'Warrior': Cinemax's series follows the secret society of the Tongs as they battled for territory and control in Chinatown
Based on the writings of Bruce Lee, Cinemax's 'Warrior' is bringing back the American-Chinese society's secret history of gambling, prostitution, and opium. With an extremely clever storyline projected through wide frames and dubious characters, 'Warrior' is one show which is defying every unnecessary convention that had been held by Hollywood for so long.
Through a cast, chiefly led by skillful Asian actors, 'Warrior' tells us the story about Ah Sahm (played by Andrew Koji), a newly arrived Chinese immigrant with some serious fighting skills, who finds himself thrust in the midst of the Tong Wars. While creator Jonathan Tropper puts Ah Sahm as the representational face of the reckless existence of the society, the Tong Wars soon take up the center stage and quickly become one of the chief characters on the show. So what were the Tong Wars?
At its core, the Tong Wars were nothing different than the street gang rivalry which we have seen in shows like BBC One's 'Peaky Blinders'. Rich mafia families trying to cut off each others' roots in order to establish their total rule upon the land, but when it comes to the Tong Wars, there is one extremely significant element playing here. These wars, unlike the gang brawls in 'Peaky Blinders', are being fought by immigrants on foreign soil. In that case, a more appropriate reference to the Tong Wars could be given through the Order of Elks, which was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1899, after two black men were denied admission to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, the then highly discriminatory religious body.
