How Bassam Tariq pivoted from stalled Blade reboot to new Mahershala Ali thriller: ‘I’m happier I made this movie’

In the film-maker’s Houston-set film, Ali stars as a devout Muslim who moonlights as a vicious hitman Mahershala Ali is swinging around a blade in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

That’s not a nod to Ali’s previous attachment to Marvel’s Blade. It’s of a piece with Ali’s character, Latif, a devout Muslim who also happens to be a contract killer, though he fashions himself a righteous killer.

Latif justifies his violence as divine retribution, dispensing victims he believes to have offended God. His sword, according to writer and director Bassam Tariq, is a part of Latif’s code, a negotiation with his faith.

“You are forced to strike with intention when you use a sword,” Tariq says, speaking in a recent interview in Toronto. Continue reading...