They Cloned Tyrone

Blaxploitation meets The X-Files in this comedy with a serious subtext, in which inner-city drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) uncovers sinister goings-on when he's brought back to life after being gunned down by a rival. Aided by a feisty sex worker (Teyonah Parris) and her preening pimp (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine sets out to thwart a shadowy organisation intent on controlling the black population of their neighbourhood via mind-altering chemicals in products stereotypically aimed at black consumers (fried chicken, grape soda, hair-straightening gel). While the film's title is a nod to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, director Juel Taylor references a broader spectrum of science-fiction tropes in a satire on racial divides that hits more targets than it misses. The mix of mirth and social commentary occasionally jars, but the spirited performances of the three likeable leads help paper over the cracks whenever the narrative threatens to lose its way.