An unlikely grouping of a drug dealer (John Boyega), pimp (Jamie Foxx) and sex worker (Teyonah Parris) discover a conspiracy in their home town that goes deeper than anyone could possibly imagine. 

When Fontaine (Boyega) has a disagreement with Slick Charles (Foxx) over money he finds himself ambushed by a rival dealer and shot to death. Which is why it is confusing for Charles and his employee Yo-yo (Parris) when he shows up the next day to ask for his money back again. 

What follows is a group of unqualified miscreants trying to follow in the footsteps of Yo-Yo’s childhood hero Nancy Drew and work out the mystery of why Fontaine is still with them. The twists and turns that follow are best left for you to experience but I can promise you that you will not predict them. 

The result is a comedy, a mystery, a blaxploitation movie and a commentary on race relations in America. The most interesting aspects are the comedy dished out in the main by Foxx, the fine lead performances from him, Parris and Boyega and the slightly off kilter setting of the film. The film is shot in a grainy image complete with reel change cigarette dots and has a 1970’s style setting but appears to be in an alternate present day or at least wary 2010 setting based on the fact one of the characters has seen The Book of Eli. 

Unfortunately for me though the film does not manage to elevate itself above mildly intriguing  or diverting. The main reason is that at 124 minutes it runs incredibly long. As a Netflix product I was able to check the running time when my interest began to wane and there was still 40 minutes to play out. For me this was because whilst I previously explained it fits into many genres it never seems to nail any of them. Personally that would have been to lean more into the comedy aspect where Jamie Foxx excelled. 

A promising debut from co-writer/director Juel Taylor but not one that grabbed my attention entirely.