WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, in theaters now.
In Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Tommy Arashikage (Andrew Koji) steals the show. And it’s not because Snake Eyes is poorly done; it’s just that Tommy resonates a lot more emotionally, which adds depth to his character. But while Tommy kicks it up a gear by embracing the Storm Shadow within in the film’s finale, Koji has already been a deadlier rogue through Warrior’s Ah Sahm.
Tommy’s all about honor, respect, loyalty and family, which is why he eventually breaks bad. And while Ah Sahm’s journey has all those components as well, there’s a bit more to it. There have been two seasons of Warrior thus far, but despite it being canceled, it’s been resurrected at HBO Max due to its popularity, and how Ah Sahm stands out is a major part of that.
In Warrior, Ah Sahm’s in San Francisco after coming over from China in the late 1800s to find his sister, Mai Ling. However, he ends up infiltrating a gang, similar to how Snake Eyes sneaks his way into the Arashikage. But instead of breaking Father Jun’s tong up, Ah Sahm becomes a gangster in a chess game to see which gang will gain full control. It’s a lot of politics with other tongs, such as his sister’s Long Zii and the savage Fung Hai jostling for power as they all deal drugs, run brothels and engage in illicit trade. And as such, Ah Sahm runs into all kinds of enemies, wielding knives, billy clubs and guns, and also has to fend off the cops and Irish thugs who are all part of the corrupt web that started in the mind of Bruce Lee.
In fact, Ah Sahm’s based on Lee, mimicking his style as he’s thrown into various street fights where he has to adapt, moving from martial arts to bare-knuckle brawls to wrestling at times. His journey even takes him to Mexico to face various fighters in a tournament similar to Mortal Kombat, and the fact he doesn’t rely on weapons and tech really allows Koji to, well, prove he’s a warrior. This isn’t to knock the actor’s performance as Storm Shadow, but Ah Sahm not using instruments of death while trying to take Mai Ling home and maintaining a facade to play all the tongs has more dimensions to it.
From daytime fights to nighttime alley brawls, Warrior packs a lot in, but there’s still a lot of passion, with almost every fight feeling meaningful and purposeful. Storm Shadow’s style is more style than substance, evidence by the ancient relic he’s using to incinerate opponents, but with Ah Sahm, it’s more brains than brawn, with his body being an extension of a deadly spirit within. The fact Ah Sahm also disowns his sister and the idea of family connects to how Tommy abandons the Arashikage, but in Ah Sahm’s case, as he loses himself to the darkness, he feels more unbeatable than Tommy ever could.
To see how Storm Shadow compares to Ah Sahm, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is now in theaters and will be available to stream on Paramount+ 45 days after its theatrical release.
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