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Before Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi - heck, before Uma Thurman killed Bill - Cheng Pei-pei was carving up bad guys with artistic abandon. Back in 1966, in an era when women in martial arts films were portrayed more as meek and powerless, Cheng Pei-pei got cast in the lead role of COME DRINK WITH ME and topsy-turvied that stereotype. COME DRINK WITH ME is a retro blast of awesome but, admittedly, it presents a rather shallow story arc, and the wushu stuff it demonstrates doesn't hold up to the best of modern day martial arts cinema, and yet it's good enough and Pei-pei and fellow lead actor Yueh Hua certainly exhibit cool, charismatic presence.
When ruthless bandits abduct a government official, it falls on a lethal operative named Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-pei) to pull off a rescue attempt. Golden Swallow's reputation is so fearsome that the bandits automatically assume she's a man, and what gets me is that they continue to think of her as a man even when she finally shows up. Pei-pei is such a beautiful girl I can't imagine how you can think of her as anything but. Golden Swallow has flaws. She may be tremendously skilled but she is impetuous and impatient, and she would've had a tougher time in her investigation if she hadn't met the inebriated beggar called Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua). Predictably, there's more to Drunken Cat than just drinking and begging.
Director King Hu, with his eye for detail and willingness to break the mold, is regarded as very influential to wuxia cinema, and it's mostly because of this landmark film. COME DRINK WITH ME introduced a new approach, new dynamism, new sensibilities which have since become tropes of the genre. The stuff we're used to seeing now in martial arts movies first broke ground in COME DRINK WITH ME. Here, we get early whiffs of the drunken master and the strong deadly heroine and even early vestiges of wire work. Certainly, the stylized fighting, the nod to Peking Opera, and the nighttime rooftop chase would later influence CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (which also features Cheng Pei-pei as the villain Jade Fox).
Both Pei-pei and Yueh Hua were martial arts actors who didn't know martial arts when they first started out. Pei-pei had a background in ballet, and Hua mimicked just enough moves to make him look convincing onscreen. And they're talented enough to pull it off. The skills test in the tavern scene resonates enough on an iconic level that it's undoubtedly inspired many a wuxia film to insert its own tavern sequence.
Not that the film is flawless. The story today comes off as serviceable but predictable. The action sequences are good; the leads sell the mayhem, but here and there you notice Director King Hu hedging with some sly edit cuts. There also may have been a half-hearted attempt at romance, but that ultimately goes nowhere. There is an abbot supposedly with formidable fighting skills and he's set up to go against Drunken Cat, except that the two times they engage, the abbot is handled fairly quickly. And maybe it's just me, but the exhibition of hai gung - the projection of internal energy - seems kinda weak. But I'm just nitpicking. The relevance is in the context. I can't imagine what it must have been like in 1966 when COME DRINK WITH ME came out with its wild new ideas, but this flick must've generated some excited babble at the water cooler. Were there water coolers in 1966?
The DVD's bonus features include: audio commentary from Cheng Pei-pei and Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan; "The King and I" - acclaimed modern-day Chinese director Tsui Hark (who remade Hu's DRAGON GATE INN) reflects on King Hu (00:13:55 minutes); "Come Speak With Me" is an exclusive interview with Cheng Pei-pei in English (00:16:41); "A Classic Remembered" is a thoughtful retrospective with Bey Logan (00:17:24); "Return of the Drunken Master" is an exclusive interview with Yueh Hua in English (00:17:51); and the original theatrical trailers (with sub-titles) for COME DRINK WITH ME and HEROES OF THE EAST.
FYI: In 1968 Cheng Pei-pei reprised her role in the sequel GOLDEN SWALLOW. I'm assuming it's not yet out in DVD because I can't find it anywhere, but, man, I'm dying to see it.
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Customer reviews
Straddles the line between action and artistry so very well
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022
Perhaps the most lyrical and artistic film in the Shaw Brothers catalog, Come Drink with Me (1966) doesn’t deviate much from the formula the studio would follow for the next decade (feuding outlaws, heroic renegades and all-powerful masters) but here the fighting seems more elegant, more restrained and more romantic.Golden Swallow (Chen Pei-pei) is the sister of an official held hostage by a gang of kung-fu bandits. When negotiations fail, she must take on the gang with the aid of an inebriated local named Drunken Cat, who seems to have more skills than he lets on. The duo find themselves outnumbered and faced with a seemingly undefeatable enemy in the form of Liao Kung, the evil abbot of the impenetrable monastery.Directed by King Hu, Come Drink with Me is awash with beautiful colors, majestic backdrops and inventive fight choreography. Despite the moments of arterial spray (a necessary ingredient in almost every Shaw Brothers film), it’s a film that revels in the almost balletic nature of its two leads; the poses, strikes, leaps and punches all seems designed for the stage, cut tougher with a lighter touch. Much of this comes from Cheng Pei-pei, whose performance here made her a star and even led to her appearance in the similarly themed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But this more delicate touch never comes at the expense of the film’s sense of fun and kung-fu playfulness. There’s a reason it’s considered one of Shaw Brothers best: because it manages to straddle the line between action and artistry so very well.Arrow’s Blu-ray arrives separate from their previous Shaw Brothers set. Whatever the reason, it’s a film that deserves its own showcase and the hi-def presentation is worth the solo price. Extras include several interviews, Q & A, audio commentary and documentary on the history of the wuxia genre produced in 2003.
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022
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Top reviews from other countries
S. Rogers
Yuen Wah is a great foil for his reckless comrade in arms.
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Come Drink With Me Darling!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2010
