Come Drink With Me (1966) by King Hu

Director: King Hu
Year: 1966
Country: Hong Kong
Alternate Titles: Da zui xia; Great Drunken Hero
Genre: Kung-Fu

Plot:
In the middle of the countryside, a group of bandits takes an imperial envoy hostage in order to demand the return of their leader. Although she is really a girl, a renowned fighter who claims to be his brother, arrives to secure his release. Tracking them down, she takes on the bandits in their hideout at a Buddhist temple, massacring dozens before she's wounded by a poison dart. Given refuge by a drunk that she met at the inn who reveals he is really a martial arts master, the two combine forces, she to secure her brother’s release while he sets out to confront an old friend who betrayed the ways of his order and killed his master and is determined to obtain the abbot’s sacred staff that Drunken Cat holds.

Review:

This is a legendary film in most regards. While kung-fu was employed in Hong Kong cinema since the 1920s, this film launched a different format to the genre that still holds true to this day. The film establishes a far more cinematic quality to the fighting that makes it look absolutely gorgeous on-screen. Pausing, breaking contact, launching into attack and carrying a rhythmic tempo to the strikes and blocks were utilized, which gave the scenes a different charge. These come into play in the big action scenes such as the battles at the inn or a stellar confrontation at a Buddhist temple courtyard. The impact of these scenes is still felt in the genre to this day. Numerous directors throughout history have paid homage and respect to these scenes and they still retain their impact to this day.

That also comes from the story storyline that manages to include poignant drama into the mix as well as the action. Each of the characters has something unique to bring to their battles. Golden Swallow suddenly finds herself overcome with doubt after being hit with a poison dart and left for dead. Drunken Cat is spoiled by his vow not to harm his brother. Tiger is a calculating yet graceful villain who is just as dynamic as the two heroes. This brings a different feel alongside the already vibrant fighting style here, which creates a poignant story. The rest of the film is a simple story of revenge concocted as an excuse to engage in numerous hand-to-hand brawls or swordfights along the way as everyone comes together to fight each other.

That's not to say there's nothing wrong with this one. The simplistic story is a minor annoyance to be sure. This one is setup in the first ten minutes and charges forward from there, letting no doubt emerge as to what's going on as ironically, the films that emerged afterward have spoiled this one. Too many later kung-fu films have taken the concepts and themes initiated here for themselves, leaving the film to feel like one of the numerous followers rather than the leader. Likewise, the deliberate pacing might prove troublesome for modern viewers. This doesn't go for full-on, non-stop fighting and brawling throughout here, it's more slow-paced than expected, which keeps this one struggling along at times with a dreary tempo in between the vigorous and lively action. Finally, it's also rather curious what the point of her masquerading as a man was supposed to mean. Everyone she meets treats her as a man before the ruse, then once it's revealed midway through she's a woman everyone treats her as a woman, an event that should've been a huge surprise to all. That it's dropped and never brought back into play is a big telling point.

Overview: ****.5/5

Overall, this one is a dynamic and legendary film for all the right reasons. The impact this had on the Hong Kong martial arts scene is so impactful that it almost uprooted what was being done overnight and forced a flood of imitations that carries on to this day, with filmmakers tackling their own interpretations and homages to the film. The flaws aren't detrimental at all, and this has to be included in any fan of martial arts cinema's watch list at the least.