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.

It's hard to think of a martial arts star with the lasting power and sheer magnitude of films to their credit as Donnie Yen. The name might not be all that familiar to some but to fans of the genre he's a legend. He's starred or been involved in films like IRON MONKEY, BLADE 2, SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, HERO, XXX:THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE and the IP MAN movies. He's not only an amazing martial artists but an amazing actor as well. All of that comes together in BIG BROTHER.

Yen plays Henry Chen, an ex-military man who signs up to be a teacher at a school in trouble. Teaching a liberal studies class he arrives on his first day to find that his students are among the worst the school has to offer. They ignore his call to class, cook and sell food in the classroom, play music instead of listening and more. Chen knows that standard teaching disciplines won't work with this group. He needs an in.

To do so he begins to learn about each of the students in his group. He reads up their files, goes to their homes and we watch as he gathers information about a few of these supposed malcontents. What he finds is hardship in their lives from financial problems to family issues. Using the information he forms a method of reaching out to the kids to help them develop an interest in learning.

All of this may sound like the standard formula film about troubled youths and accessible teachers and in some ways it is. But this isn't a normal teacher or scholar. We learn that Chen has a past with the school having once been a troubled student there himself. Couple that with his background after he left the school and joined the military and this is no normal teacher.

One of this student in particular, Jack (Jack Lok),has financial problems and works for a Triad running errands. Knowing this will lead to nothing but heartache for the boy's grandmother who works hard to support the two of them, he tries to get Jack to leave the group. When Jack is caught drugging the water of an MMA fighter at the instruction of his boss, Chen comes to his aid displaying a fighting skill Jack was unaware of. He rescues the boy but incurs the wrath of his boss, a man who has plans to make the school fail so he can tear it down in a real estate deal. The only way to stop this is for the students to succeed.

So the movie may sound like a cliché, it may sound like a half dozen other films using the same themes, but it is entertaining from start to finish. A pure sign of that is the fact I never once felt like I needed the remote in my hand to get past the boring parts. The whole film was a blast.

It was also nice to see Yen moving into a role that required him to do more than just throw fist and jump in the air. Sure, he's been able to show his acting skills in previous films but many movie goers are unwilling to accept the performances displayed in martial arts period dramas. This one places him in a current setting with current problems and he handles the role well.

The movie ends with the potential for a sequel and that would be a good thing. With a nice story, solid acting and a message that delivers it might be a good thing to see this one carry on. It deserves as much attention and the more violent pictures that Yen makes. I'm glad to see him stretching out and making films like this. More power to him.

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.