Big Brother (2018) - A Review

 

Big Brother is a surprisingly sweet movie!

Big Brother is a martial arts/action/drama film released in Hong Kong in 2018. The film stars Donnie Yen, Lok Ming-kit, Bruce Tong, Chris Tong, Gordon Lau, Gladys Li, Joe Chen, and Yu Kang. The movie was directed by Kam Ka-wai, with action choreography by Koji Kawamoto and the Donnie Yen Stunt Team.

In Big Brother, Donnie Yen plays Henry Chan, a man with a mysterious past who becomes a teacher. Since he is inexperienced in teaching (this is his first teaching job), the principal gives him the 'problem' class. This class is filled with misfits and trouble makers. At first they treat him pretty disrespectfully, but he eventually wins them over. He gets to know the students and helps them with their personal problems. He even begins to have a little something going on with a fellow reserved teacher (played by Chen).

After Henry helps a student out at an MMA event's locker room, he becomes very popular on campus. His students find out his backstory from another school official, and are amazed. Unfortunately, two students' problems affect him in very different ways. One's problem causes him to lose his job, and the other causes him and his class to deal with a mob boss! Henry's past actions come back to haunt him...

This movie is quite nice! It has a surprisingly sweet story. It deals with teaching the students through getting to know them, as opposed to only teaching them to pass exams. We see how the focus on getting good grades and passing exams affects the students in a negative way. Really interesting aspect to this movie! Henry Chan fights the system without fighting the system.

Donnie Yen plays one cool teacher.

It is very cool to see Donnie Yen in a role like this. He really knows how to play a cool, humble, chill, teacher. It is nice to see his character get so involved in his students' lives. I think it would be amazing to attend the classes he teaches! Also great that he doesn't act tough at all when he's with his students or at the school. No one suspects what he's capable of, so it's a shock when the school finds out! I hope we see more of this character; I think there are more stories you could tell about him.

The class is full of lovable misfits.

The students are likable in this, and you feel for them as they deal with their problems. Henry is able to help them all out, but he has trouble with one (which he is unaware of). You see them act so rude to him at first, and as they find out more about him (and themselves), they treat him with reverence. I will say, you may get emotional in certain scenes! The kid actors are very good and believable as well. It was cool to see Billy Lau play one of the students' father. I love that guy! Joe Chen as Leung Wing-sum, an honors teacher at the school who is interested in Henry, is amazing. She is just the cutest.

Donnie Yen doesn't play around in the fight scenes!

Even though Big Brother is a sweet movie, it has some hard-hitting fight scenes! The fight scene in the MMA locker room is wild. Donnie Yen is just throwing dudes into lockers and through wooden benches. You even see some of his patented MMA grappling in this scene. It's a fun fight scene! The final fight scenes are good as well! He takes on triad thugs at the school, and their boss in a classroom! Donnie and the boss just wreck that classroom! They take some brutal falls on the desks as well. It's a really good fight! I will say, there are only two fight scenes in this movie, but they are very good.

All in all, I recommend Big Brother! It's a sweet, feel good movie with hard-hitting fight scenes. Donnie Yen should be proud of this movie. If you like To Sir With Love and you like martial arts fights, then I think you would like this!

Reviewed by David Williams