Kung fu meets sci-fi meets Asian street food. That’s the tagline in the trailer description on YouTube, and if that’s your thing, Wu Assassins is for you. The series dropped on Netflix on August 8 with 10 episodes.
A few years ago, I sang the praises for Into the Badlands, another martial arts series that mixed sci-fi and the supernatural with an Asian male lead. AMC cancelled it this year after three seasons, and I feel Wu Assassins has the potential to fill in that gap.
Wu Assassins centers on Kai Jin, an up-and-coming Chinatown chef in present-day San Francisco who learns he is the last Wu Assassin. The Wu Assassins are tasked with killing the five Wu Warlords, who possess powers based on Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Metal. Kai Jin is played by Indonesian actor and stuntman Iko Uwais, best known for The Raid and The Raid 2 — and if you’ve seen those movies, you know those fight scenes are insane.
Uwais is joined by other well-known actors who know how to choreograph a believable fight. Bryon Mann plays Uncle Six, a leader of the Triad who possesses the Fire Wu and is also Kai’s adoptive father. Lewis Tan (who also starred in Into the Badlands) is Lu Xin Lee, Kai’s friend who owns a garage and steals cars for the Triad. Christine “CG” Gavin, the undercover cop working at Lee’s garage, is played by Katheryn Winnick (who also currently plays Lagertha on History Channel’s Vikings, and she also has a black belt and knows taekwondo!) Did I mention Kai has the ability to shift into the Wu Assassin monk played by Mark Dacascos, who was just in John Wick 3? Or that Firefly’s own River Tam and sci-fi favorite Summer Glau portrays the Water Wu?
So, if that impressive cast still doesn’t interest you, keep reading.
Not only is Wu Assassins a fun action flick, it also focuses on the “found family” trope, which I love. Kai and Lu Xin, along with Jenny and her brother Tommy, are a close-knit group of friends that come together to help Kai battle the Wu Warlords. Throw in CG and her conflict of interest with doing her job and helping the “criminals” she’s infiltrated, and it’s perfect storytelling. I was afraid there would be a sudden betrayal from someone in the group, but I was relieved to see they stayed BFFs until the end.
I have to admit some of the graphics and CGI is kind of cheesy (at times, it feels like those ’80s kung fu flicks that I used to watch on VHS tapes as a kid), but like I said, the fight scenes are great.
The ending wraps up the first season nicely, but it also leaves the door open for a possible second season. I wouldn’t mind one since there are certainly more stories to tell within this mythology.
Saw this on Netflix and have been wondering if I should try it. Now I think I definitely should!