You’re probably thinking about the reality show. Everyone does. But if you grew up browsing the "World Cinema" shelves of a Blockbuster or spent too much time on early 2000s torrent sites, the Big Brother 2007 film—actually titled Dou fap in Cantonese or Invisible Target—is likely burned into your brain for entirely different reasons. We aren't talking about cameras in a house. We're talking about Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, and Wu Jing basically trying to kill each other for two hours.
It's a relic. A loud, sweaty, glass-shattering relic of a time when Hong Kong action was desperately trying to prove it still had teeth after the 1997 handover and the subsequent "brain drain" of talent to Hollywood.
Directed by Benny Chan, the guy who gave us New Police Story, this movie is basically a love letter to the era of practical stunts. Honestly, the plot is secondary to the fact that these actors were genuinely putting their bodies on the line. You've got Nicholas Tse jumping off buildings without a stunt double, which was his "thing" back then. It's reckless. It's loud. It’s exactly what an action movie should be.
Why the Big Brother 2007 Film (Invisible Target) Stood Out
The mid-2000s were weird for HK cinema. The industry was caught between the gritty realism of Infernal Affairs and the high-flying wirework of the 90s. Then came this movie. It didn't want to be "smart" in the way a Scorsese-clone might be. It wanted to break things.
Basically, the story follows three cops who are all traumatized or pissed off for different reasons. Nicholas Tse plays Detective Chan Chun, a guy whose fiancée was killed in a botched armored car robbery. He's a loose cannon. Then you have Shawn Yue, the arrogant hotshot, and Jaycee Chan (yes, Jackie’s son), who plays the moral compass of the group.
They’re up against a gang of mercenaries led by Wu Jing. If you only know Wu Jing from the Wolf Warrior movies or The Wandering Earth, you’re missing out on his "villain era." In this Big Brother 2007 film, he is a terrifying force of nature. He doesn't just fight; he dismantles people.
The Stunts That Almost Killed the Lead
Nicholas Tse is a maniac.
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In one specific scene, he gets hit by a bus. Then he falls through several layers of corrugated iron roofing. He did this for real. Because of his history of doing his own stunts, most insurance companies in Hong Kong actually refused to cover him at the time, much like they did with Jackie Chan. This gives the movie a texture that modern CGI-heavy blockbusters like The Avengers just can't replicate. When a character hits a table, you see the wood splinter in a way that feels dangerously close to the actor's face.
The choreography was handled by Li Chung-Chi, a long-time member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. You can feel that lineage. It's messy. It’s fast.
The Wu Jing Factor: A Villain Who Outshines the Heroes
Let's be real: the cops are fine, but Wu Jing is why you stay.
He plays Tien Yeng-seng, the leader of the Ronin gang. He’s looking for a haul of stolen cash that was taken from them during a double-cross. What makes his performance in this Big Brother 2007 film so effective is the sheer speed of his movement. There’s a rooftop chase where he’s hunting the three protagonists, and it feels like a horror movie. He’s not a guy you can beat with a lucky punch.
The final showdown in the police headquarters is twenty minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos. Glass everywhere. Fire. Wu Jing kicking people through walls.
It’s interesting to look back on this now. Today, Wu Jing is the face of Chinese cinematic nationalism. But in 2007? He was the ultimate "final boss" of Hong Kong action. He had this wiry, lethal energy that made the stakes feel genuine. You actually worried for the lead actors.
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A Masterclass in Practical Effects
Benny Chan was a director who understood "weight."
When a car flips in this movie, it doesn't look like a digital asset rotating on an axis. It looks like two tons of steel hitting asphalt. The explosion at the beginning of the film—the one that kicks off the whole plot—is massive. It feels like the camera operators were probably sweating.
The film's color palette is also very "2007." It has that high-contrast, slightly desaturated look that screams post-matrix action cinema. It’s grimy. It’s blue and orange before that became a lazy trope.
Why It Still Matters Today
People still search for the Big Brother 2007 film because it represents the end of an era. Shortly after this, the industry shifted. Co-productions with Mainland China became the norm, and the "Category III" grit of old-school HK action started to soften to pass censors and appeal to wider audiences.
Invisible Target was one of the last "pure" HK action spectacles that felt like it had something to prove.
It’s not perfect. The runtime is a bit long—nearly over two hours—and the melodrama can get a bit thick. Jaycee Chan’s character is sometimes a bit too "innocent" to believe in a world this violent. But these are nitpicks. When the fighting starts, the movie is undeniable.
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Misunderstandings About the Title
A lot of confusion comes from the international naming conventions. In some regions, it was marketed with titles that made it sound like a generic crime thriller. In others, fans confused it with the Big Brother reality franchise or even the later Donnie Yen film of the same name (which came out in 2018).
But if you’re looking for the 2007 version, make sure you’re looking for the one with the blue poster of three guys walking away from an explosion. That’s the one. That’s the "Big Brother" of action cinema from that year.
How to Experience This Movie Now
If you want to dive into this specific era of cinema, you shouldn't just watch it as a standalone. It’s part of a broader movement. To really "get" why this movie was a big deal, you have to see it as the bridge between the 90s legends and the modern era.
- Look for the Blu-ray Remaster: The DVD versions of this film were often poorly compressed. The rooftop fight scene has so much movement that it turns into a pixelated mess on low-quality streams. Find a high-bitrate version.
- Watch it for Wu Jing’s Footwork: Specifically, pay attention to the way he uses his environment. He doesn't just use his fists; he uses chairs, glass shards, and even his opponents' own momentum. It’s a masterclass in screen fighting.
- Compare it to "New Police Story": Watch these two Benny Chan films back-to-back. You’ll see how he evolved from traditional police procedurals into these high-octane "urban war" movies.
- Listen to the Sound Design: The punches in this movie sound like gunshots. It’s stylized, sure, but it adds to the visceral impact of the stunts.
The Big Brother 2007 film isn't going to win any awards for deep philosophical writing. It’s not Citizen Kane. But as a document of physical performance and high-stakes stunt work, it’s basically essential viewing for anyone who claims to love action movies.
Honestly, they just don't make them like this anymore. The risk-to-reward ratio for actors doing these kinds of stunts is too skewed now. Why jump off a building when you can do it in front of a green screen? Nicholas Tse and Wu Jing gave us an answer in 2007: because the audience can tell the difference. They can feel the gravity.
Go find a copy. Turn the volume up. Ignore your phone for two hours. It’s worth it.