One of the
bedrocks of Chinese kung-fu movies, King Hu's 1966 wuxia classic Come Drink
With Me is best
known as primary source material for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but its influence is far more
extensive. Inspired by the movements and rhythms of Chinese opera, it could
also be credited as the root of a more balletic style of fight choreography,
the gold standard for female ass-kickery from Michelle Yeoh to Uma Thurman, and
a "drunken master" source while Jackie Chan was still in short pants. (Chan can
apparently be seen as a young singer early in the film, though there's some
dispute over the fact.) Finally released here under the Weinstein Company's
Dragon Dynasty label, the film marries Shaw Brothers production values with a
story that's full of sophistication and feeling, rather than just obligatory
strands connecting the fight sequences.
As the film
opens, a group of ruthless thugs ambushes a government caravan and abducts a
young official as retribution for having its own leader imprisoned. The thugs
intend to set up an exchange, but the government instead dispatches the
official's sister, Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-Pei), whose kung-fu skills are as
legendary as she is mysterious and elusive. She seems capable of handling the
entire gangs on her own, but when a poison dart strikes her in the heat of
battle, it falls to a beggar called Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua) to rescue her and
regroup for a final confrontation against the bad guys.
Cheng
Pei-Pei had a background in professional dance, not martial arts, and her
movements suggest grace more than strength, which not only gives her character
a cool, unflappable reserve, but helps transform Come Drink With Me into something that looks as much
like a musical as it does a kung-fu movie. At times, it even breaks out into
song. And there's magic, too, in the quiet rapport between Golden Swallow and
Drunken Cat, who become partners with few words exchanged and Astaire-Rogers
timing. It seems like fantasy, but the action remains more grounded and
realistic than the "wire fu" films to come. Hu and his stars just make it look
easy.
Key
features: A commentary track with Cheng and Hong Kong action cinema expert Bey
Logan highlights a generous array of supplements, including a Hu appreciation
by Tsui Hark, and separate interviews with Logan, Cheng, and Yueh Hua.