The incomparable Sammo Hung stars in yet another, albeit lesser, retelling of the legend of Wong Fei-Hung (the legendary martial artist/societal icon that DRUNKEN MASTER and ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA were based upon). Sammo plays Butcher Wing, a chunky pork vendor who was one of Wong’s mischievous students, appropriately named the Magnificent Butcher. When Wong (Kwan Tak-Hing) leaves three of his best students (Sammo, Yuen Biao and Wei Pai) in charge of his school, while he scours the country for herbs, trouble immediately follows. In this case, it’s the rival Five Dragons Kung Fu school (led by the bearded Master Ko and his band of martial arts practitioners) that provide Butcher Wing and his friends with more they can handle.

First, Butcher Wing’s long lost (and equally rotund) brother and his wife return to town to look for Sammo, whom he hasn’t seen since childhood. Master Ko’s no-good con-artist son, Da Hoi, takes a liking to the brother’s young wife, and tries to con the couple by telling them that one of his men is his brother, Butcher Wing. The brother does not fall for the scam , but the lecherous Da Hoi has his men beat up the brother and kidnap his wife. Then, the cunning Da Hoi scams the gullible Butcher Wing into fighting his own brother, not realizing they are related (they haven’t seen each other since their childhood). So Butcher Wing gets the upper hand on his own brother, who then becomes so depressed (because he can’t find his brother and his wife has been kidnapped), that he decides to commit suicide. While trying to hang himself, the brother is rescued by a drunken, old Kung Fu master (Fan Siu Ming), who promises to help him rescue his kidnapped bride.

Da Hoi continues to manipulate Butcher Wing, and Da Hoi’s lies send Butcher Wing straight into combat with the old drunken master. While the old one teaches Butcher Wing the error of his ways, he informs him how Da Hoi has been using him. When Butcher Wing comes to his senses, the old master reunites the two brothers. Then, Butcher Wing and the old drunk master come up with idea, to break into the Five Dragon’s School, where Da Hoi has been keeping the brother’s wife hostage. The plan goes off without a hitch, and the duo not only rescue the wife, but Master Ko’s pretty stepdaughter as well (Butcher Wing thought she was a captive also, but in reality she was just tending to the wife). With Butcher Wing’s family reunited once, they all head out to a tavern to celebrate, except for Master Ko’s disgusted stepdaughter who stays behind.

But Da Hoi has been watching the reunion of the Wing brothers, and once they head for the tavern, Da Hoi breaks into Butcher Wing’s home. Da Hoi has lusted after his half-sister for years, and tonight, outside the safety of the Five Dragons School, he makes his move. Naturally, she is surprised and resists his advances by showing her own Kung-Fu skills. However, Da Hoi overpowers her and smothers her with a pillow, killing the poor young girl. The evil Da-Hoi concocts a plan to blame it on Butcher Wing, who was the one who abducted her from the Five Dragons School. When a drunken Butcher returns to his room from a night of celebration, he discovers the corpse in his bed. As he tries to compose himself, Da Hoi leads his angered father, Master Ko, and his top students into Butcher Wing’s home. The fat one barely escapes and the hunt is on. While Master Ko and his students hunt down Butcher Wing, Da Hoi tracks down the brother and brutally murders him. Now the stage is set for a fateful showdown between Butcher Wing and the Five Dragons School!

MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER features a great cast and some wonderful fight choreography sequences. Unlike many similar-themed old school classics, the film also has a light-hearted tone which amounts to much humor creeping into the narrative. The plot also tackles some heavy themes in human nature, like the abuse of power, the act of betrayal, and taking advantage of those who are weak or gullible. For instance, Butcher Wing is the driving element to the fights and deaths in the story, however, he believes is doing good and helping other people. It is only because he is easily duped by a cunning character that causes all the violence. Some of the other more dramatic or tragic moments seem to counteract the clowning around (like when two old Kung Fu masters duel with fountain pens), but director Yuen Woo Ping brings keeps the various plot elements and characters from straying.

Yuen Woo Ping went on to mainstream Hollywood fame with blockbusters like THE MATRIX. But he cut his teeth directing martial arts classics of the 70’s and 80’s (with the likes of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao). The director imbued MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER with some gravity-defying martial arts choreography. The combat scenes are done without the help of cables or wires—this is the real deal. Yuen Woo Ping showcases many styles of Kung Fu including Iron Fist, Cosmic Palm, No-Shadow Kick, and Drunken Boxing, and pays impeccable attention to detail in these martial arts forms. The editing and camera angles make the fights even more dynamic. The film also features some great performances by Sammo Hung, who plays Butcher Wing with childlike wonder. Fan Siu Ming is equally entertaining as the tattered and drunken old master, who despite being an alcoholic, has a good heart and head on his shoulders. Even Yuen Biao, in one of his earliest roles here, shows why he would become a leading man in the ensuing years. The villains are all capably played and the actors all give you reason to hate their characters.