Come Drink with Me

King Hu's Come Drink with Me is a wuxia film made in 1966.  Though it is called Come Drink with Me, the title itself is a bit misleading, as the film does not have too much to deal with drinking, save the character Fan Da-Pei, or Drunken Cat.  Though the film itself seems to portray Golden Swallow as the main hero, it ends up following the actions of Drunken Cat.  This is almost confusing and misleading, as it seemed like Golden Swallow would end up victorious, but within the last fourth or third of the film, Drunken Cat is revealed to be a very skilled practitioner of kung fu, and the film follows his actions henceforth.  It felt a bit awkward and almost forced, in my opinion, but it was not unexpected, nor was it impossible, looking at the progression of the plot.

I do think it was interesting that King Hu decided to cast Cheng Pei-Pei as Golden Swallow, due to the fact that she knew ballet, and that would show through in her fight scenes, which it did.  I think that was a very good call on King Hu’s part, as though Cheng Pei-Pei did not do “real” martial arts, her performance was almost hypnotic due to its fluidity and gracefulness; a trait not normally seen in most films featuring martial arts or wuxia.  

Though the plot itself felt as if it went a bit astray at the end, the effects, acting, and the general feel of the story was great.  I especially liked the special effects at times, even though nearly all of them would not be able to stand against the modern counterparts, but they do have a specific, almost nostalgic and quirky feeling to them.  Especially that… force-like gas/smoke/blast shot out of the hands of Drunken Cat and Abbot Liao Kung.  
Though the film does have its share of faults, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, and anyone who enjoys a good wuxia film would most probably enjoy Come Drink with Me.