[Spoilers ahead. You have been warned.]
Netflix’s new series The Brothers Sun contains some of the recognisably recurring motifs in stories made by Hollywood about the Asian diaspora: seamless multilingualism, the “tough” East and the “soft” West, and the unceasing tension between family duty and personal desire- all culminate into a neatly resolved conclusion. For the moment.
This series reshuffles these components into a brilliantly sharp and entertaining comedy action drama featuring a Taiwanese triad family’s chaotic trans-Pacific escapades. The eponymous Sun brothers Charles (Justin Chien) and Bruce (Sam Song Li) were raised apart- one into a seasoned killer and the other still a medical student moonlighting as a Lyft driver at the start of the series. As they haphazardly reunite under the ominous threat of death, it is clear that the battle-hardened but brittle Charles shoulders the most internal turmoil among the brothers. But all three main Suns -including their mother Eileen- wrestle with variations of the same existential crisis: protect the family in righteous (or conceited?) self-sacrifice, or follow their own ambitions, whether it is becoming the all-powerful leader of a triad gang or joining a college improv troupe.
Michelle Yeoh stars as the enigmatic Eileen, trading her usual lightning-fast stunts with ruthless politicking, as she leads the cast in weaving layers of twists, backstabbing, and manipulation that would remind you of a week’s worth of UK politics. And the series’ most violent and tension-filled scenes are often disarmed by Sam Song Li’s excellent comedic timing as Bruce, providing canny perspective in the most dramatic moments as the family’s hilariously relatable “bye”lingual second son.
But the series’ enjoyable mix of heartwarming family comedy and smooth action sequences are not immune to some slightly overplayed action-superhero tropes. The main (but not most important) conflict the Suns face for example, are a group of youngsters looking to upend the entire triad system. They inevitably fail, thus upholding the existing modus operanti and the viewer’s emotional investment in the Suns’ survival that’s built throughout the series. We’ve seen this before, in the main antagonists in the MCU’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and The Secret Invasion (2023). Like the youthful Flag Smashers or rebel skrulls in Marvel’s Disney+ shows, the triad-rebelling “Boxers” have a valid point. But alas, they are able to shake the status quo as much as a third party can in a two-party political system.
But that is by-the-by, doing little to dampen the series’ most endearing qualities. Despite the series’ gangster subject matter, the drama is still primarily about capturing the various endearing quirks of the Asian community that’s practically universal across all Asian diasporas. Food-related displays of affection are aplenty, and the mahjong aunties shine as the real omniscient eye of a triad-dominated city as they trade delicious chit chat, embarrassing any niece or nephew gang member they come across. All in all, the entire ensemble cast makes The Brothers Sun a delightful addition to Hollywood’s action comedy collection.
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