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As an Asian growing up in the Western world, I’ve pretty often watched Hong Kong cinematics and any Chinese movies of brotherhoods/triads I could get my hands on. It was quite addicting as you never saw these types of relationships in the Western world.
Whether that was due to the different principles of life in the Eastern vs Western world or just not seeing as many of my own people, it was always something “desired.” Well, “The Brothers Sun” is an exact correlation between the melding of the Western and Eastern worlds and adds the underworld of the Triads, which a lot of young Asian males in the early 2000s desired to be due to the commercial success of cultural staples like “Young and Dangerous” and “A Better Tomorrow.”
Brothers Sun sees two brothers who have grown up on the opposite side of the world with such different
experiences come together. One is a trained assassin, eventually looking to take the throne of the most powerful Triad society in Taipei, Taiwan. In contrast, the other brother was separated at a young age and lived quite a “mediocre” life in Los Angeles, California. One has millions of dollars and lives a dangerous yet lavish lifestyle, while one lives to improve and lives paycheck to paycheck along with his mother.
The series is highly entertaining due to its contrasting characters, action-filled scenes and great characters. It also features arguably one of the greatest actors of our generation, Michelle Yeoh, as the mother of the two brothers. She doesn’t disappoint and, as always, is a joy to watch on the big screen. It’s crazy to see her growth as an actor in the Western world, as she was always pretty huge in Hong Kong films. On the flip side, you can watch some interviews of the young cast that grew up watching her films. A lot of them have Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon as one of their greatest films of all time.. making it a full circle moment.
The directors do a great job paying homage to the Chinese heritage as well as contrasting what the Western world is like for us. There was also a very great balance of darkness and comedy. You really have to experience it yourself to understand. I give it a solid 8/10 and highly recommend it to anyone!
