After watching 3 seasons of "Banshee" (we didn't see the fourth one, I read too many critics about it and preferred to avoid disappointment and keep good memories at the same time), I started to miss good martial arts. There are probably not many really good series in this style and you have to thoroughly search the Internet for them. This is how I found "Warrior" - the work of the creators of "Banshee", or at least some of them. It is a series loosely based on Bruce Lee's writings and executive produced by his daughter, Shannon Lee. Unlike many of my peers and my girlfriend, I didn't really watch karate movies during my childhood. I always avoided them on TV, and even after I watched a fragment of one, I switched to another. I was bored, low budget was unattractive to me, and I preferred sci-fi genres or historical productions. That is why "Warrior" was a breath of fresh air for me, something I haven't come across yet.
As you have already seen after my two texts about "Banshee", the greatest strengths of its authors are the presentation of solid, eye-catching duels as well as expressive and fleshy characters. I liked the earlier production of Showmax more due to the greater variety, but I like this one too. It is true that we have fewer fighting styles and we focus mainly on kung-fu or street duels, but equipment is more often used - e.g. small axes, cleavers, knives. As for the characters, we have Irish, cheap labor from China, and Americans. Each of these groups has interesting and charismatic characters - Wang Chao, Ah Sahm, Young Yun, Dan Leary, Ah Toy. However, I will discuss them in a separate paragraph. Generally, this series is a mix of things that you can associate with, for example, "Gangs of New York", old versions of "Grand Theft Auto", the series "Banshee" and of course karate cinema popular a few decades ago. When it comes to the film, you can see it in a similar style, characters and atmosphere - this is what the USA was supposed to be like at that time (I lack knowledge, but I heard it from several sources). As for GTA - although it has nothing to do with the content of "Warrior" (excluding criminal accents), somehow I felt a similar atmosphere during the screening. Regarding "Banshee" - we have a few references to this series, mainly on the 2nd or 3rd set, finding them is fun for the fans.
As I said, the show is based on the writings of Bruce Lee and is a fictional story but uses some real things. I bet that the inspiration looked something like that, that they took more interesting things about the fights, anecdotes from which you can create some interesting threads, maybe a description of the situation and what the US looked like when the Master came to them. Two characters from this series really lived - Ah Toy, who is called San Francisco's first Chinese prostitute. Her husband died in the voyage, and she quickly began to earn her charms - first being the "sea wife" of a ship's captain, then a whore, then a pimp. She made a meteoric career and was generally the most expensive and famous Asian in the Old West. Her serial creation corresponds to the description I found on the internet. Rather, Ah Toy has been truly portrayed by Olivia Cheng. She is a confident, character female dog who knows that you need to be an ambitious and direct person. At the same time, she is not stupid and knows that sometimes it is enough to talk and not always use violence. When necessary, however, he knows how to painfully break bones with a hammer. I do not need to write, what was the level of medicine in those days ...? As I wrote in the texts about the "Squid Game" or the review of "Joker" - the world is not what the left wing around the world tries to convince us. Although technological progress, prosperity and theoretical order mask it quite well, among living things we fight for survival from our first day to the last. Sure, it is less felt these days, i.e. we don't have to kill each other or fight for it every day, but as Covid or various economic crises have shown - it doesn't take much for some of the blessings of modern life to go to hell (and thus ordinary citizens lose sense of security on the part of the law, officials, police). In the past, this sense of security was even weaker, and if you were weak, poor, had no options for action or balls, you could die. The heroine played by Olivia Cheng could not be like that, otherwise she would have ended up as an ordinary prostitute, not a mom-brothel in such a dangerous place, or the most famous Asian in this part of the world. She had to gain this position by strength of character and muscle.
Eh, I wrote about her and lost the plot. So, continuing, I will not reveal the second character, because it would be a spoiler from season 2. I can say that this is one of the Irish who has a lot in common with his namesake (one of the founders of the Workers' Party, an enemy of the Chinese who flocked to the US en masse to improve their lives). The plot of the series tells about Ah Sahma, the eponymous Warrior who came for a different reason. He is a hero who sometimes has common sense deep in the ass (like Geralt from "The Witcher" or Lucas Hood from "Banshee") - he makes decisions too quickly, sometimes he acts thoughtlessly, he pushes himself into a fight he is unable to win (and even if it succeeds, it can pay for it with your life). As a rule, I do not like this type of characters, I liked Lucas only after some time, and Sahm from the very beginning. I do not know what it results from, maybe the total indifference written on his face combined with his approach to life (simply put, he has a very, even unhealthy fuck on everyone and everything that surrounds him)? The protagonist goes a long way in Season 1, but I can't find it satisfying because, after an intriguing start, it's pretty boring.
Ah Sahm found his way to the New World, which offers wealth and luxurious life, but only when he fights for his position or has an important job (so basically both conditions must be met, because as I said - the fact that you have something means nothing. The next day, a bandit will come and destroy the whole business before the police have time to arrive). The series shows a certain stage of rivalry between gangs and the local police, which we now refer to as the Tong War. I honestly admit, although I have heard about Opium trade in the USA and fights between gangs somewhere, this is the first time I came across this term, so I will forgive myself writing about it so as not to mislead you. Clashes between them take place in several fields - prostitution, sphere of influence, drug trafficking, supplying cheap labor and gambling. Just like today, gangs have divided San Francisco into zones, where they deal with the above-mentioned "areas" of the economy. The parties to the conflict are the Irish, Asian gangs and the police.
I've already discussed the main character and one of the ladies, so now it's time for the rest. I will start with the sister of the title character - Xiaojing vel. Mai Ling is a more interesting character than Sahm and is similar to Ah Toy in many ways. Both ladies are ruthless bitches who, although they may look inconspicuous, should absolutely not be underestimated. Not only do they have equally ruthless warriors at their disposal, but they themselves pose a threat - not only because of their strength or dexterity, but most of all because of their cunning, intelligence and the ability to manage chaos, people and their territory. Xiaojing, like her friend, is a tough woman and knows well what rules the world follows and what needs to be done to achieve success in it. One of the more important reasons why I decided to watch "Warrior" was actor Hoon Lee. I really enjoyed his role in "Banshee" and I have a small resolve to watch any movies or series where he plays a significant part. In this universe, he is a mediator and trader on the black market, who, thanks to his influence and knowledge, is probably the only character untouchable by all sides. Unfortunately, despite his good acting skills, his role does not give him the same freedom. Here he is an "ordinary" Asian dressed in a tasteful little hat, and although he tries very hard (playing with his body, eyes, gestures, generally using all the possibilities he influences), he made a smaller impression on me. I remember him much better as a "non-binary" person (I say that because he probably didn't play a shemale or a transgender there), and here he is just a good actor. It is different with Dylan Leary, played by Dean S. Jagger. Seeing him, I have before the eyes of a stereotypical Irishman - a crazy guy who cannot cope with his emotions. He's very expressive, every time I saw him nervous, I felt he was using his whole body to do it. The whole thing is full of emotions, they are exceptionally expressive and fleshy. Some would say that this role is not too complicated, such as playing a fool. And with that I can agree - it is so undemanding that any actor with basic skills would be able to play such a person. However, to present it outstandingly, you need to have the appropriate experience and skills. Yes, it is a truism and it can be said about every profession, but despite everything, I don't often meet such outstandingly played roles.
All in all, this is not an outstanding series that you should know. It is simply good, for some it may even be very good. It is difficult for me to judge the fights - they certainly look nice and you can see that behind this series there is the same team as "Banshee". The duels are bloody and so realistic that you can feel the pain on yourself. In addition, they are so well edited and shot that sometimes you can forget that we are watching the series, not the murder that we would watch with our own eyes in the real world. I'm not a fan of Asian martial arts and this series is unlikely to change that, but I think fans of this genre would rather praise it. But I am a fan of good series and if you are looking for a good show, "Warrior" is one of them. I rate them on +7/10.
