Well Go USA
Presents
Big Brother
Directed by Kam Ka-Wai
Hong Kong, 2018, 101 minutes
Big Brother, a rather different film vehicle for action star Donnie Yen, debuts on Blu-ray and DVD today, May 21st from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since April 16th.) My review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.
Here Yen stars as Henry Chan, a former soldier who manages to secure a position teaching a class of problematic teenage delinquents. His unconventional approach, which includes caring involvement with his students' lives outside the classroom, proves surprisingly effective. The reasons for his taking the job and caring so much become apparent as Chan's back story is gradually revealed over the course of the film.
Think of the movie as a Chinese version of the 1967 film To Sir, with Love, which starred Sidney Poitier as a teacher of troubled white students from the slums of London's East End. Only Big Brother, since it stars Donnie Yen, has a couple of ass-kicking action sequences that feature Yen taking on both multiple and individual opponents.
Disc Specs:
-- Audio
-- Cantonese DTS-HDMA 5.1
-- Cantonese Stereo
-- Subtitles
-- English
-- Chinese
-- Off
-- Bonus
-- Trailer A
-- Trailer B
-- US Trailer
-- Previews
-- Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
-- Golden Job
-- Triple Threat
AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; while not your typical Donnie Yen film, it's a touching "feel-good" film with some nice action scenes.
