CAST: Justin Chien, Sam Song Li, Michelle Yeoh, Highdee Kuan, Joon Lee, Madison Hu, Alice Hewkin, Jenny Yang, Jon Xue Zhang, Johnny Kou
DIRECTOR: Byron Wu, Brad Falchuk
In the initial scenes of Netflix’s “The Brothers Sun,” a group of assassins storm into the residence of Charles Sun (played by Justin Chien), a key figure in a notorious crime syndicate. With seamless and extended shots, Charles fends off his attackers with the poise of someone well-trained and accustomed to peril, hurling adversaries through the air and splattering his pristine floor with blood.
Yet, this isn’t your typical dark and intense skirmish. Instead, the whole sequence is juxtaposed with an episode of “The Great British Bake Off” that Charles had been casually viewing before the abrupt disturbance. As Charles forcefully slams an assailant’s head with a rolling pin, a contestant on the show laments, “I’m so wounded.” Meanwhile, as Charles hurls another attacker from the upper level, the show’s host comments with a resigned, “Oh no, I think your cake’s just fallen.” This unexpected contrast adds a layer of dark humor and irony to the otherwise violent scene.
The series kicks off with eight hour-long episodes filled with intense action and surprising plot twists, all designed to ensure viewers have a great time. While the show might not quite meet its ambitious goals, it still provides enough entertainment to be as addictive as a fresh batch of cookies.
In the initial episodes, “The Brothers Sun” comes across as a lively but slightly inconsistent buddy comedy. After the attack, Charles departs Taiwan to find his long-lost mother (Michelle Yeoh) in Los Angeles. There, he’s stunned to find his younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li), living a sheltered, naive American life, oblivious to their family’s criminal background and aspiring only to be an improv comedian. This revelation shakes Bruce to the core. As the brothers navigate through various misadventures, including identifying a decapitated head and delivering an exotic lizard, their awkwardness gradually transforms into a bickering, brotherly bond reminiscent of their childhood, eventually blooming into true respect and affection.
Justin Chien shines in his role, effortlessly switching between Charles’s ingrained killer instincts and his underlying, more domesticated nature with minor changes in expression and posture. Often the straight man to Bruce’s more eccentric character, Charles’s serious approach becomes amusing, especially when he applies his formidable focus to finding the perfect churro recipe. Meanwhile,
Michelle Yeoh, renowned for her roles in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “American Born Chinese,” plays the enigmatic matriarch with ease. Her performance as the stern, secretive ‘Asian auntie’ is a delight to watch, bringing humor and intensity to scenes where she chastises her grown sons or outsmarts her captors
The familial dynamics in “The Brothers Sun” provide a surprisingly relatable emotional core to the series. Despite the criminal undertones and elaborate fight scenes, the Sun family deals with universal dilemmas: balancing personal aspirations with parental expectations, and navigating the complex give and take of family relationships. While the series doesn’t delve too deeply into the characters’ psychological scars, preferring to maintain a focus on their thrilling escapades, it still offers enough emotional depth to keep viewers empathetic towards the morally ambiguous Suns.
On this strong thematic groundwork, the series constructs a wild rollercoaster of criminal antics. While “The Brothers Sun” doesn’t carve out a completely unique style, it adeptly borrows elements from renowned influences like Edgar Wright, John Wick, and Jackie Chan, evident in its action sequences, rhythm, and humor. The show turns the predominantly Asian American San Gabriel Valley into a quirky criminal world, where everyday places double as fronts for illicit activities and hitmen might show up at a child’s party in inflatable dinosaur suits, adding a layer of eccentricity and unpredictability.
However, the blend of different tones in the series isn’t flawless. Later episodes tend to rely too much on predictable plot twists and sudden shifts in character motivations. While the Sun family is well-crafted, the secondary characters are hit or miss. Characters like the affable henchman Blood Boots stand out in brief appearances, while others, such as Charles’ love interest Alexis or Bruce’s friend TK, feel underdeveloped or serve as mere comic fodder. Not all the humor lands perfectly either; Bruce’s improv hobby, for instance, doesn’t evolve beyond its initial humorous juxtaposition with his gangster lineage.
Yet, even the show’s less steady moments are forgivable, seeming to stem from a genuine intent to entertain and engage. Interestingly, both Charles and Bruce share a love for simple pleasures, like the sweetness of baked goods or the laughter brought by comedy, reflecting the show’s own aim to provide straightforward enjoyment. In this way, “The Brothers Sun” mirrors its protagonists, focusing on delivering unadulterated pleasure to its audience.
