Come Drink with Me

Come Drink with Me (1966) : Brief Review -

The mother that gave birth to two different children: Drunken Master & Kill Bill! I had to use Drunken Master & Kill Bill's references because these two are quite popular films across the globe. Calling Come Drink with Me their mother is my style of giving you the exact idea of what the film is all about. It's considered one of the greatest Wuxia films ever made, but I haven't seen that kind of hype outside local markets yet. Hopefully, the picture will change soon because this film deserves it. If you like Drunken Master and Kill Bill, then there is no way you cannot dislike this film. It's got features of both films. It's got that one bad, one good pupil of a great master, with the bad one killing the master and the good one chasing him to take revenge. That's half of Drunken Master. Now, Kill Bill. Tarantino redefined female-led action cinema with his cult film, but wait. King Hu did it 5 decades ago. We have a leading lady as the martial arts and swords master, and what a charming one! Cheng Pei-pei looks absolutely beautiful, and the "Golden Swallow" swag is next-level stuff for the 60s, or even today. You'll not see such a heroic entry scene and opening action sequence for any lady ever! To best that, we have another master above her, and in one scene, she falls at his feet. What a great buildup for that man. From Begger to Drunken Hero and that action scene when he saves Ms. Zheng was a total knockout. Liao Kung's intervention seems a bit dull. I expected a better faceoff and battle scene between Fan and Lioa, but at last it was done somewhat decently. What happens to Tiger? Zheng should have killed him if there was one more scene. Unfortunately, it's not there. Nonetheless, King Hu's martial arts film is still very much ahead of its time and has definitely left many footprints for others to follow over the years. Don't ask; it's recommended. A big YES.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Shaw Brothers. Shaw Brothers. Shaw Brothers. We meet again.

Okay, so one day I was sitting around browsing the internet, and I thought to myself, "Hmm, why don't I download a bunch of Asian films to watch later?" Just in case you haven't already guessed, this was one of them. After watching several of the others, I finally decided to sit down to this one. The reason this one caught my eye is because it starred the lovely Pei-pei Cheng, who you may know from "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", where she played the not-so-lovely Jade Fox. Those of you who know me know I love watching women kick some ass in movies, and this was a Shaw Brothers film on top of that, so I just HAD to get up in that.

Yeah, it was pretty damn cool. Those of you who have to have some sort of deep plot and spellbinding visuals in every film you watch probably wouldn't get a whole lot out of this, but I have an open mind and this is my kind of film, so I instantly took a liking to it. Pei-pei Cheng was fascinating to watch and undeniably beautiful. She just has that sort of presence that draws you to her. Whenever she wasn't on screen, the movie definitely felt lacking in my eyes, but thankfully, she's on screen pretty darn often considering she's the main character. The fight choreography was obviously impressive, and there were some brutal scenes that will likely stay with me for a while, such as when a young apprentice is cruelly murdered in cold blood. For being as old as it is, this is also a very fast-paced film. Sure, there are some slow spots - not that they bothered me - but it's constantly moving forward, which made it all the more engaging. The story itself is solid for this type of film, but nothing too surprising. The print I saw had very good visual and audio quality, which was nice. Great, now I'm just stalling to make the review longer.

Well, it's simply a good film. I wasn't blown away, but I enjoyed it about as much as I'm capable of enjoying a martial arts film from the 60's these days. The fights alone are worth the price of admission, so if you haven't already seen this, what the hell have you been watching lately?

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.

Beautifully shot early Kung Fu movie.

The fight choreography is primitive and lacks the excitement and creativity of later martial arts movies, but overall the movie delivers.

Has all the classic characters. Drunken hobo, wandering bounty hunter, evil Abbot, and ghostfaced villain.

Worth watching.

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.