Directed by: King Hu
Written by: King Hu and Erh Yang
Starring Cheng Pei Pei, Yueh Hua, Cheng Hung Leigh
Available now at Amazon for $14.99
Review by Ray DeRousse
FILM: 
DVD:
THE FILM
American audiences have long struggled to love the films of Hong Kong. Often filled with ridiculous action sequences, incomprehensible plotting and motivation, and grotesquely over-the-top performances, these action films tend to leave English-speaking moviegoers either bored or confused.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON changed that to some degree. It successfully married the traditional Hong Kong action structure and dynamics with a slower, more considered pace and characterizations. The film managed to overcome the inherent silliness of people flying around by playing the action serious and reverential.
When one views its inspiration, COME DRINK WITH ME, it is easy to see how director ANG LEE improved upon the previous film’s shaky qualities. COME DRINK WITH ME stars CHENG PEI PEI as Golden Swallow, the daughter of a prominent general. When her brother is captured and held as protection by a band of revolutionaries, Golden Swallow goes off to rescue him. During her fights, she encounters a drunken master named Fan Da-Pei, who assists her is saving her brother and destroying the power of the criminals.
Like most films of this era, COME DRINK WITH ME suffers from flat, oversaturated cinematography and choppy editing. The film jumps jarringly from rather static location shots to extensive and flowing studio sets, which tend to bring the viewer out of the action. It also suffers from some very bad effects work and horrible prosthetics, which make the film seem like a much more minor and silly affair than it is often credited. And frankly, the fighting in the film is edited badly and poorly choreographed in comparison to what has come since in the genre.
The film really succeeds, though, with its performances. Pei Pei is excellent as Golden Swallow, a hero unique to this time period in film. She is feminine, yet deadly and brave. Also excellent is CHEN HUNG-LIEH as a white-faced villain with a wicked smile.
Watching the film is a revelation for any fan of Lee’s CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, because that later hit cribs liberally from this one. The fight in the restaurant, the wall-climbing, and the poison dart shooting are all here in crude, rudimentary form. Also present are scenes that ended up in IRON MONKEY, including the use of long-sleeved garments as weapons. One can easily see the influence this film had on an entire generation of Hong Kong filmmakers.
However, the film remains a seriously flawed, nearly unwatchable classic of the genre.
EXTRAS
An excellent DVD package accompanies this film. Besides a commentary track with lead actress Pei Pei, we also get:
THE KING AND I – A retrospective of KING HU, who died in 1997 of a stroke. He was clearly an influential Hong Kong filmmaker.
COME SPEAK WITH ME – An excellent interview with the (still) lovely Cheng Pei Pei.
A CLASSIC REMEMBERED – An interesting look at the effect this film had on the Hong Kong movie scene. Expert BEY LOGAN provides some welcomed perspective on the film’s impact.
RETURN OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER – Star MAN YUEH HUA is interviewed.
OVERALL
Fans of the martial arts genre must have this. While it doesn’t really connect with me, this is one of the few films in that art form that one can call “required viewing.” Its impact is beyond question. The extras will no doubt thrill fans, and inform others. While it’s not my cup of tea, I can definitely see the value of owning this excellently compiled DVD set.
