The Warrior
Yes, “Peaky Blinders” is truly a great series and for many has become one of TV’s classics.
But “The Warrior”… well, that’s a series… imagine Bruce Lee in the “Peaky Blinders” world!
Simply, the series is quality in every respect… so much so that HBO took it over and is making a third season (originally the series belonged to “Cinemax” cable television, but they had to abandon its further production, as well as many other titles, due to changes in business operations).
Why is this a top series, which we could define as “martial arts crime drama”?
For starters, the interesting thing is that the series is based on a 50-year-old screenplay, written by none other than the legendary Bruce Lee. Although that “screenplay” was more of a concept written on eight pages. The story was about a young warrior from Asia who arrives on the shores of San Francisco and is set in the 19th century. All the major production houses rejected this screenplay, because the idea that the main hero would be Asian, and we’re talking about America in the 70s… simply unimaginable. Of course, that didn’t stop “Warner Bros” from already the next year releasing the series “Kung Fu” with David Carradine in the lead role, based on Bruce’s idea. What can you do, they turned out to be trash, but Chinese people back then weren’t a relevant factor… but money from a basically stolen idea, that was.
Fortunately, justice found its way (“Although it took ‘only’ 50 years” – note from the subconscious).
What is “The Warrior” about?
America, late 1870s. Ah Sahm arrives in San Francisco from China, a master (and genius) of martial arts. He’s searching for his sister, who emigrated several years earlier.
It’s not easy to live in America in this period. On one hand, a period of (economic and industrial) expansion is beginning. However, the great civil war between “North” and “South” just ended, slavery was abolished, and America is still (both figuratively and literally) poorly connected. The rich are getting fatter, more educated and wealthier, while the poor are hungry, illiterate and struggling to find work in factories and on railroads for a crust of bread.
Wealthy and “conscientious” industrialists want to invest in building San Francisco in exchange for privileges promised to them by politicians. However, industrialists know that cheap materials aren’t decisive for getting rich… but cheap labor is. Massive Irishmen are hard-working and diligent (though quite inconvenient and short-tempered when they drink) and Dylan Leary takes care of them, a war veteran, representative of the Irish labor collective (and leader of an Irish criminal group), who knows how to negotiate with industrialists.
However, San Francisco allowed immigration of a huge number of Chinese… yes they don’t speak English, but they’re much cheaper labor than other peoples. They keep quiet, work, live modestly, stick to their large Chinatown and hope they’ll save enough money for their families who stayed in China, to provide for them (although they’re actually just a “more modern” type of slaves working for scraps, and will quite certainly die in America without earning anything worth mentioning). Most importantly, they shouldn’t leave their quarter and should avoid conflicts with the rest of the Western population and police, who treat them (only) slightly better than wild dogs.
However, Chinatown isn’t a haven only for poor working Chinese population. There are also very serious “players” there. And those are the tongs. Tongs could be defined as associations of Chinese immigrants that should help countrymen navigate in another country. However, they actually function (especially in America) as criminal organizations similar to triads in Hong Kong. They provide “protection” to shops in exchange for “compensation,” deal in import (i.e., smuggling) and sale of opium, weapons, and have influence in the trafficking of women. Chinatown is controlled by several such tongs, among which the most influential are Hop Wei, Long Zii, Fung Hai and Suey Sing, and among which exists a very shaky truce (i.e., agreement on territory division), which rarely can last long.
And on top of all this, don’t forget the “respectable” politicians and businessmen of San Francisco, led by shady mayor Samuel Blake and mysterious Walter Buckley as his deputy.
And there’s the police under the city’s leadership, which takes care of peace (and doesn’t enter the Chinese part of the city, unless absolutely necessary).
And here comes our Ah Sahm. Keep in mind, our brawler isn’t some confused Zen master, but a quite intelligent guy, who moreover speaks English excellently (which is a great rarity among Chinese of that era). However, he came to a completely new world, where even “Chinese rules” are different. And so he (unwillingly) becomes a member of the Hop Wei tong, meanwhile secretly searching for his sister… and finds her where he least expects (and it’s not a brothel).
And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what awaits you in the excellent series “The Warrior.”
To be honest, the series has no minuses for me, but I’ll gladly share the pluses with you! 😁
For starters, the series plot itself. Although I touched on part of it above, simply too much time would go into going into details that have that “Peaky Blinders” vibe. Ah Sahm isn’t Tommy Shelby in the sense of creating business and leading family, but he’s trying to build a solid image in his tong, which gives him the chance to search for his sister. However, situations that happen to him lead him to reconsider his original goal of coming to America. Love and passion and betrayal and ambition and revenge and unexpected alliances (both on the Chinese and “non-Chinese” side) will mix in his life. And all because of the moment when he discovers what his sister did (and has done) before his arrival in America.
However, the political and economic situation in San Francisco will also lead to changes in organizations. The Mayor wants to stay in power, his deputy has his own mysterious agenda, the Irish are becoming increasingly aggressive toward the Chinese, and the power balance among the tongs is changing too.
And on top of all that, the authorities formed a special police squad (consisting of just a handful of people) that should patrol Chinatown and keep the peace… which is such a horrible task that, ironically, even the police are disgusted by it.
Praise also goes to the atmosphere. Unlike the Birmingham “Peaky Blinders” greyness, in San Francisco the Sun knows how to shine, so the colors are a bit brighter and more colorful. And this is complemented by great music, which varies from retro wild west and rock elements to Chinese hip-hop and their mix… madness! 😁 Just listen to the intro song and everything will be clear. Just as Tommy Shelby could walk around and look cool with the song from his series, Ah Sahm can likewise dominate with his song.
The action is a special story and perhaps one of the series’ biggest stars, because you can see how much effort was put in. Ah Sahm’s kung fu is done to be practical and fast and real, while on the other hand it also has that cool feature and Bruce Lee vibe in movements, which makes scenes quite effective, memorable, and attractive to watch. No less dynamic is when he fights against multiple opponents, as well as when he has “duels” against other martial arts masters. Simply, a pleasure to watch. Although tong showdowns aren’t to be underestimated either… and are very bloody.
Real praise should also go to the costume design depicting the American elegance of the elite of that era and the poor working Irish class, and especially the clothing styles of tong members (by which the population recognizes them) as contrasts. For example, Hop Wei are always in suits, while Long Zii prefers traditional dress.
Of course, nothing without good acting, do you agree?
Ah Sahm is played by very talented Andrew Koji, whom the year 2019 launched into the upper echelon of stars. Besides the lead role in the series “The Warrior,” he got the chance to appear in the already mentioned hit series “Peaky Blinders” as well as the adaptation of Gaiman’s book “American Gods.” And he truly gave interesting depth to Ah Sahm. Those with sharper eyes won’t miss how Ah Sahm often resembles Bruce Lee in behavior, both in real life and from films. It’s great that these are such well-woven, subtle details (overly confident look, surge of anger, reaction to a cut, fighting stance), so you won’t even think to compare some Bruce Lee character and Ah Sahm. Ah Sahm tries to stay calm whenever he can, but likewise knows how to be quite sarcastic and cynical, and in some moments a real smartass. And strategic thinking and cunning aren’t unknown to him either. Cool on the outside, but simply an unpredictable character. I expect a lot from this actor in coming years, especially if he does martial arts films.
Jason Tobin as Young Jun, son of Hop Wei Tong’s leader (whom he had from an affair with a prostitute) is a hilarious character and a great complement to Ah Sahm. Although he seems like he’s only interested in spending time in a brothel and butchering rivals with his two daggers (and is tormented that his father still sees him as an inexperienced and insecure kid, not a potential heir), Young Jun often shows considerable shrewdness, and not infrequently a face showing he knows (or suspects) much more than assumed. When he’s joking around, he puts on a show and babbles, but when he gets serious, he can be quite frightening.
Ah Toy (who actually existed, i.e., is a historical figure) is played by stunning Olivia Cheng (“See,” “Deadly Class,” “Marco Polo”). This mysterious madam and brothel owner is respected by everyone, even Americans, both because of her influence and charm… as well as because of the hot girls she has in her, well, “offering.” However, besides her attractiveness and wisdom (and cunning), she also hides many other skills, both in handling money and handling a sword. Olivia Cheng brilliantly played her and will truly enchant you with this role.
Dianne Doan (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Vikings”) plays Mai Ling, Ah Sahm’s younger sister, who found her happiness in America… however not as her brother hoped, which leads to big problems in their relationship, and which manages (though not so obviously) to stir up the whole city. Throughout the series you’re not sure what she actually feels toward her brother, because of their past.
There’s also Joe Taslim, who’s been gaining popularity in recent years with interesting action roles (“The Raid,” “Star Trek Beyond,” “The Night Comes for Us,” as well as the newest “Mortal Kombat”), in the role of Li Yong, Mai Ling’s guardian (and secret lover) who equals Ah Sahm in skill.
There’s also excellent Dean Jagger (“See,” “Corbin Nash,” “Game of Thrones”) as representative of the Irish working soul (and fist) Dylan Leary, who tries to look after his hungry Irish, while his exterior won’t always match his interior. He’s an excellent example of a person who, because of defeats (better said, losses) in life, has hardened so much that he rarely allows himself moments of weakness, especially in front of others.
There are quite a few talented actors here who truly dominated in their roles, so I’ll just mention Hoon Lee (“Banshee,” “Iron Fist”) as small businessman Chao who balances between tongs and police, Perry Yung (“John Wick Chapter 2”) as “Father Jun,” the cruel stoic and leader of Hop Wei, then Kieran Bew (“Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands”) as Sergeant Bill O’Hara who struggles with his Irish (and police) honor and gambling demons, as well as Tom Weston-Jones (“Copper”) as policeman Richard Lee, a guy who left the South because of his dark past.
Simply, the series is top! From me it has absolute recommendation. It managed to combine Bruce Lee and the “Peaky Blinders” vibe and throw in some American flavor of the late 18th century.
I’ve already watched it two or three times by now!
I can hardly wait for the third season! 😁
An interesting fact is that Shannon Lee (Bruce Lee’s daughter), although she’s always more or less involved in all projects concerning her father’s character and work, here apparently helped quite a bit with the script using her father’s notes, so that also says something.
And you, dear reader, are you familiar with Bruce Lee’s “The Warrior”? 😊
Trailer | Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Premiere: 2019 | Format: Series | Number of Seasons: 2 (20 episodes) | Average Episode Duration: 55-60 minutes
