Review of The Magnificent Butcher (1979) by Richard C — 23 Feb 2013

The rotund butcher student of Wong Fei Hung (Kwan Tak0Hing), Lam sai-Wing (Sammo Hung) finds himself in trouble with Master Ko (Lee Hoi San), head of the rival Five Dragons School, after he inadvertedly beats up one of its members. At first this results in little more than tit-for-tat skirmishes with Ko's son, Foon (Yuen Biao) but when his Goddaughter is kidnapped, an all out conflict erupts between the two houses.

Combining slap-stick humour with agile fight scnes, director Yuen Woo-ping serves up a generous portion of highly entertaining Kung Fu cinema. Starring two of the legandary "Three Brothers" ( the other being Jackie Chan), both Hung and Biao are mesmorising as they chop, kick and slap their way through the numerous set-pieces. The choreography throughout is executed with style by all cast members and mixes amazing athleticism with cheeky (albeit cheesy) gags. The play may take something of a back seat at times but then when you are watching martial arts performed at such a high level you tend not to notice. Even the over-exuberant cracking sound-effect that accompanies every high speed move seems somehow appropriate.

Magnificent Butcher will never be mistaken for high art but then the sole purpose of titles like this is to showcase the deft skills of those performing and to draw a chuckle or two from its audience. Thankfully it achieves both and should leave fans of Asian cinema seeking out more of Sammo and all's back catalogue. Highly recommend.