Can a Chinese onion makes all the difference between 25000 immigrants? If it is hiding a warrior in the layer beneath… yes, he can! And I am not the only one that think so. The first season of Warrior was a completely success of critic and of audience. Within a week of the begin of the second season, let is present the action-drama conceived by Bruce Lee himself.
An old legacy
The TV series Warrior launched in 2019 was produced by Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee’s daughter) and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious franchise director). The action-drama based on an original concept of Bruce Lee, sets during the true Chinatown gang conflicts in San Francisco, called Tong Wars. These violent disputes between Chinese faction of organised crime were being fought to take control of opium, prostitution, gambling and territory over Chinatown districts.
The warrior
The protagonist of the series is Ah Sahm played by the actor/martial artist Andrew Koji. Ah Sahm is a martial art prodigy of the late 1800, who emigrates from Foshan in China to San Francisco in the U.S.A. in search of his sister. Immediately after the disembarkation, the Chinese onion (how Chinese immigrant are nicknamed) showed off his fighting skills, only to be drawn into the Tong Wars of San Francisco.
The character of Ah Sahm fight with a mix of boxing and kung fu of the late 1800. Originally thought to be portrayed by Bruce Lee, Andrew Koji is able to refer to the jeet kune do grand master, but used his own interpretation of the style. The result is impressive and original, have a look:
Dangerous people
The fights become spectacular as the plot thickens, introducing during the 10 episodes of the first season lethal characters such as:
- Young Jun, the bloody friend of Ah Sahm played by the actor Jason Tobin.
- Mai Ling, sister of Ah Sahm and portrayed by the gorgeous Dianne Doan.
- Dylan Leary, crime lord of the Irish Mob played by Dean Jagger.
- Zing, leader of the Fung Hai’s Tong, portrayed by the star Dustin Nguyen.
- Li Yong, Ah Sahm’s rival played by the famous martial artist Joe Taslim.
And it is precisely this last who gives a run for Ah Sahm money in the final battle of season 1. The fight between the two best fighter of Chinatown is not only a rumble in order to decide the strongest Tong of San Francisco. But also a fight between the tradition, represented by Li Yong’s hybrid shaolinquan, and the modern, represented by Ah Sahm’s wing chun free style.
Shining in the shadow
The series Warrior is surprisingly good, the level of the fighting scenes and the plot are so high. The project has really something special, that goes beyond the suggestive storyline and the appeal of the “old west” environment. I feel Bruce Lee’s print in there, and not only because of the interpretation of Andrew Koji, but also because of the entire cast. There is much more than great fights and sex in this series: criminality, racism, poverty, but also honor, family, dignity. Nowadays, all these topics sound very familiar despite a hundred years later of the series setting. All this is thanks to the collaboration of Shannon Lee and all the great directors, who did the magic to give us a little piece of Bruce Lee once again… So I do believe that a Chinese onion makes all the difference between 25000 series. Let’s jump then over the second season, and if you missed the first one, grab it now on Cinemax!