Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Come Drink with Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 4, 2020

King Hu's "Come Drink with Me" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan. In Mandarin or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

Forget about the story. It has a few decent twists but it is not what makes Come Drink with Me an interesting film. It is something else. Now, go to the first big fight where the son of the governor is kidnapped by the bandits and pay close attention to the manner in which the action is choreographed and shot by director King Hu. It is not a long sequence but a lot happens there, so you might have to see it twice. The guards and the bandits quickly engage in a very intense sword fight which reminds of an old Chinese play that emphasizes posturing and different facial expressions. But there are various ‘special effects’ -- like fake chopped off body parts popping up and equally fake red blood coming out of nowhere -- plus the tempo of the confrontations is incredibly fast, leaving the impression that a number of different cameras were used to get the synchronization right. This actually looks like the type of material that flourished in period martial arts films during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but King Hu made his film during the ‘60s. And this particular fight isn’t even the best one, later in the film there is much more complex material that looks even more impressive.

At the center of the film is a tricky confrontation between a fearless warrior named Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-Pei) and a big gang of bandits whose leader has been arrested by the local governor. The bandits want to negotiate an exchange -- their leader for the governor’s son (Wong Chung) -- but are running out of patience and are prepared to kill their captive if they sense that the other side wants to cheat them. Golden Swallow has to figure out where the captive is located and free him before it is too late. A few of the bandits have a history with Golden Swallow, but they are completely unaware that the warrior happens to be the captive’s sister.

The two sides meet in a secluded inn where communication quickly fails. In the ensuing chaos, the current leader of the bandits, Jade Faced Tiger (Chen Hung-Lieh), uses a custom made poisonous arrow that nearly kills Golden Swallow. A drunken beggar (Yueh Hua) who happens to be in the area helps her escape and after she recovers reveals that he is a legendary kung-fu master that has been waiting for the right moment to destroy the gang. However, around the same time another great kung-fu master, Abbot Liao Kung (Yang Chi-Ching), a rival of the ‘drunkard’, also appears and joins the bandits as they begin searching for the fugitives.

Come Drink with Me trades the visual splendor of Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen for quiet and intimate moments that make it look much more realistic. Despite the gory action, it is a funnier film as well. There are even some singing and dancing numbers that add a great deal of warmth to it.

But it is still a pure martial arts film that wants to impress with precision and detail that are very specific. Yes, in the digital era even its flashiest moments could appear modest, but there is organic craftsmanship on display in it that produces completely different thrills. The temple clash between Golden Swallow and Jade Faced Tiger, for instance, is far more attractive than anything a CGI artist can deliver precisely because the sizing and foreplay that are at the center of it would be impossible to predict by a computer program. It is like a cat flight but with ancient warriors -- the majority of it is just really great theater.

*This recent release from 88 Films features an original Mandarin track as well as an original English dub track for the film. Rather surprisingly, the latter is surprisingly effective.

Come Drink with Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Come Drink with Me arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

There are a couple of different King Hu films that have transitioned to Blu-ray and in my opinion the remaster that was used for this release has the most convincing color scheme. Yes, it is pretty easy to see that some of the darker footage reveals light black crush, so a better remaster could and should reveal expanded nuances, but the overall temperature and balance of the color scheme is very convincing. To be honest, I think that at least in terms of temperature this is the setting that should have been present on A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn, both of which currently have very artificial color schemes. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, so the visuals have proper organic qualities as well. However, image stability is not optimal. There is light 'weaving' that pops up from time to time and even some shakiness within the frame that is impossible to ignore. I don't know what type of elements are available for this film, but pin registration will quite easily eliminate what I am seeing on this remaster. I still think that it is quite nice, but I also think that it could have been near perfect. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Come Drink with Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Mandarin track.

I tested both tracks and found the English track to be really good. It can be unexpectedly funny at times, but its basic characteristics are very nice. It does not match the English translation, so folks that need English subtitles for the dub track are out of luck. On both tracks the music can sound a bit thin, but I am convinced that this is an inherited limitation.

Come Drink with Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage Shaw Brothers trailer for Come Drink with Me. In Mandarin, with printed English subtitles. (4 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan.

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic and filmmaker James Oliver.

Come Drink with Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I like Come Drink with Me quite a bit more than the other King Hu films that I have seen because it does not overemphasize its action. As a result, it has a much more organic appearance, which often makes it look like an elaborate period play. This recent release from 88 Films is sourced from a good remaster whose only weakness is the less than optimal image stability. Still, it is a release that should not be missed by fans of King Hu's work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.