Come Drink With Me Much improved over the stereotypical hong kong action film, Come Drink with me is well stylized and acted, without devolving into the grotesque editing and plot excess typical to its brethren. While the action scenes do employ numerous quick cuts, they're almost always well framed even when jumping angles, and never confusing.
The plot is very simple, revolving around Golden Swallow's efforts to rescue her brother (and the governor's son), held captive for negotiations by a band of bandits whose leader was recently kidnapped. The only subplot revolves around a beggar named Drunken Cat and his former fellow student, the abbot of the temple harboring the bandits.
Its only real fault is the anticlimatic ending not being up to par with the rest of the film. 4 stars, not because the ending... mostly because it's entertaining, but never very involving.
Because of its terrific looks and the recent Shawscope remastering project, I'm praying for a DVD release, but if you're eager for a decent movie and don't mind VHS, this is certainly worth a rental or purchse.
A renowned HK costume adventure from the legendary King Hu COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) was directed by King Hu whose fanciful Hong Kong/Taiwan costumed swordplay films from the 1960s and 70s are often cited as an inspiration for Ang Lee's hit of 2000, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. This film stars Cheng Pei Pei as female swordfighter Golden Swallow who fights on behalf of the local governor (her father) against a group of rebel bandits, led by Jade-Faced Tiger, who have kidnapped his son (her brother). She is aided in her adventures by a drunken wanderer called "Drunken Knight" (Yue Hua), who is equally good with a sword, and whose guise may be a cover for other activities. The storyline is not always the clearest to follow, but it does feature abundant scenes of action and swordplay and culminates in a lengthy battle between Drunken Knight and his former teacher, a renegade monk called in to subdue him.
The Shaw Bros. film was shot on outdoor locations in Taiwan and exquisitely designed interior sets. It's all beautifully mounted and adorned with an original Chinese music score. The swordplay scenes are simpler and more stylized, in the manner of Chinese opera, than the hard-edged, bloody style of fights that would come into vogue just a few years later after the success of ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967). Cheng Pei Pei played the role of Golden Swallow again in Chang Cheh's GOLDEN SWALLOW (aka THE GIRL WITH THE THUNDERBOLT KICK, 1969), which co-starred Jimmy Wang Yu. The actress returned to the screen in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON to play Jade Fox, the evil swordplay teacher masquerading as a governess.
Come Drink With Me Come Drink With Me is a classic Shaw hit of the 60s. Not to be compared with the Venom or Master Killer flix of the late 70s & 80s. Although it's worth noting that the Lizard wasn't the 1st to scale walls. Check out baby in this flick. Also, Drunken Cat can definitely hang with Kou Choi in a wine tasting contest. Seriously, this is a great Shaw bros. flick. For serious collectors only.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
