The Shaw Brothers studio was a seminal Hong Kong movie studio – particularly in the 60’s and 70’s. Its films were especially influential in the Hong Kong martial arts genre. Come Drink With Me is the first movie from one of their best-known directors, King Hu. Directors Quentin Taratino (Kill Bill), Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China) , and Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) all consider Come Drink With Me an influence on their work. The movie was originally released in 1965 and is part of a number of Shaw Brothers movies now being re-released on DVD. While the film may be a seminal film, it is starting to show its age after all these years.
Pei-pei Chen plays the Golden Swallow, a government agent. She is also the governor’s daughter. Her brother has been captured by bandits. They want to trade the governor’s son for their leader, who was imprisoned by the governor. Golden Swallow tracks the bandits to a Buddhist temple. Here she faces off against the bandits and their second in command, Sleek Face (Hung Leigh Chun ). She easily beats the majority of the bandits, but is nearly defeated by Sleek Face. Through the help of a beggar named Drunken Cat (Hua Yueh) she is able to escape.
But Drunken Cat is more than he appears, he is actually a martial arts master from the Green Wand Martial Arts School. His master was killed by his brother in the Green Wand, Abbott Liao Kong (Chih-Ching Yang). Liao Kong killed the master so he could take his place. Drunken Cat refuses to acknowledge him as Master of the Green Wand. He will not fight him, however because of kindness Liao Kong has done him in the past. Drunken Cat agrees to help Golden Swallow get her brother back. The movie ends with climatic showdowns between both Golden Swallow and the bandits, and Drunken Cat and Liao Kong.
But nobody really cares about the story of martial arts movie. What is really important is the action and whether there are some funny, cheesy parts. The action in Come Drink With Me is decent, though not up to par with today’s standards. The fights are not as big and the martial artists are not as skilled as they usually are now. When someone is hit with a sword or a dagger, it is often clearly faked by camera angles. But a few times, a good amount of blood gushes and that adds to the scene’s energy.
There are a few memorable sequences and the pacing is decent. At the temple Golden Swallow fights through a horde of bandits, this sequence clearly inspired Kill Bill. The last fight is on a pond while the wind swirls around and huts fall apart. The elements up the level of intensity. There are few lulls in action in the movie. It has a more even pace than many modern martial art films.
The characters are not deep; they are mainly just different archetypes. The wise humble beggar, the strong women hero, and the cruel effeminate gang leader are all present. But they are played well and offer some amusing moments. Sleek Face’s arrogance when he hits on Golden Swallow in the temple is too ridiculous to take seriously. There are a few cuss words in the movie that are funny because they seem out of place.
This movie does not really hold up all that well. It is an okay movie, but not one you would go to if you are looking for awesome fight scenes. It is of more interest to fans of Hong Kong cinema history.
