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! :)

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.

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.

I sat down to watch "Big Brother" (aka "Dai si hing") because I am a big fan of Hong Kong cinema and usually Donnie Yen is in some pretty entertaining and action-filled movies.

Well, "Big Brother" was not your average Donnie Yen martial arts action movie. Sure there was fighting and martial arts in the movie, but it is nothing like his usual movies. He is trying to mature and branch out here with more dramatic acting and taking on a more wholehearted character that does more than just kick butt.

While "Big Brother" certainly was an entertaining movie, it just felt a little bit too forced and too sugar-coated. A former military man turning teacher and making it his sole mission to individually and personally see to it that each of his students pass class by any means necessary, even taking on MMA fighters in a locker room, just felt a little bit too cliché.

The martial arts and fighting in the movie was very nicely choreographed and equally so executed on the screen. This is a Donnie Yen movie after all, and he is usually spot on with these things. And so he is in "Big Brother" too.

It should be said that the acting performances in the movie were generally quite good all round for each performer in the movie, both main cast and supporting cast. One thing that was missing though, was more familiar and famous faces in the crowd.

"Big Brother" is by no means a redefining movie in the Hong Kong cinema. Actually it is a rather bland and generic movie, to be honest. And though it pains me to say, I think this movie will quietly fade into oblivion just as quietly as it managed to appear. Sure, fans of Donnie Yen will be familiar with its existence, but the rest of the audience might never know about it unless stumbling upon it by sheer, random luck.

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.