Big Brother

I went into the theatres expecting a full fledge martial arts movie, but I got more than that. The movie totally blew my expectations away, as Big Brother touches on gender equality, racism and more importantly the flaws in today's education system. The role a teacher plays in his/her students' lives, to inspire and motivate.

Reminds me of the hit Bollywood film, 3 idiots, but with more action scenes.

Have not seen a movie that brings out so many positive messages for a Long time.

Also was not expecting to go into the cinema to see so many people wiping their tears during the movie - a very touching movie with comedic elements and incredible action sequences. A movie with a lot of heart and effort, and deserves to be applauded.

Definitely recommended to be watched in theatres! :)

Overall the movie is predictable and pretty ordinary. But it was also refreshing to see Donnie Yen in this role. I am certain as he ages he can't go around beating up the world.

I liked the family elements in this film, which are universal. I think they did a decent job of exploring various difficulties that many families struggle with.

I found this change of pace to be refreshing versus a never ending conveyor belt of Asian martial arts films.

A favorite of mine is "Eat Drink Man Woman"

Anyway, if all you want is martial arts, you won't find much of it here, some, but not much. If you want to see how we all are the same no matter what language we speak and we face the same challenges, you might enjoy this film.

Big Brother is a highly entertaining movie that mixes social drama with some martial arts action elements. The movie tells the story of a veteran with a troubled past who comes back to his former Hong Kong high school to work there as a social science teacher. The school faces several problems such as reduced funds, obsolete infrastructures and difficult students. The protagonist uses quite unusual strategies to help his students and invests a lot of energy and time to solve their individual problems. While he soon gets along with his students, his colleagues and the principal are quick to criticize him and Henry Chen soon realizes that being a teacher might become his biggest challenge yet.

Donnie Yen's latest movie is so efficient because it combines social drama and action scenes in a very balanced way. The plot is quite mature, profound and serious. The occasional fight scenes offer welcome breaks from the intense content. The film convinces with intriguing characters that have troubled pasts. Viewers will connect with the war veteran who was everything but an obedient student, his former friend and antagonist who wasn't given the chance to realize his dreams and especially the students who have serious problems such as poverty, criminality and addictions. The film comes around with life-affirming, optimistic and positive message that are truly inspiring, especially if you are a student or teacher yourself.

Some people might criticize that this film features less spectacular fights than other movies starring Donnie Yen but this reduced and realistic approach suits the film very well. Other people might argue that such an intense social drama would be better off without any big fights at all but the serious content is much easier to digest with these vivid sequences. Big Brother leaves the trodden path, tries out an unusual combination of genres and succeeds almost perfectly to my very positive surprise.

If you like social dramas and martial arts films, you will adore this movie that turns out being one of the best in Donnie Yen's impressive career. The content, messages and vibe of the movie will make you think even long after the movie is over. Big Brother is a film for your body, brain and heart and one of the most positive surprises of the year.

Just like Michelle Pfeiffer's Dangerous Minds, this is a story about a person who wants to bring change in a school. The only difference is Donnie Yen can fight. The movie also address the typical asian school system and how asian students deal with it. Although the general plot is very predictable, the issues are real.

The story line was repeated by many similar movies before and also very predictable but nevertheless, it's still a good movie worth watching at home over a bluray or DVD. There are a few very touching scenes which would make you shed some tears as well. But if you are expecting lots of kungfu or martial art movie, then this is not the one as actions are secondary in this movie.