Director: Juel Taylor
Paranoia turns into a full-blown conspiracy hunt in "They Cloned Tyrone," a 2023 genre mash-up from director Juel Taylor that layers science-fiction dread over a neighborhood comedy.
What is They Cloned Tyrone about?
A low-level drug dealer named Fontaine gets shot one night, then wakes up the next morning very much alive and going through the exact same routine. Baffled, he teams up with a smooth-talking hustler and a sharp-eyed sex worker to figure out what happened, and their search for answers leads them underground, literally, into a hidden facility running experiments on their entire community. What starts as a strange coincidence unravels into a wide-reaching scheme involving mind control, look-alikes, and shadowy government interests. The trio's chemistry drives the film as much as its mystery: their bickering, theories, and reluctant teamwork ground an increasingly outlandish premise in something believable and funny. Along the way, the film pokes at surveillance, systemic control, and the blurry line between community and experiment, using its pulpy setup to say something sharper about who gets watched and why.
Cast & crew
John Boyega leads as Fontaine, playing the character's confusion and slow-building resolve with restraint that anchors the film's wilder turns. Jamie Foxx brings loud, comic bravado as his hustling partner, while Teyonah Parris rounds out the trio with a performance that keeps the group's dynamic sharp and unpredictable. Kiefer Sutherland and David Alan Grier appear in supporting roles that deepen the conspiracy at the story's center.
Context & significance
Released in 2023 and produced for streaming, the film draws on decades of science-fiction and blaxploitation influences, reworking familiar genre furniture into something that comments on its own tropes rather than simply repeating them. Critics noted its confident tonal balancing act, moving between broad comedy and genuine unease without losing either thread.
Where & how to watch
"They Cloned Tyrone" is available to watch on K-Time with a free account login, presented in a Farsi-friendly interface built for the diaspora audience. The film includes a Persian dub and Persian subtitles, so viewers can choose whichever fits their preference for the night.