The 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
Music by	Frankie Chan
Cinematography	Ma Koon-wah
Edited by	Peter Cheung
Production company	Golden Harvest Productions
Distributed by	Golden Harvest
Release date	19 December 1979 (1979-12-19)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Box office	HK $3,945,341.40

Magnificent Butcher (Chinese: 林世榮) is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Sammo Hung, Kwan Tak-hing, Yuen Biao, and Wei Pai

The film is based on the story of Lam Sai-wing, one of the students of the legendary Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. 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 '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 Wong Fei-hung. Drunken Master heavily features the Beggar So character, who is also in Magnificent Butcher.

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 (Tong Ching). Ko Tai-hoi (Fung Hak-on), the son of Master Ko (Lee Hoi-sang), sees Yuet-mei and, lusting for her, abducts her. The abduction is witnessed by Master Ko's goddaughter Lan-hsing (JoJo Chan).

Wong Fei-hung goes out of town, and leaves Butcher Wing and the other disciples, including Leung Foon Yuen Biao and Chat (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.