Wu Assassins brings together tonnes of action, a compelling storyline, mystical powers, and martial arts. What's not to love? And that's why, if you start watching, you'll probably find yourself binging on the entire season. So what is Wu Assassins about?
Kai is a chef living in Chinatown in San Francisco. Unlike a number of his friends, Kai has no interest or involvement in the Triad, led by Uncle Six (Byron Mann). He, as you will soon discover, is also Kai's surrogate Father, having rescued him when he was a small boy.
Then two significant things happen. Firstly, Kai unwittingly gets involved in a triad argument, and secondly, he encounters a mystical spirit and reluctantly becomes the Wu Assassin. The Wu Assassin is the spiritual embodiment of a thousand monks who must stop deadly ancient powers known as the ‘Wu Xing.
Those powers are part of five different Wu Lords or modern criminals, each of whom possesses the power of either fire, wood, earth, metal or water. Kai must now embrace his new powers and track down and kill each of the Wu Lords who are trying to destroy the world.
There are some real plusses to Wu Assassins. Firstly, it also stars Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) as an undercover detective. She, like all of the female cast, is pretty badass and her fight scenes are incredible. The plot is also very engaging, though the script itself is a little basic. I get the impression that the show relies heavily on the action, which is there in abundance.
Acting-wise, Kai (Iko Uwais) is a little stilted. But let's be clear, he's not there because of his acting prowess. Iko Uwais is a spectacular fighter and his martial art scenes and fights are so well choreographed that you will soon forget that ‘Kai' is a little wooden. Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat 2021) is great, in fact, all of the fight scenes are masterful. Forget nonsense like Iron Fist, to which Wu Assassins will undoubtedly be compared. This is the real deal.
Overall Wu Assassins is compelling and addictive and if the fight scenes don't leave you breathless, nothing will.
