Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Review: Mahershala Ali Delivers
Mahershala Ali wields a mean blade as a devout Muslim hitman in Bassam Tariq's distinctive action-drama.
Two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali trained for years to swing a sword onscreen as the MCU’s new incarnation of vampire hunter Blade. Yet, as film fans know by now, the studio wasted that man’s time, while certainly adding to his bank account, with no Blade feature ever coming to fruition. And it never will with Ali, he’s declared, understandably ready to keep it moving.
Fortunately, from the ashes of the scuttled project — and half a decade of Ali developing a Blade film alongside Mogul Mowgli writer-director Bassam Tariq — a new hero has arisen in their gripping collaboration Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Ali is hitman Latif, a devout Muslim and widower with three kids, the youngest just an infant. Following his wife’s sudden death, Latif’s main purpose is to keep his children loved, safe, and fed, a tall order even in the best of times, and these aren’t the best of times.
His professional life comes intruding on his home life at the worst possible moment: when he’s scrambling to find breast milk for his hungry, formula-intolerant baby. On a dogged mission to track down a supply, he has to hit the streets while also being drawn into a deadly war between pornographer-pimp Hatty (Abubakr Ali) and Pastor Hwan Yoon (John Cho, not terribly convincing), gangster leader of a Christian gun cult.
An assassin’s tale laced with family drama, or maybe a family drama spiked with hitman action, Your Mother walks the genre tightrope with finesse. Latif’s world might be hectic, but the film’s flow is relatively smooth and zen like Latif, save for bursts of violent face-offs and fight scenes.
Though the gun and knife battles are staged somewhat stiffly, Ali makes Latif a compelling action hero, wielding his blade with brutal efficiency. “Lay down your gun,” his spiritual leader (Giancarlo Esposito) implores him. “I don’t use a gun,” responds Latif. His assassin’s code is informed by his sincere religious beliefs.
The film gains endearing depth from the specificity of its religious setting, its view of community, and canny observation of Latif’s life as a single dad. A quick shot of him cleaning blood off his blade with a baby wipe really pinpoints what it’s like to be him at that moment.
He rarely has time to laugh, though. Per Ali’s portrayal, he’s too stoic for that, though he allows a father’s desperation to seep through Latif’s mostly unflappable exterior. And he has a warm, believable rapport with young actors Jahleel Kamara, as jokester 10-year-old son Qadir, and Adia, a genuine revelation as headstrong teen daughter Fatiha.
They’re refreshingly written as smart, real kids. While Qadir likes to jibe their dad respectfully with humor, Fatiha challenges him directly by speaking her mind. As she and everyone else keep reminding Latif, he hasn’t been around a lot of the time before now. Apparently, that’s how he maintained his family’s security — by staying absent.
But when Hatty and Pastor Hwan’s war lands on the family’s doorstep, there’s no hiding Latif’s underworld connections. Fatiha has to process it all, quickly, in shock, in pain, and while adorably crushing on one of the Mormon missionaries (John Henry Ward) crowded into the apartment next door.
Muslims, Mormons, and gun-toting Christians, oh my — the social commentary ranges from sharp to heavy-handed. Obviously, gun cults can be found worshipping at many different altars these days. Bad actors of every faith perpetuate vice and violence.
Ultimately, though, Latif’s faith in Islam plays a meaningful part in his mission, and in the film, as he strives to live up to his code as “the giver of Mercy,” keep his family safe, and, crucially, get his hands on milk for his baby.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (3.5 out of 5 stars) is rated R, and is playing in theaters nationwide. Visit fandango.com.
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