Come Drink with Me

Come Drink with Me is heralded as the film that defined the kung-fu genre in the early sixties. I am unfamiliar with martial arts movies that where popular before it, so I can’t vouch for its originality, but I can say that, although it is less kinetic than most of the kung-fu movies I’ve seen, it feels fresh and exciting. This is mostly due to its well-defined and interesting characters and a pacing that builds from one fight to the next. We go from your standard swordplay battles, to a mysterious rooftop chase, and finally, by the end of the movie, characters are using magic wind blasts and piercing stones with their fingertips. Note that this is the first appearance of Cheng Pei-Pei’s character “Golden Swallow,” also of the aptly named, Golden Swallow. The two movies make an excellent double feature.