
Jamie Foxx
Slick Charles
Teyonah Parris
Yo-Yo
Kiefer Sutherland
Nixon
David Alan Grier
The Preacher
J. Alphonse Nicholson
Isaac
Tamberla Perry
Biddy
Eric Robinson Jr.
Big Moss
Trayce Malachi
JuneBug
Shariff Earp
Crutches
Leon Lamar
Frog
Joshua Mikel
DJ Strangelove
Ryan Dinning
Cleanroom Suit Guy
Swift Rice
The Deacon
Megan Sousa
Ree-Ree
Charity Jordan
Split Ends
Austin Freeman
Bespectacled Tech
David Shae
Chicken Manager
Jessica Fontaine
Another Prostitute
Patrick Fleming
Bored Tech #1
Nick Arapoglou
Bored Tech #2
Shinar Frazier
The John
Jason Burkey
Oversight Tech
Randy Waters
Buddy with the Phone
Al-Teron
Tank Top
Kia Shine
Dreads
Lou Young
Swole Muhfucka
Juel Taylor
The Homie
Garin Flowers
CNN Reporter
Ms. Boo
Middle Aged Lady
Danny Zartman
Goop Tech #1
Adam Cronan
Goop Tech #2
Dajanae Cole
Clone Ma'am
Elliott Dixon
Clone Sir
Alvin Ashby
Person 1 (Comm)
Raianna Brown
Person 2 (Comm)
Justin J. Jordan
Clerk (Comm.)
Marc Inniss
Devin (20s) (Comm.)
Jalen Jordan
Pod Kid
Osahon Tongo
The Mighty O (or, the screaming man in the cell)
Urquida Davis
Ol' Girl
Michael A. Dean
The Cashier
Jatona King
Angry Girlfriend
Bricine Brown
Angry Boyfriend
Suzanne C. Robertson
The First Reporter
Tangela Large
The Second Reporter
Mark Pettit
The Third Reporter
Prescott Morgan
The Carjackee
Darrell Stewart
Swole Muhfucka #2
Big Boy
Big Boy (voice)
Jason Louder
Gold Grill (uncredited)
Robert Tinsley
Scientist (uncredited)
Xica Brewer
Dancer #1 (uncredited)
Director, Writer
Juel Taylor
Writer
Tony Rettenmaier
July 23, 2023
5
When a drug dealer (John Boyega) in a predominantly African-American inner city neighborhood dies in a revenge killing, his friends and colleagues are stunned to find him alive and healthy the following day. That’s particularly true for two of his regular associates, a pimp (Jamie Foxx) and one of his ladies of the evening (Teyonah Parris). Together, the unlikely trio proceeds to investigate what’s going on, only to soon find themselves in the midst of a fiendish social experiment involving cloning, mind control and behavior modification targeting their entire neighborhood, a clandestine initiative operated by an evil organization headed by a bigoted mastermind (Kiefer Sutherland). As intriguing as that narrative may sound, however, the picture’s execution leaves much to be desired. For starters, the film is trying way too hard to imitate the works of writer-director Jordan Peele, with more than a few thinly veiled elements that echo “Get Out” (2017) and “Us” (2019). Then there are a number of serious technical issues, most notably the picture’s truly horrendous sound quality (generally throughout, but especially in the first 30 often-undecipherable minutes) and its needlessly dark cinematography (there’s a big difference between atmospheric and incomprehensible). To top that off, many of this release’s attempts at humor fall flat and/or lazily rely on shamelessly milking well-worn stereotypes, often verging on insulting. To its credit, “They Cloned Tyrone” does offer some valuable (if a bit overly obvious) pieces of social commentary, making the second half more watchable than the first. It also features a fine performance by Parris, who often steals scenes and leaves her co-stars in the dust. Nevertheless, writer-director Juel Taylor’s second big screen feature fails on so many fronts that the shortcomings undermine what could have been a hilarious sci-fi thriller if left in more skilled hands (like Jordan Peele, perhaps?). Take a pass on this one.