I will say with confidence that one of the biggest fumbles in movie history is Marvel Studios cancelling the Mahershala Ali-led Blade film that was due for release. Featuring the same director as Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Ali had the presence to make the Daywalker his own, and Bassam Tariq was set to direct. But Tariq left the project in 2022, and after years of delays, Ali moved on without the film ever reaching production.
However, all hope was not lost. At the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, the movie Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother made its world premiere and it has completely blown audiences away. Latif (Mahershala Ali) is a devout Muslim and a single father devoted to raising his three children. He is also an assassin for hire. That contradiction sits at the heart of his character: a man trying to provide for and protect his family while earning a living through violence. As the film unfolds, the tension between his faith, his responsibilities as a father, and the work he does gives Ali plenty to explore. It makes Latif compelling even when his choices are difficult to understand or defend.
And within that defense it’s what makes Latif fight and work to protect his children even more, especially within the aftermath of his wife’s death, taking on the role as the “mother” to his children. There are moments he has to find breast milk for his infant daughter, within the midst of fighting assassins.
The film also has a formidable antagonist in Haun Yoon, played with precision by John Cho. Haun is charismatic and smooth, the kind of schemer who can make a threat sound like a friendly conversation. Cho gives him an easy confidence that makes him intriguing to watch and difficult to trust. His presence adds another layer of tension to Latif’s story, especially when the two men find themselves at odds.
You can tell Cho is having a great time playing Haun Yoon. He brings a playful confidence to the role, making the character entertaining even when his intentions are clearly suspect. Ali, meanwhile, pours his heart and soul into Latif. He grounds the film’s action in the character’s emotional struggles, giving us a reason to care about what happens when the fighting starts. The fight choreography is sharp and well executed, and Ali moves through those sequences so naturally that they feel like an extension of Latif rather than a break from his story.
My only criticism with this film is that there the movie doesn’t have enough of this – the fighting that is. The marketing around this movie leans into a high-paced action film, which it is, but we get most of that through the second half. The first half is grounded in storytelling and focused on central themes around Latif’s family and beliefs.
I would have preferred a bit more action sequences as this film is my Blade-replacement film, but I do understand that this isn’t the kind of story Bassam Tariq is trying to tell. He’s telling a story about a father, his children and the loss of their mother. And the father as their protector in this new role. Ultimately, that is the core of this story. We just get some cool action sequences to go with the fact he just happens to be a cool hitman along with being a concerned dad.
Mahershala Ali is well-equipped to go on to make more of these kinds of genre films and I hope to see that this is just the beginning for him.
