Have you heard about the new Netflix show The Brothers Sun? It's an action-packed drama about family ties and organized crime. And while it has some flaws, the show offers a refreshing take I think you'll enjoy.
Meet the Sun Family
The Brothers Sun focuses on two brothers, Charles and Bruce Sun, who have been separated from each other for years. Their father, known as "Big Sun," is the leader of a powerful Taiwanese crime syndicate called the Jade Dragons. To protect the family, he made the decision long ago to split them up and hide parts of the business from Bruce.
So Charles was raised in Taipei by Big Sun, learning the "family business" and becoming his right-hand man. The fearsome skills with weapons and martial arts Charles developed earned him the nickname “Chairleg.”
Meanwhile, Bruce grew up in LA with their mother, Eileen. He's currently struggling through medical school, unbeknownst to Eileen financing his true passion for improv comedy on the side with her tuition money. Bruce knows nothing about his family's gangster lifestyle.
This divided family structure blows up when an attempt is made on Big Sun's life, leaving him in a coma. Charles heads to LA to serve as Eileen’s bodyguard. And as attacks meant for Charles start happening on American soil, he and Eileen have to reveal the truth to Bruce.
While Bruce is terrified to learn his family members are murderous gangsters, he sees value in helping Charles investigate who assaulted their father. But he tries to keep some normalcy by continuing his budding relationship with a classmate and his amateur drug-dealing side gig with a friend.
Killer Action, With More to Offer
This premise lends itself well to the show's biggest strength - incredible action sequences. The Brothers Sun has some wildly creative fight scenes, whether they happen in a kitchen, a parking lot, or on the LA streets. The talented cast pulls them off with an energy that pops right off the screen.
There's a playfulness to the earlier episodes too, like showing a brutal battle going on in the background while Charles calmly bakes a cake in the foreground. It's a hint that while the show has a dark criminal plot at its core, it also wants to deliver fun alongside the drama.
And make no mistake, The Brothers Sun does get deeper as it goes on. In particular, it shines a light on the dysfunctional Sun family itself.
We see Charles is more sensitive than his violent reputation suggests. Bruce tries to reconcile his family duty with his American lifestyle and dreams. And their mother Eileen emerges as the most fascinating character. She seems like a typical "tiger mom” invested in her kids’ success at first. But we learn she has her own network and wields real power within the Asian community and even the gang itself.
Michelle Yeoh is captivating in portraying both sides of Eileen - the caring matriarch and the canny mob wife. Her performance alone makes the show worth watching.
Great Characters Can't Save a Bloated Story
However, the series format does stretch the story thinner than it should go. The Brothers Sun elongates to over 8 hours, when a tighter movie runtime would've worked better.
Attempts to develop the supporting characters fall particularly flat. And while the brothers’ odd couple dynamic offers some decent comedy, their relationship feels predictable much of the time.
The show finds itself leaning on extra fight scenes and new villain groups to pad things out. The plot grows extremely convoluted in the back half of the season, making it all a bit exhausting even for action fans.
I think the filmmakers had great intentions - they assembled an all-Asian writers room, which pays off beautifully for Eileen’s characterization. But they got overambitious trying to stretch this into an ongoing saga versus concluding a central story arc.
Worth a Watch for the Action and Heart
At the end of the day, is The Brothers Sun worth your streaming time? I say yes, with a few caveats. Go into it expecting pulpy gang drama, captivating martial arts battles, and anchoring performances rather than finely tuned plot progression. Michelle Yeoh alone makes it hard to turn away.
The show brings a playful spirit, flashes of emotion, and perspectives from Asian creatives that I found refreshing. Would it have worked better as a movie? Maybe. But I’ll take what worked well here and hope the filmmakers learn some key lessons if they decide to continue the Sun family story.
Because, while The Brothers Sun has some writing flaws holding it back, I believe there’s a killer series waiting to emerge with a bit more refinement. And given Hollywood’s thirst for action content lately, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of the Sun brothers on our screens.
So if you’re up for an entertaining battle-filled binge with surprising heart throughout, I say fire up Netflix and enjoy the ride with The Brothers Sun! Just don’t expect the intricate plotting of a Sopranos - it marches to its own beat while showing glimpses of what could be with a few story adjustments. And did I mention Michelle Yeoh is incredible in it? Because yeah, she sure is.
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