Come Drink with Me (1966) User Reviews (36)

The one that started it all

[simon_booth · 9/10 · 12 January 2003]

This is the movie that started it all, the watershed wu xia movie in Hong Kong to which pretty much all the kung fu and wire fu movies owe a debt. King Hu was the visionary director who introduced this new style of movie making to the world, and Come Drink With Me is the movie where he first did it.

Such an important movie in HK history was clearly going to be one of the jewels in Celestial Pictures' remastered Shaw Brothers series, and indeed it was chosen as the flagship title - a restored print did a small tour of the world to build up interest in the catalog and secure distribution. The DVD was one of the first released, and is a very nice package with beautiful picture and sound quality, great subtitling and an interesting set of interviews. After so many years it's great to see the movie looking and sounding so good.

Come Drink With Me begins with a group of bandits attacking a government party and capturing an official, who they hope to use as a hostage exchange for their leader, currently in prison. The government sends out an agent to negotiate the deal, the legendary swordsman Golden Swallow. Golden Swallow is played wonderfully by a young Cheng Pei Pei, in the "woman dressed as a man" character that would become a regular wuxia feature. They first meet in an inn that strongly resembles that from Dragon Inn (1992), where they engage in a battle of words and martial arts prowess that leaves the bandits in no doubt that Golden Swallow is not about to let them get away with their plans.

Like seemingly all King Hu movies, the plot is layered and intricately woven, full of intrigue and politics and power plays. There's always more going on than meets the eye. It manages this without being at all difficult to follow though, unlike many of its imitators and successors.

Come Drink With Me is full of colourful characters, such as the cheerful bandit Smiling Tiger or the singing drunken beggar played by Yueh Hua. Without a doubt the movie belongs to Cheng Pei Pei though, who is beautiful, graceful, fierce and proud, and a tremendous fighter. It's easy to see why audiences loved her, and her character left such a lasting influence on the wu xia movie.

The production values in the movie are very high, with beautiful sets, locations and costumes and very nice cinematography. King Hu's skillful camera work is legendary, and the imagery is not as memorable as the imagery in Hu's later work such as A Touch Of Zen it is still of very high quality and way above its peers.

The action scenes are probably the main legacy that Come Drink With Me left behind it though. As all the interviews on the disc agree, Hu's approach to choreographing and filming the sword fights raised the bar of Hong Kong martial arts movies to unparalleled levels, and really started the 'fight scene as art form' philosophy that would quickly come to be the defining characteristic of the colony's cinema. By todays standards there is no question that the fight scenes look slow and crude, and are a long way from the grace and beauty that the wu xia movie would eventually achieve under directors such as Tsui Hark and Ching Siu Tung (who has a small part in the movie as a child actor!). However, many of the cinematic styles and techniques were making their first appearance in this movie, so it is fascinating to see them and imagine how exciting they must have been to audiences at the time. The image of Cheng Pei Pei with her twin short swords is one that will linger in the memory for some time even now.

Come Drink With Me had quite a reputation to live up to, and the difficulty a keen viewer had in seeing it until now doubtless enhanced that. Probably there will be many viewers that wonder what all the fuss was about, but I think few could dispute that it is a well crafted movie even without considering its historical importance. As is obligatory with any King Hu review though, I do have to point out that it is not as good as A Touch Of Zen

A Nutshell Review: (DVD) Come Drink With Me (1966)

[DICK STEEL · 9/10 · 25 December 2006]

Come Drink With Me is touted as arguably the greatest martial arts film, ever. In its day, this is the movie that broke a lot of grounds, thanks to meticulous direction and vision of King Hu.

The story is simple though, telling of Golden Swallow's (Cheng Pei Pei) quest to rescue her brother, a government official, in a ransom case with a bunch of bandits. While her prowess is formidable, a little help is always appreciated when up against the masses, and little does she know that a beggar of sorts, called the Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua), turns out to be her guardian angel. While the Chinese title is obviously a reference to Yueh Hua's character, this movie is clearly Cheng Pei Pei's breakthrough in the martial arts genre.

The martial arts here is distinctively different. For its time, it was a breakthrough, with its moving cameras, violence, splattering of blood, as well as fights done with adequate pauses and breaks, like a Western stand off at times, before lunging at each other. The movement, while fluid, is slow compared to these days, then again, having action done too fast would mean either stunt people taking over, or you can't see a thing. The style in this movie struck me as samurai styled swordplay, even though the weapon our heroine used was a pair of short swords rather than katanas. The weapons used too were real, lending a sense of realism when the combatants clash.

There are still some opera influences in the movie, especially when it comes to the music, done with Chinese orchestra, and accentuates the scenes like a big opera. Playing in sync to the action on screen, it's an early base on which films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon adopted to great effect. The cinematography is great too, given the many exterior shots in backlots and elaborate sets, featuring classical locales like inns and temples. The introductory scene in the inn will take your breath away, never mind that some cheesy (for today) techniques of stop motion and the reversing of film were used.

Cheng Pei Pei is a star in the movie, and she has managed to infuse her background in ballet and dance to the martial arts moves for the movie, bringing forth a very beautiful poise when executing her moves. Her eyes too were luminous and have a life of their own, and can stare daggers at her enemies. Yueh Hua though felt more carefree, given his role as a wandering beggar. And while there are hints of romance between their characters, don't hold your breaths on counting them developing it any further.

A to-the-point story, and excellent martial arts. This is a definite must watch for all martial arts genre fans.

IVL Code 3 DVD Extras:

A departure from the other IVL releases I've watched so far, this DVD had a valuable commentary by Cheng Pei Pei herself, and daughter Marsha Yuen, presented by film producer Bey Logan, in English. It's quite hilarious listening to Logan try and identify some of the actors, but always getting them wrong and had to be corrected by Pei Pei, until he knew not to embarrass himself further and allowed Pei Pei to introduce them instead. Marsha however, had little to contribute, except to laugh loudly into the microphone.

There are two Come Drink With Me trailers included, one the original which had its written script which you have to read running from right to left, and the quality is pretty degraded. The new remastered one is definitely clearer, and so were the trailers for other movies, some starring Pei Pei herself.

You have the usual extras as well, like the few movie stills, one original poster, a one page one paragraph worth of production notes, as well as a short cast and crew biography and filmography. A pity thought that you can note some typos in the DVD menus and subtitles.

The real gems of the extras, are the interview clips.

The longest interview on the disc is with Cheng Pei Pei (18 mins 30s) done in English, where she compares martial arts movies then and now, shared some production nuggets such as the duration of shooting the fight scenes, on sexuality of those days, her working relationship with King Hu, provided insights into working under Shaw Bros. explained her ease with learning martial arts, and shared on her working experiences with Yueh Hua.

Yueh Hua too has an interview included, though it was quite short, clocking at 4 mins 45s. He shares his thoughts on working with King Hu and Cheng Pei Pei, as well as revealing that he had real wine in that wine bottle prop to assist him in getting into character. However, the interview is conducted in Mandarin, with no subtitles provided.

I'm surprised at the inclusion of an interview with Marsha Yuan (daughter of Cheng Pei Pei) in English, for 6 mins and 40s, as she shares her thoughts on the movie, her realization when growing up that her mom was famous, and the big revelation is that there is going to be a sequel she's gonna star in. Is there?

The last two interviews are with film critic Paul Fonoroff and film producer Bey Logan, as both talk about Cheng Pei Pei and King Hu, clocking at 9 mins 50s, and 4 mins 40s respectively. The former interview is more insightful though, as he shares a little on the history of the rivalry between Shaw and Cathay in their heydays.

The restored version in the DVD is pristine, save for one or two scenes in soft focus which seemed a little blur. Audio transfer is great too. The only pity is that it's not in Anamorphic Widescreen.

The original 'Drunken Master' - should have been released in America in 1967

[winner55 · 10/10 · 27 June 2006]

If this film had been released in America in the year of its production, 1966, or the year afterward, I guarantee that the rave for Hong Kong action films would have surfaced then, and not 1972 (and on) with "5 fingers of death" and "fist of fury". And it would not just have happened among young men (the principle audience for the 'fu film in the '70s), but among Hollywood veterans as well, which would have begun a trend to introduce Hong Kong methods - and professionals - into Hollywood itself.

because this film is dam' well made. The film looks as though King Hu spent hours watching and analyzing George Steven's accomplishment in "Shane", and then figuring out how to do Stevens 'one better' so to speak, and yet maintain his film's appeal to his base audience in Hong Kong and other Chinese communities.

So what we have here is part 'adult western', part 'chinese opera' and all adventure movie from start to finish.

And this is not for kids - and I'm not referring to the violence. The subtle humor of the dialog, the maturity of the acting, the wisdom of the ethical problems raised and of their resolutions, these are for adults to enjoy, and then later to ponder. When the hero stabs a villain, and the villain's blood gushes over the hero's face, this is a brutal reminder of just how serious a violent choice - i.e., the choice to engage in violence, however noble the cause - really is. - A question the film takes seriously, as any good film would.

Very well made, cleverly written, with strong performances from all. A real gem.

Classic Shaw Brothers action film with a cold and beautiful female lead.

[freakus · 4 November 1999]

Cheng Pei-Pei was the Michelle Yeoh of the Sixties. A stunning action star who was as cold as ice in a fight. In this film she takes on around 40 or 50 guys and still manages to keep her cool. Seeing her two-fisted sword technique as the Golden Swallow is well worth the price of admission.

Early Shaw Brothers classic

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 1 February 2016]

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.

Come Drink With Me

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 14 March 2022]

When a general's son is taken hostage as ransom to free a bandit leader, the general's daughter Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-pei, who Western audiences may recognize as Jade Fox from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) goes to rescue her brother and battle the bandit gang. She's protected by a drunk named Fan Da-Pei (Yueh Hua), who is really Drunken Cat, a secret martial arts master, who saves her from a poison dart.

The bandits have worked their way into a monastery led by an evil abbot named Liao Kung (Yeung Chi-hing), who once helped Fan Da-Pei to be accepted into the school that taught them both their martial arts skills. As a result, the hero doesn't want to battle him. He also believes that there's no way their battle won't end in death.

Director King Hu also made A Touch of Zen, which is an essential Hong Kong film. There's an urban legend that Jackie Chan is rumored to play one of the child singers at the beginning of the film, but Pei-Pei Cheng has stated that he is not in the movie.

I'm really excited that Arrow is releasing so many Shaw Brothers movies. I love that I can finally own high quality versions of these films and watch them over and over again.

Pretty awesome!

[zetes · 8/10 · 3 August 2008]

Having been very disappointed in King Hu's most famous film, A Touch of Zen, I was actually eager to see one of his other supposed masterpieces. I wanted to see if the guy just didn't work for me or what. Fortunately, his earlier film, Come Drink with Me, made for Shaw Brothers, impressed me a lot. I would still complain about the choppy editing during the kung fu sequences, which not only makes it difficult to understand what's going on, but also makes the martial arts magic less believable. But while there are a few brief scenes where I thought the editing was weak in such a way, there are three extended action sequences that are eye-popping and heart-stopping. Cheng Pei-Pei, best known now for her latter-day role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, plays a powerful kung fu student trying to rescue her brother, who has been kidnapped by a gang of dissidents, led by the chalk-faced Hung Lieh Chen. He's one of the all-time great bad guys, and I love his cohorts, as well. The film is full of fantastic character design. Cheng teams up with Hua Yueh, a drunken beggar who is secretly a kung fu master. What really comes through is Hu's supreme visual sense. It definitely made me more interested in the man's works, and even in revisiting A Touch of Zen.

what an inspiration!

[travisgift2005 · 9/10 · 17 August 2006]

If you want to see the inspiration for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon this is it. I saw this after being opened up to wuxia (Chinese sword fight pics) by CTHD. Ang Lee was obviously inspired by Come Drink With Me. Remember the rooftop scene in CTHD?, the big bar brawl?, catching those little darts?, and the actress who played the Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei)? All are in Come Drink With Me. The story behind the movie is that Run Run Shaw of the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio wanted to make a Chinese version of a Japanese Samurai (Chanbara) movies. He hired a young, inexperienced, director now known to us as King Hu. The result was a movie that, for its time, was groundbreaking and it is still a lot of fun to watch today. Somebody PLEASE release a high quality DVD version though, because the only one I have found is AWFUL!

"Come Drink with Me" - Go watch this movie!

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 24 January 2014]

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

Very good but a poorly subtitled film from Genius Products

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 9 March 2009]

My score of 8 does not mean that the original COME DRINK WITH ME (DA ZUI XIA) deserves this score. This score is for the Genius Products DVD version. While on one hand I am very, very glad the film was not poorly dubbed into English but actually features a subtitled version, the titles are very, very bad. Oddly, the subbing appeared to get worse as the film progressed! I knew something was amiss when they kept referring to a female as 'he' and 'sir' but later in the film the subtitles often made even less sense--like the translation from Chinese to subtitles was being done by a poor computer program not a human being who truly understood the languages. Now this DVD is not all bad--at least the copy is as pristine as you can find--with a clean and crisp print. Thank goodness for something positive to say about the copy.

As for the technical merits of the film, the martial arts action is not the best I've seen, but it is very, very good--and quite a bit better than the typical film of the genre. Most of the blows appear to actually connect and the sword action is very good as well. The people making the film actually knew kung fu and they are impressive to watch. This is NOT a film where blows obviously miss and there are lots of squashing celery and the typical slapping sounds for special effects.

The story is pretty interesting and takes you by surprise here and there. The leader of a band of thieves is caught by the government and will be executed. However, the gang captures the son of the governor and plans on killing him unless they get their leader back in five days. In response, the government sends in a special agent who turns out to be the son's sister. She is extremely skilled and is planning on taking on the gang--not returning their evil leader.

While this plot seems pretty straight-forward, there's much more to it. In the midst of all this wanders a beggar who is definitely much more than he appears to be. When the lady is injured, he steps forward to help and he turns out to be a much more potent fighter than anyone realized. While he does help her achieve justice, he also has another task at hand--to exact justice for the murder of his master.

Overall, this is definitely one of the better films of the genre and is well worth seeing. However, if you can find a non-dubbed and non-Genius DVD (if that's possible), you may find the film is a bit better than an 8. I sure hope this is possible, as the film deserves a much better translation into English.

How come they can't do it like this today?

[KRS_kungfu · 10/10 · 27 June 2006]

This movie has it all -- meaning that it's directed by King Hu, and stars Cheng Peipei. The wire work is flawless, the use slow motion breathless, and the butt kicking is epic. The mistaken identity plot RE: Cheng is the same as a lot of pictures from this time -- but King Hu does it with real flair in this one. I was put on to this movie and King Hu in general by a guy I spar with every week at Fu. Cheng's moves are fluid and inspiring. Pay particular attention to how it is that she's able to take on multiple opponents -- I can't say exactly what style she's using, but it's surprsingly believable considering many actors of the time did more ballet/Peking opera acrobatrics, than actual ancient forms. This is a must see for anyone into martial arts.

Drunken Cats, Golden Swallows, and 60's martial arts entertainment.

[lewiskendell · 7/10 · 1 August 2011]

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.

Dance Fight!

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 24 April 2016]

A group of bandits kidnaps the governor's son and demands their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange.

Director King Hu said that he had deliberately chosen a ballet dancer for the lead female role, "rather than fighting. I'm very interested in Peking opera and particularly its movement and action effects, although I think it's difficult to express them adequately on stage, where the physical limitations are too great." King Hu was said to recognize that some of the fights are stylized as opposed to realistic but claimed that combat in his movies was "always keyed to the notion of dance." I had always thought "kung fu" movies were very much based around dancing. Is this unusual, or was it a new style? I am curious. What we see today is so choreographed I have a hard time imagining it any other way.

Kung Fu from the earliest days of the genre.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 7 November 2011]

This movie is quite surprising, considering the time period it got made in. You have to realize that there wasn't really such a thing as the action genre yet at the time, at least not in the way we now know it.

In that regard this movie really feels ahead of its time and perhaps can even be seen as a trend-setter. It's a Kung Fu flick, featuring lots of sword fights and all kinds of adventurous aspects. This is a genre that truly became popular much later, in the '70's.

It's also a movie that goes very over-the-top with all of its action. It's almost done in a cartoon-like kind of way. Quite ridicules to see at times but also at the same time it's what giving the movie its style and helps to make it the entertaining movie that it is.

It's truly a movie that thrives on its action moments. You obviously shouldn't watch this for its story, that is kind of simplistic and formulaic in the first place. It's the action that makes the movie entertaining and luckily the action never disappoints neither. All of the sword fights are quite spectacularly done, though you should all take it with a big grain of salt really, since it's all obviously something that could never happen in real life.

But it's not just the way things got choreographed but also really the way it got shot. That to me was the biggest surprise; how dynamically the movie got shot. It features some great camera-work, as well as some nimble editing that make the movie fast paced and often spectacular to look at. It feels and looks like a true action movie, even still now days.

It's also quite surprising to see a female playing the main lead and hero of the movie. She's the one who does the most fighting and has some of the most impressive skills. She puts a lot of the male characters to shame in this one and also apparently became popular enough to spawn a sequel after.

Simply good entertainment and a great accomplishment of a movie, especially considering that this movie is from the earliest days of the Hong Kong martial arts genre.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Great to have this lost gem back!

[drw5x5 · 9/10 · 4 October 2002]

Having just seen a new print of this at the 2002 Vancouver international film festival, I must say that it has been hidden away for far too long. A splendid cast delivers a great action flick that simply does not seem 37 years old. If films of this quality had been circulating in recent years, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" may not have been such a revelation. I am looking forward to many more restored classics from the Shaw brothers archive. A great night at the movies!

Magnificent martial arts movie...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 16 July 2012]

Outstanding martial arts masterpiece, with Ms. Cheng (as Golden Swallow) doing some fancy footwork under the expert direction of King Hu (whose classic A TOUCH OF ZEN is another masterpiece). The incredibly fluid tracking shots of Cheng, as she nimbly battles her way spinning and lunging down stone temple steps and across courtyards, are must-see. There's also a rooftop chase that clearly inspired a similar scene in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (itself another masterpiece). The action in COME DRINK WITH ME is infinitely superior to the speeded-up camera-work, wirework and cgi all too common in today's martial arts movies (which should rightly be called "mechanical martial arts movies"). Even the magical elements (the use of chi) are handled in an interesting way. If you want to impress a non-fan, show them COME DRINK WITH ME: it'll make a believer out of them.

splendid! different

[ConcreteSteelC · 10/10 · 29 January 2003]

Da zui xia was a relief. I watched many kung fu movies as a child that were slightly reminescent of this one, and have stopped watching recent ones since the scope of their theme had narrowed down so much.

Now, for the first time in many years, I am able to recover some of what I saw back then but did not fully understand. A recent tour throughout China and more familiarity with Chinese philosophy and culture gave me sudden insights in the director's message. This is very refreshing.

Beautifully shot

[Lord_of_the_Things · 7/10 · 5 May 2020]

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.

Another SB masterpiece!

[Stofft · 7/10 · 2 May 2005]

Even if this film goes way back in time (back to 1966) this film is very well shot indeed.

And from what I have heard this was the film that kind of set the standard for future kung fu flix in this particular style. Flying ppl, big battles and beautiful action style.

No need to really lay so much upon the story on what happens in it. as it can be read on the main page.. but I do wanna announce that if you wanna get this one on DVD you should look for the re-mastered version released/made by the Asian company Celestial Pictures/ IVL (Intercontinental Video Limited)

They have done a great job in shaping up this film.. so ti more or less looks like it could have been produced today.

Also comes with lots of Xtras like interviews with the cast and other fun stuff.

Well worth having in your collection

We're ready to fight...to the extreme!

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 15 April 2021]

King Hu's "Da zui xia" ("Come Drink with Me" in English) is the sort of movie to which "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Kill Bill" paid homage. The plot involves a kidnapping with the hope of a prisoner exchange, but do you really watch these movies to focus on that? It's all about the martial arts. And boy are you about to see some here!

Unlike Bruce Lee's movies, the emphasis here is sword-fighting. To be certain, the sister (Cheng Pei-pei) of the captured man is the one who takes charge. She's got some moves like you can't imagine. It all amounts to one cool piece of work. Having seen this, I definitely want to see more movies from the Shaw brothers.

Come Drink with Me

[jboothmillard · 5/10 · 18 February 2016]

I found this Chinese / Mandarin film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, that was obviously the only reason I found out about and watched it, so I hoped it would be worthwhile, directed by King Hu (A Touch of Zen). Basically a government garrison is ambushed by a clan of bandits, their evil plan is to get their Clan Chief back, they capture and take hostage the son of the general for an exchange. The general's other offspring, and an Official from the government, is a young girl known as Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-Pei), she is sent by the Governor to save the Official. Disguised as a man, the Golden Swallow will confront the bandits group, led by the evil Jade Faced Tiger (Chen Hung Lieh), who is not easy to deal with. Golden Swallow finds a new ally in Drunken Knight (or Drunken Cat) (Yueh Hua), together they will team up against the bandits and try to overcome the crisis, and to rescue the General's son. Also starring Yang Chih- Ching as Abbot Liao Kung and Feng Yi as Chen Hou. Cheng, who would reprise her role in follow-up film Golden Swallow, and would later go on to star as the villain in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, gives a good performance as the fearless swordswoman, I did understand the story of the female warrior sent by her governor father to negotiate the release of her brother, but having to read subtitles I lost track with most other stuff going on, but the fight and bloody sequences just about rescued it, overall it's not a bad martial arts action adventure. Worth watching!

Come Drink with Me (1966): An Entertaining and Action-Packed Martial Arts Classic!

[Mymoviediscography · 8/10 · 7 May 2023]

Come Drink with Me is a martial arts movie classic that still holds up today. Starring Cheng Pei-Pei, this Hong Kong gem is widely regarded as the film that helped establish the wuxia (martial arts) genre.

The film follows Golden Swallow, a skilled warrior tasked with rescuing a kidnapped official from a gang of bandits. Along the way, she encounters Drunken Cat, a roguish fighter with a taste for alcohol. Together, they take on the dangerous gang and their leader, Jade-faced Tiger.

Director King Hu masterfully blends action, humor, and drama to create a thrilling viewing experience. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed, showcasing Cheng Pei-Pei's impressive martial arts skills. The film's vibrant colors and stunning set designs are also worth noting.

One of the most interesting aspects of Come Drink with Me is its subversion of traditional gender roles. Cheng Pei-Pei's Golden Swallow is a strong, capable fighter who holds her own against male opponents. This was a refreshing departure from the damsel in distress trope common in many martial arts films of the time.

Overall, Come Drink with Me is a must-see for martial arts movie lovers and general audiences alike. It's an entertaining and action-packed classic that paved the way for many other wuxia films to come.

Fun Fact: Quentin Tarantino has cited Come Drink with Me as one of his favorite martial arts films and a major influence on his own work.

A must-see for martial arts movie fans.

[Abyss47 · 7/10 · 11 March 2013]

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?

Period costume drama with great martial arts!

[Stroszeks · 10/10 · 4 November 2005]

This film is an outstanding example of the quality of pictures Shaw Brothers were capable of producing. The picture easily transcends the genre to be a period drama with martial arts (and not just a martial arts flick!) Shot in 1966, easily Cheng Pei-Pei's best film. She returned to the genre with a bang in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON playing the villainous Silver Fox. Despite popular myth, a very young Jackie Chan does NOT appear in the film. Though martial arts movie fans will notice a very young Mars (longtime friend of Jackie, actor and former member of the Jackie Chan stunt team). A sequel had been on the cards recently, featuring Marsha Yuen, Cheng Pei Pei's daughter, but doesn't seem to have got off the ground.

A decent martial arts film from a director that was still honing his craft

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 6/10 · 9 October 2021]

Was a little disappointed by this one, but I won't let it put me off future King Hu movies, as I've heard this isn't one of his absolute best. Hopefully, it'll end up serving as a decent appetiser for films like Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen, which are the ones I'm really excited about.

I liked most of the action scenes, and some of the camerawork was cool. Also appreciated the female heroine, but she got overshadowed a bit in the second half, which I thought was unfortunate.

There were points at which it dragged a little, even at 91 minutes. And I cracked up whenever someone fell into water and there was a comically huge splash- not sure what was up with that lol.