Wu Assassins

Kai Jin is a serene and calm chef in a restaurant of San Francisco. He becomes the latest Wu assassin, i.e. the chosen one, thanks to a monk piece which gives him the power of a thousand monks. His mission, should he choose to accept it, consists in restoring balance in San Francisco's Chinatown.

A series avec Iko Uwais et Mark Dacascos, that's an offer you can't refuse. It's globally well-interpreted with a childish and cheesy atmosphère which reminds me Iron Fist (2017) and with a script freely inspired from El último maestro del aire (2010). Even if the Computer-Generated Imagery is perfectible, the series is worth a stab, thanks to talented and perfectly orchestrated kung-fu fighting.

Fun enough - a little uneven in the acting and the script. Some of the actors are really good and some clearly are less so which makes it noticeable. Sometimes the script is OK and sometimes it just doesnt work. Action sequences are really good. And appreciate the representation of the Chinese in San Francisco Experience - and all the Cantonese speakers. All and all, it shows some promise and worth to look at another season.

I gave this a 6 but it doesn't deserve that. But - on the other hand I don't want the movie execs to think "oh - people don't like martial arts tv shows".

I do love martial arts shows. "Warrior", "Into the Badlands", "Daredevil". They can be made.

But this is just silly. The CGI is (very) low budget and low talent.

The stunt coordination is not worthy of skilled people like Dacascos and Uwais.

The use of stock footage, stock sounds and music is too much.

The story is good, but it's told in a really condescending way.

I sooo wanted to see Dascasos in a TV show. I was disapointed.

It's got Katheryn Winnick finally given a chance to show off her karate chops, it's got Iko Uwais doing his wooden acting with fantastic martial arts and... It's got fireballs! If you like Oriental themed stories with great martial arts, the B-gradeness of everything can be forgiven, it's entertaining enough.

I really enjoyed Wu Assassins. The plot is a little out there... kind of like what you would expect from an anime series. But it's filled with lots of lore to explore, and characters I want to see more of.

The only big problem I have is with the digital effects. They're pretty bad... it's almost kind of funny. A good comparison would be the Mortal Kombat films from the 90's. Just like that!

Bottom line, it's a fun, mystical, action thriller that needs some more seasons to flesh out what it brought to the table.

(Oh, and if you're reading this and have connections to the show, please don't waste an easter egg of Katheryn Winnick watching and rooting for a Minnesota "Vikings" game)