Magnificent Butcher

Magnificent Butcher
Hong Kong film poster
Traditional	林世榮
Simplified	林世荣
Mandarin	Lín Shìróng
Cantonese	Lam4 Sai3 Wing4
Directed by	Yuen Woo-ping
Produced by	Raymond Chow
Written by	Edward Tang
Starring	Sammo Hung Kwan Tak-hing Yuen Biao Wei Pai Lee Hoi San Chiang Kam Fan Mei Sheng Fung Ging Man Fung Hak-on Max Lee
Music by	Chen Hsun Chi
Cinematography	Ma Koon-wah
Editing by	Peter Cheung Yiu-chung
Distributed by	Golden Harvest
Release date(s)	19 December 1979 (1979-12-19)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Gross revenue	HK $3,945,341.40

Magnificent Butcher
Traditional Chinese	林世榮
Simplified Chinese	林世荣
Literal meaning	"Lam Sai-wing"
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Lín Shìróng Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping Lam4 Sai3 Wing4

Magnificent Butcher (Chinese title: 林世榮; Lin shi rong) is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, starring Sammo Hung, Kwan Tak-hing, Yuen Biao, Wei Pai, Lee Hoi San, Chiang Kam, Fan Mei Sheng, Fung Ging Man, Fung Hak-on and Max Lee.

The film is based on the story of Lam Sai-wing, one of the students of the legendary Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. Sammo Hung plays "Butcher" Lam Sai-wing and Kwan Tak-hing plays Wong Fei-hung, a role he had played before in over 70 films. The film also features Hung's opera "brother" Yuen Biao as another of Wong Fei-hung's students, Leung Foon, a role he would reprise years later in the film Once Upon a Time in China along with Jet Li.

Magnificent Butcher was produced as Hung's attempt to duplicate the success of Jackie Chan's 1978 martial arts action comedy film Drunken Master, in which Chan plays Freddy Wong. Drunken Master heavily features the Beggar So character, who is also in Magnificent Butcher.

Yuen Siu Tien was his first choice for the role of Beggar So in this film. Later on, Yuen died of a heart attack before Magnificent Butcher's production began and was replaced by Fan Mei Sheng, which may have adversely affected the film's profit.

Plot

Lam Sai-wing (Sammo Hung), also known as Butcher Wing, is a student of Wong Fei-hung (Kwan Tak-hing). Butcher Wing's long-lost brother Lam Sai-kwong (Chiang Kam) comes to town with his beautiful bride Yuet Mei (Tang Jing). Ko Tai-hoi (Fung Hak-on), the son of Master Ko (Lee Hoi San), sees Yuet Mei and, lusting for her, abducts her. The abduction is witnessed by Master Ko's goddaughter Lan Hsing (JoJo Chan Kei-kei).

Wong Fei-hung goes out of town, and leaves Butcher Wing and the other disciples, including Leung Foon Yuen Biao and Chik (Wei Pai), to fend for themselves.

Sai-kwong assaults Tai-hoi, threatening to murder him if he doesn't free Yuet Mei. Butcher Wing arrives and witnesses Sai-kwong beating Tai-hoi. Not recognizing Sai-kwong, Butcher Wing stops him and drives him off. A despondent Sai-kwong decides to commit suicide but is saved by the wily drunkard Beggar So (Fan Mei Sheng), an old friend of Wong Fei-hung with equally good kung fu skills. Sai-kwong explains his situation to Beggar So. Beggar So confronts Tai-hoi, who claims that Butcher Wing took Yuet Mei. Beggar So confronts Butcher Wing, accusing him of abducting his brother's wife. Butcher Wing asks to meet this supposed brother of his. Beggar So introduces Butcher Wing to Sai-kwong, and they realize who each other are. Butcher Wing, Sai-kwong, and Beggar So realize that Tai-hoi still has Yuet Mei.

Lan Hsing attempts to rescue Yuet Mei but is caught by Tai-hoi, who holds Lan Hsing captive as well.

Butcher Wing and Beggar So unite and free Yuet Mei from Tai-hoi's clutches. They also free Lan Hsing, assuming that she's just another of Tai-hoi's captives and not realizing that she's Master Ko's goddaughter. She keeps her identity secret. They go to Butcher Wing's house. Butcher Wing unwittingly insults Lan Hsing, who decides to punish him. Beggar So drinks too much alcohol and loses consciousness. For the sake of inconveniencing Butcher Wing, Lan Hsing insists on staying at his house that night, claiming to be homeless and feigning an injury that leaves her unable to walk. She climbs into his bed. Beggar So awakens. Butcher Wing invites Beggar So out for more drinks to stop him from noticing that Lan Hsing is in Butcher Wing's bed, and they leave. Tai-hoi breaks into Butcher Wing's house and attempts to rape Lan Hsing. She resists, screaming, and while trying to silence her, Tai-hoi accidentally kills her. The murder is overheard by a passing night watchman. Tai-hoi flees, unknowingly leaving behind an identifying ring, which the night watchman finds.

Tai-hoi accuses Butcher Wing of the murder. Believing that Butcher Wing will take refuge at Po Chi Lam (Wong Fei-hung's school), Master Ko goes there with two of his students and destroys Po Chi Lam's sign. Leung Foon and Chik attack Master Ko and his students. Butcher Wing arrives during the fight, and Master Ko fatally injures him. Leung Foon and Chik take the dying Butcher Wing to Beggar So, who successfully treats his injuries and critiques his kung fu. Butcher Wing asking the old man to teach him how to improve his kung fu, he is made to undergo rigorous training.

The night watchman attempts to extort Tai-hoi, selling the ring back to him. Tai-hoi attempts to murder the night watchman, who flees. The night watchman encounters Sai-kwong and Yuet Mei and tells them that Tai-hoi was Lan Hsing's murderer. Tai-hoi then catches up and murders the night watchman and Sai-kwong. Yuet Mei escapes with the ring, which she gives to Butcher Wing. She tells him everything.

Later on, Butcher Wing was destroying Tai-hoi’s private party that Tai-hoi is holding on a rented boat, Butcher Wing walks in holding Sai-kwong's funeral tablet. However, Wing will murder Tai-hoi to avenge Sai-kwong, then attacks. Everyone but Tai-hoi flees, Tai-hoi fights back, but Butcher Wing proves himself the superior fighter, Tai-hoi tries to flee, but Butcher Wing stops Tai-hoi. Finally Tai-hoi begs for mercy, groveling on the floor and bowing to Sai-kwong's funeral tablet, Butcher Wing hit Tai-hoi’s head with the funeral tablet, and he died.

In the morning, Master Ko was upset about his son’s death and sets up Tai-hoi's funeral in the town square and waits for Butcher Wing, who will come that way, when Butcher Wing comes, Master Ko attempts to murder him, Butcher Wing fights back, using Tai-hoi's funeral tablet against Master Ko, that Master Ko breaks Tai-hoi’s funeral tablet, even more infuriated, Master Ko redoubles his attack, with help from Beggar So, Butcher Wing to defeat Master Ko into a submission, after the fight, Wong Fei-hung returns, the film ends with a joke as Wong Fei-hung prepares to punish Butcher Wing for incorrectly replacing Po Chi Lam's sign was turned upside down.

Cast

UK DVD cover

• Sammo Hung – Butcher Lam Sai-wing
• Kwan Tak-hing – Wong Fei-hung
• Yuen Biao – Leung Foon
• Wei Pai – Chik
• Lee Hoi San – Master Ko
• Billy Chan – Tai-hoi's friend #1
• Max Lee – Tai-hoi’s friend #2
• JoJo Chan Kei-kei – Lan Hsing
• Chiang Kam - Lam Sai-kwong
• Chung Fat – Wildcat
• Fan Mei Sheng – Beggar So
• Fung Hak-on – Ko Tai-hoi
• Fung Ging Man – Chess player
• Ho Pak-kwong – Blind man
• Lam Ching-ying – Killer with Fan
• Yuen Miu – Pole Man
• Lee Fung – Restaurant worker
• Sai Gwa-pau – Ah So
• Tang Jing – Yuet Mi
• Tsang Choh-lam – Night watchman

DVD release

On July 23, 2001, the DVD was released by Hong Kong Legends in the UK on Region 2.

See also

• Sammo Hung filmography
• Yuen Biao filmography
• Wong Fei-hung filmography

External links

• Magnificent Butcher at Hong Kong Cinemagic
• Magnificent Butcher at the Internet Movie Database
• Magnificent Butcher at AllRovi