Come Drink with Me

The Shaw Brothers studio was known for pumping out martial arts epic after martial arts epic during its heyday in the 1970s. These films were known for their sumptuous costumes and set design, their electrifying fight scenes packed with expert choreography and gallons of gore...I could go on. COME DRINK WITH ME is an early example of the genre, following on from TEMPLE OF THE RED LOTUS and sowing the seeds of what was to come.

It's fair to say that COME DRINK WITH ME is a little dated compared to later Shaw vehicles, but it's still a worthwhile film. It's just that the fighting style is a little more simplistic than we're used to, the performances a little more mannered. Nonetheless, Cheng Pei-Pei still cuts the mustard as the skilled swordswoman, and the range of foes up against her remain entertaining to the end.

The film has a few slow spots in the plotting and some extraneous moments, but it looks so good on a visual level, with excellent set design and costumes, that you just don't care. There are a wealth of strong performers in the supporting cast, including Yueh Hua's drunken sidekick, and fans of '80s-era Hong Kong cinema may spot the instantly recognisable Mars back when he was a child actor. Watch COME DRINK WITH ME to see where the martial arts and wuxia genres began.

Even if this film goes way back in time (back to 1966) this film is very well shot indeed.

And from what I have heard this was the film that kind of set the standard for future kung fu flix in this particular style. Flying ppl, big battles and beautiful action style.

No need to really lay so much upon the story on what happens in it. as it can be read on the main page.. but I do wanna announce that if you wanna get this one on DVD you should look for the re-mastered version released/made by the Asian company Celestial Pictures/ IVL (Intercontinental Video Limited)

They have done a great job in shaping up this film.. so ti more or less looks like it could have been produced today.

Also comes with lots of Xtras like interviews with the cast and other fun stuff.

Well worth having in your collection

Unintentionally hilarious English subtitles and occasionally clumsy editing aside (consider it part of the charm), Come Drink with Me is a fun, old-fashioned martial arts romp. The story is simple. A gang of bandits kidnap the son of a governor, in a bid to exchange him for their captured and soon to be executed leader. Golden Swallow, a fierce (and pretty) warrior and sister to the captured man, comes to free him. Lots of sword-fighting ensues. Oh, and she's aided by a beggar known alternatively as the Drunken Cat and the Drunk Hero, which is cool for reasons that surely don't have to be explained. 

If you enjoyed other Shaw Brothers films, Come Drink with Me will be a pretty sure bet for you. Maybe the fights aren't as satisfying compared to the complex choreography of today's martial arts epics, but it's got a classic charm that some will eat up. And many of the most revered martial arts movies of today were clearly influenced by what was done here.

If this film had been released in America in the year of its production, 1966, or the year afterward, I guarantee that the rave for Hong Kong action films would have surfaced then, and not 1972 (and on) with "5 fingers of death" and "fist of fury". And it would not just have happened among young men (the principle audience for the 'fu film in the '70s), but among Hollywood veterans as well, which would have begun a trend to introduce Hong Kong methods - and professionals - into Hollywood itself.

because this film is dam' well made. The film looks as though King Hu spent hours watching and analyzing George Steven's accomplishment in "Shane", and then figuring out how to do Stevens 'one better' so to speak, and yet maintain his film's appeal to his base audience in Hong Kong and other Chinese communities.

So what we have here is part 'adult western', part 'chinese opera' and all adventure movie from start to finish.

And this is not for kids - and I'm not referring to the violence. The subtle humor of the dialog, the maturity of the acting, the wisdom of the ethical problems raised and of their resolutions, these are for adults to enjoy, and then later to ponder. When the hero stabs a villain, and the villain's blood gushes over the hero's face, this is a brutal reminder of just how serious a violent choice - i.e., the choice to engage in violence, however noble the cause - really is. - A question the film takes seriously, as any good film would.

Very well made, cleverly written, with strong performances from all. A real gem.

Cheng Pei-Pei was the Michelle Yeoh of the Sixties. A stunning action star who was as cold as ice in a fight. In this film she takes on around 40 or 50 guys and still manages to keep her cool. Seeing her two-fisted sword technique as the Golden Swallow is well worth the price of admission.