There really is something to be said about "Come Drink with Me," the landmark martial arts wuxia (Chinese martial arts fantasy film) film directed in 1966 by the late King Hu, produced by the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, and starring the then-19-year-old Hong Kong actress Cheng Pei-pei (who would later gain worldwide recognition 34 years later in 2000 for her work as the villain-ess Jade Fox in Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon").
Mind you all, "Come Drink with Me" was released five years before Bruce Lee's first big martial arts splash hit "Fists of Fury" (1971) - Lee was also responsible for bringing a greater degree of realism to the budding martial arts movie genre that had been seriously lacking up to that point; then there was the American action film "Billy Jack" (also released in 1971), which featured a famous fight sequence choreographed by the late South Korean Hapkido Grandmaster Bong Soo Han; and six years before the first international martial arts movie hit, "Five Fingers of Death" (1972).
But some would say that this is the movie that started it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this flick, which came from a time when the martial arts movie genre was just getting started, and before Bruce Lee made the genre a staple of worldwide action cinema that was here to stay. Unlike many of its predecessors, it actually tells a well-written story with strong characters AND character development, in addition to stunningly choreographed fighting sequences (by Han Ying-chieh).
Set during the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Pei-pei is Golden Swallow, a young and beautiful, but cold and deadly, Ming Dynasty government agent sent to rescue the governor's kidnapped son from a gang of bandits, who wish the freedom of their imprisoned leader. It is eventually revealed that the governor's son is actually Golden Swallow's brother, thus making her mission personal and its success vital. Thrown into this mix, is the mysterious hard-drinking beggar Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua), who also happens to be a gong-fu master and aids Golden Swallow in her mission.
The influence of "Come Drink with Me" on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the martial arts movie genre is obvious: this is the movie that helped formulate the gong-fu sword- and weapons-fighting in the genre, and its lush visual style was inspiring enough for Ang Lee to replicate it in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The unique cinematography and beautiful location settings - in addition to the unique action sequences - can also be seen in Ang Lee's 2000 masterpiece.
Cheng Pei-pei is an amazing presence in this film. Like most action movie heroines, she is indeed beautiful, but she's also fierce and deadly and needs no man to rescue this damsel who's never going to be in distress. But she is shown to be vulnerable in some spots and is someone who can be gravely injured during her frequent tussles with the bad guys. Also, Yueh Hua's Drunken Cat is one of the most brilliant characters to ever be fully realized in a martial arts film. 12 years before Jackie Chan got his drink on in "Drunken Master" (1978), Drunken Cat was knocking them back and still kicking a** wherever he went. But he's not purely a drunk. Like Golden Swallow, he is vulnerable also, realized with a painful past and an impending confrontation with a deadly adversary who is also from his past.
These character traits are an aspect of martial arts cinema that the genre would not see too often over the ensuing decades.
"Come Drink with Me" is one of the greatest martial arts movies ever made. My only regret is that Hollywood has been trying to remake this movie for several years now (and thankfully, they haven't had much luck)...
10/10
Mind you all, "Come Drink with Me" was released five years before Bruce Lee's first big martial arts splash hit "Fists of Fury" (1971) - Lee was also responsible for bringing a greater degree of realism to the budding martial arts movie genre that had been seriously lacking up to that point; then there was the American action film "Billy Jack" (also released in 1971), which featured a famous fight sequence choreographed by the late South Korean Hapkido Grandmaster Bong Soo Han; and six years before the first international martial arts movie hit, "Five Fingers of Death" (1972).
But some would say that this is the movie that started it all. I thoroughly enjoyed this flick, which came from a time when the martial arts movie genre was just getting started, and before Bruce Lee made the genre a staple of worldwide action cinema that was here to stay. Unlike many of its predecessors, it actually tells a well-written story with strong characters AND character development, in addition to stunningly choreographed fighting sequences (by Han Ying-chieh).
Set during the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Pei-pei is Golden Swallow, a young and beautiful, but cold and deadly, Ming Dynasty government agent sent to rescue the governor's kidnapped son from a gang of bandits, who wish the freedom of their imprisoned leader. It is eventually revealed that the governor's son is actually Golden Swallow's brother, thus making her mission personal and its success vital. Thrown into this mix, is the mysterious hard-drinking beggar Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua), who also happens to be a gong-fu master and aids Golden Swallow in her mission.
The influence of "Come Drink with Me" on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the martial arts movie genre is obvious: this is the movie that helped formulate the gong-fu sword- and weapons-fighting in the genre, and its lush visual style was inspiring enough for Ang Lee to replicate it in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The unique cinematography and beautiful location settings - in addition to the unique action sequences - can also be seen in Ang Lee's 2000 masterpiece.
Cheng Pei-pei is an amazing presence in this film. Like most action movie heroines, she is indeed beautiful, but she's also fierce and deadly and needs no man to rescue this damsel who's never going to be in distress. But she is shown to be vulnerable in some spots and is someone who can be gravely injured during her frequent tussles with the bad guys. Also, Yueh Hua's Drunken Cat is one of the most brilliant characters to ever be fully realized in a martial arts film. 12 years before Jackie Chan got his drink on in "Drunken Master" (1978), Drunken Cat was knocking them back and still kicking a** wherever he went. But he's not purely a drunk. Like Golden Swallow, he is vulnerable also, realized with a painful past and an impending confrontation with a deadly adversary who is also from his past.
These character traits are an aspect of martial arts cinema that the genre would not see too often over the ensuing decades.
"Come Drink with Me" is one of the greatest martial arts movies ever made. My only regret is that Hollywood has been trying to remake this movie for several years now (and thankfully, they haven't had much luck)...
10/10