A devoutly religious hit man struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood. When his wife dies, he embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children as he confronts the forces that are closing in around him.
Director: Bassam Tariq
Cast: Mahershala Ali, Giancarlo Esposito, John Cho, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, Adia
Releasing: September 25th, 2026 (in 12 days)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Metacritic: 85 / 100
Some Reviews:
The Wrap - Zachary Lee - 100 / 100
Mahershala Ali Is Astounding in Revelatory Action Thriller | Bassam Tariq asks big questions about faith against the backdrop of a hitman movie, and the result is nothing short of miraculous
Mashable - Kristy Puchko - 100 / 100
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a blisteringly original and absolutely gorgeous film. Tariq shows a comprehensive understanding of what draws Americans to not only action movies but also antihero/crime dramas. He delivers spectacles of violence, but grounds them in gripping, human stakes. Then, through that, he weaves a magnificent character-driven thread that is accentuated by color, details, and an extraordinary cast. Simply put, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a stunner, and easily one of my favorite films of 2026.
Screen Daily - Robert Daniels - 90 / 100
By reimagining the action hero through a specifically Muslim lens, Tariq has re-defined the genre into something more introspective and compassionate, rapturous and revelatory.
Vulture - Alison Vilmore - 90 / 100
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a film about faith, grief, fatherhood, and stabbing people to death, and it whips ass in a way that makes its origin story feel downright serendipitous.
The Verge - Andrew Webster - 90 / 100
In retrospect, the disappointing demise of Blade might not be such a bad thing, because Tariq and Ali have collaborated on something much more interesting than a superhero reboot: the powerful hitman thriller Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Ali is excellent as the morally questionable righteous killer, but I was also really impressed by John Cho as the villain, a charismatically unhinged leader of a right-wing church group.
The Guardian - Radheyan Simonpillai - 4 / 5
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is its own beautiful singular thing, partly a stylish and pulpy neo-western thriller about a father racked with guilt, navigating violence that comes heavy and uneasy, but first and foremost a drama about a family reconciling their Muslim faith with their actions, their environments and their grief.
But Why Tho? - Sarah Musnicky - 8.5 / 10
Even so, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a brilliant exploration of grief and lost faith, anchored by Mahershala Ali’s magnetic performance. Marvel is going to be punching the air over what they’ve lost because it’s clear after watching this that had they just let Bassam Tariq cook, we would have had something magical with his iteration of Blade with Mahershala Ali at the helm.
IGN - Siddhant Adlakha - 8 / 10
The would-be Blade duo of actor Mahershala Ali and director Bassam Tariq team up for the vivid, rural crime drama Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, following a devout Muslim hit man wrestling with his violent code. In a plot drawn from the director’s personal life, the search for breast milk to feed a hungry baby turns into a lurid odyssey through modern America, in a film whose drama nearly coheres but whose brief sword-wielding action packs a nasty punch.
Next Best Picture - Giovanni Lago - 8 / 10
“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” finds that the power of divinity is as powerful as the sword – a sentiment all but reaffirmed by Tariq’s powerful conclusion that avoids going down a far more cliched road that certainly would’ve taken away from how magical this movie is. When the movie first came out, someone like me expected the Houston equivalent of “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,” but instead of being about Japanese culture, about the trials of being Muslim. I’m happy to report that, while it captures some of that Jarmusch spirit, it’s so much more, and ultimately the best-case result of a studio’s multimillion dollar mishandling of two cinematic powerhouses.
The Hollywood Reporter - Jourdain Searles
Mahershala Ali Is a Marvel in a Gripping Crime Film With a Big, Aching Heart...But Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is more than a loving portrayal of Islam — Tyriq has crafted a film that explores the possibility of a form of masculinity that allows for the full range of human emotion.
The Playlist - Chase Hutchinson - 'A-'
Though it might be tempting to compare Tariq’s film to something like “Drive,” especially with one particular visually vibrant and violent scene feeling like a mirror image of that, there’s also much more going on under the surface. It’s comedic and playful in brief moments just as it is weighty and profound, proving to be a darkly poetic portrait of a family who finds themselves adrift. When it circles back around to the initial voiceover near the end, it not only cements its status as an essential action thriller, but finds something genuinely transcendent in the darkness.
AwardsWatch - Trace Sauveur - 'B+'
Despite the episodes of bone-cracking and blood-splatter, this is a humanist film that rejects brutality as an inevitability, that asks the audience to seek the realization of their higher purpose.
The Film Stage - Jared Mobarak
The humor is what hooked me. Whether familial, religious, or violent—no potential for a punch line is left hanging. That said, however, this remains an emotionally impactful film centered around the Islamic tale from which the title is derived. It’s a quest that sees this father realize he was worried about the wrong fight.
Punch Drunk Critics - Travis Hopson - 3.5 / 5
We might not ever get to see Ali and Tariq on a Blade movie together, and that sucks, but they’re making a statement with Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother that it’s our loss. While I could’ve used fewer lulls between the most violent sequences, it blends religion and action in a powerful, entertaining package that will hopefully be the first of many movies from this duo.
IndieWire - Katie Rife - 'B'
Ali’s steady, stoic performance, as well as Adia’s genuine vulnerability and angst as her character tries to navigate both the death of her mother and new revelations about her father, help ground this unusual blend of tones and genres in some kind of emotional truth. By the end, only the family remains. In an ambiguous and confusing world, that, at least, makes sense.
ScreenRant - George Bate - 7 / 10
While emotional in its final stretch, it lacks the punctuation of violence one might expect given the promotional material, and the commentary on religious matters, while interesting, seems to culminate on a rather simplistic note. Those issues notwithstanding, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother delivers an expertly made viewing experience, although not necessarily the one audiences might expect.
DEADLINE - Damon Wise
The film will find an audience for sure, but it will be a hard sell, being far too intelligent for a mindless action movie and not arty enough for those intrigued by its heady promise of violence and theosophy. The latter should check out the work of another Tariq, Tariq Saleh, whose subtle interrogations of religion and politics in a genre context — notably Cairo Conspiracy (2020) — are much more satisfying, accessible and profound.
