Warrior: A series that Bruce Lee would likely be proud of.

 There are times when you take a chance on something as it seems to have an intriguing history and premise. Warrior is a show that traces back to at least the late 60s and early 70s as it originated from a vision from the legendary mind of Bruce Lee. In fact, research shows that in 1971, Lee developed the concept for what at the time was titled Ah Sahm, about a martial artist in the Old West of America which is a pretty badass concept. Unfortunately, Lee also had difficulty pitching his concept to Paramount and Warner Bros. Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce's widow has stated that the studios took Lee's concept and retooled and reshaped it into Kung-fu starring David Carradine. Warner Bros naturally came out and stated that Kung-fu had already begun development and was written by Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander, which was backed up by Fred Weintraub's memoir and Matthew Polly's autobiography. I can see why Linda might have thought what she did but there are also enough differences to see that Kung-fu is it's own separate entity. It's also frustrating to read that Bruce Lee wasn't cast as the lead in his own creation due to both his ethnicity and moreover his accent. 

Years went by without the series being brought to life and unfortunately Bruce Lee passed away before he could see his vision thoroughly accomplished. However, fortunately, back in 2015, it was announced through Perfect Strom Entertainment and Shannon Lee, Bruce's daughter, that the series would be produced by and air on Cinemax. This was great news all around as it not only confirmed that the series was going ahead but also that a member of the Lee family was involved ain the production as a co-producer. It also confirmed that Justin Lin would also serve as a co-producer. What stood out to me was the fact that Cinemax were going to be behind the series as this gave me some great expectations for the production and action in particular. They were after all the company behind the criminally underappreciated series, Banshee. 

Hearing that the script was being overseen and the show was being run by Johnathan Tropper also set high expectation as he was the co-creator of Banshee and I'm pleased with his handling of the concept and the proficiency of the show running. The core elements of Lee's conception have been kept, the show still focuses on Ah Sahm, the martial artist as he navigates the old west of America, albeit at a later time period than perhaps what Lee envisioned. The focus on Chinese immigration is ever present and Tropper has firmly stated that he would stick to it in his writing. The Tongs are also present and explored wonderfully. The changes to Lee's vision have mostly been minor and that's a great thing. Too many times, we have seen original works twisted and corrupted into something that didn't resemble the plan. 

The story mostly revolves around leading man, Ah Sahm as he navigates his immigration to San Franciso from China. Along the way he gets involved in the Tongs and is recruited into the faction lead by the Juns, known as Hop Wei. His original reason for going to America was to find and retrieve his sister. Unfortunately, it turns out that his sister has become a ruthless Tong leader and this discovery leads to Ah Sahm becoming disheartened and (humbled somewhat later on) giving up on her. Meanwhile, there is a threat to both the Tongs and the Chinese in general in the form of the Mayor of San Francisco, Buckley and the Irish led by hard working class man, Leary. There's also the police and their fight to keep the peace and stop criminal activity.  

Warrior does a great job at focusing on the Chinese immigration and the challenges and tribulations that they faced, shedding light on a topic that has rarely been broached and it does so in a mature, intelligent manner. One of the biggest fears that I had about the series was the fact that it could have approached the topic through a "modern lens" which would have meant applying SJW nonsense and mental illness to the topic which would have made as much sense as a black Viking. I appreciate the fact that the series goes all in with the insults and slurs as it makes the disdain and hatred that the Chinese and others suffer hit harder and it's also much more accurate to what they actually went through. What I like about the series is that no character is perfect, everyone has their values and flaws, nobody is inherently evil.

Where Warrior truly excels is the action and fight scenes. The fights are always superbly satisfying and brilliantly choreographed thanks to Brett Chan and the stunt team. The use of martial arts is a sight to behold and the little homages to Bruce Lee, such as the very first fight Ah Sahm has and also the legendary use of nunchakus as he fights off Leary's mob as they attack Chinatown is like a neat cherry on top of a splendid cake. All fighters have their own fighting styles as well as preferred choice of weapons. No two characters in the show fight the same and each have nuanced styles. One of the standout fights in the series has to be the epic showdown between Ah Sahm and Li Yong. The camerawork, the emotion, the nose breaking choreography and the stakes make this one of the series' best so far. It's a brutal, nasty vicious fight and is a feast to the eyes. I'd also put the fight between Ah Sahm and Dylan Leary up there.  On the opposite end of the scale is the fight between Ah Sahm and Dolph Jagger. Jagger is built up within the episode as a big threat, beating multiple opponents and a douche who insults Ah Sahm before their showdown. Then suddenly, the fight is over in one swift kick. It's hilarious and a bit anti climatic but somewhat satisfying as Jagger was such a douche and he meets swift justice in the form of Ah Sahm's boot. Can't help but feel that there was a missed opportunity though as Michael Bisping portrayed Jagger and it would have been awesome to see an actual fight with him. 

 Also, the series looks gorgeous and makes excellent use of it's budget. There's some breath-taking shots of San Francisco during it's old west days as well as during the action such as the iconic Bruce Lee homage with Ah Sahm holding nunchakus. For a tv series, it has tremendous cinematography and the team has to be praised as it looks as good as some movies. 

The cast is also fantastic. Andrew Koji does a wonderful job in a very difficult role as the lead character, Ah Sahm. He brings some much needed charisma and charm to a role that could have easily been an unlikeable, arrogant fighter. He certainly knows when to lean into whatever emotion is appropriate and excels at the fight scenes. I believe that with his talent, he could very well show up in many lead roles for various shows and movies should he want to. He also has a knack for nailing Bruce Lee's mannerisms for homages when most appropriate. Jason Tobin is wonderful as the brash and impulsive Young Jun and has believable chemistry with Koji. Joe Taslim is awesome as Li Yong and showcases splendid acting chops in the role, cementing the fact that he's more than just an action man. Although, he still kicks ass when needed. I must also single out Kieran Bew for his performance as Bill O'Hara. Bill is one of the most compelling characters in the show and that's due in large part to Bew's performance as the troubled, gambler of a police sergeant trying is best to keep the peace. I hadn't heard of Bew until Warrior, but his performance in one of the toughest roles leaves a strong impression and I hope that he shows up more. Dean Jagger makes you feel some sympathy for Dylan Jagger as he's a man trying his best for the working class Irish and also kicks ass in fight scenes. Tom Weston Jones plays the most sympathetic police officer in Lee and plays the role with a flourish. Perry Yung brings an air of sophistication and an air of authority to the role of Father Jun.  

Overall, I believe that Warrior is a series that Bruce Lee would be proud of. It's a stand out show full of brilliant martial arts action and compelling characters and deals with a none often tackled subject.