Being transported back to 1870’s Chinatown felt pretty incredible; let me elaborate:
Last Thursday I attended an immersive event at General Lee’s celebrating the premiere of Cinemax’s newest original series: WARRIOR. The crime drama is set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. And since the show is based on Bruce Lee’s writings from his personal notebooks, it’s extremely gritty and action-packed. It premiered on April 5 to outstanding reviews.
Sidenote: they told Bruce Lee nobody would watch a show with an Asian-American as the lead, boy have times changed.
#WarriorMAX pic.twitter.com/HxybtcS4cu
— The Knockturnal (@_TheKnockturnal) April 17, 2019
The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who migrates from China to San Francisco to find his sister who he believes was kidnapped, and ends up becoming a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs. Throughout the night, there were tons of themed experiences: from the authentic Chinese dumplings, to the old fashioned cocktails. Things got a bit interesting when special guest, Shannon Lee, grabbed the mic. She expressed heartfelt stories from the past and optimistic predictions for what’s to come.
After a quick preview of episode 2, a fight broke out. Yep, that’s right! A full fledged 1870s Chinatown style fight (see video below). Of course, not a real one, this is Hollywood after all, but Bruce Lee would have been proud.
#WarriorMAX pic.twitter.com/XMeGUEH5Dz
— The Knockturnal (@_TheKnockturnal) April 17, 2019
As the night got closer to the end, a live DJ set from Bella Fiasco & a performance by 88Rising recording artist NIKI, kept all of the attendees going. I’m sure most if not all of them will be watching WARRIOR.
