Come Drink with Me – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1966
Director: King Hu
Writers: King Hu, Shan-Hsi Ting
Cast: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Chih-Ching Yang , Hung-Lieh Chen, Ying-Chieh Han, Lao Shen, Chien Chuan Lin, Feng Ku, Yunzhong Li

Release Date: March 22nd, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.26:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"When the Governor's son is taken hostage by bandits, a mysterious swordsman named Golden Swallow (Cheng) is hot on their trail to ensure the son's release. What the bandits don't realize, however, is that Golden Swallow is actually a woman, and that the hostage is her brother. Determined to set him free, no matter how many goons she has to fight her way through in doing so, she is aided in her quest by a drunken beggar (Yueh Hua) who may have a closer connection to the bandits' leader than he initially lets on." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The High Definition master was supplied to Arrow Films by Celestial Pictures."

Come Drink with Me comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.4 GB

Feature: 22.5 GB

Though image clarity and color saturation look very good throughout. This transfer is obviously sourced from an older HD master. Also, black levels leave room for improvement.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Mandarin language track sounds slightly fuller than its English language counterpart. That said, the dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. This release comes with English subtitles for the Mandarin language track, English SDH subtitles for the English language track, and a second English subtitle track for Mandarin text and signs.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (46 images-stills/posters/lobby cards/home video art), theatrical trailer (3 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), digital reissue trailer (1 minute 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary on the history of the wuxia genre and Shaw Brothers’ contributions to it, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 titled Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting (50 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Chinese with removable English subtitles), a 2016 Q&A at the University of Hawaii with actress Pei-Pei Cheng moderated by George Chun Han Wang (10 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Hung-Lieh Chen (43 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Hua Yueh (30 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Mandarin film clips), an archival interview with Pei-Pei Cheng (51 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Mandarin film clips), an audio commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, reversible cover art, a limited-edition slipcover (limited to first pressing) and a forty-four page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Deadly Beauty written by Anne Billson, an essay titled King Hu and Run Run Shaw: The Clash of Two Cinema Legends written by George Chun Han Wang and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Though Come Drink with Me has all the elements that are synonymous with Wuxia cinema, Come Drink with Me is a significant Wuxia film. Whereas the majority of martial arts films are dominated by male leads, Come Drink with Me was one of the first to feature a female in the lead role. 

From its opening moments, it becomes clear that the action set pieces are the focal point, and there’s going to be wall-to-wall action. With the opening sequences being a bloody ambush that leads into a torture sequence that sets the tone for what's about to follow. And though most of the action set pieces are bloody, Come Drink with Me opens and closes its narrative with its bloodiest action set pieces.

Come Drink with Me features Pei-Pei Cheng (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in the role of Come Drink with Me’s protagonist, Chang Hsuan-yen. She delivers a commanding performance where she more than holds her own with her male counterparts. She would reprise this character in a sequel titled Golden Swallow. Another performance of note is Hua Yueh (Killer Clans) in the role of a drunken master named Fan Ta-p'i.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where Come Drink with Me does not excel. The narrative does a good job of balancing action set pieces and exposition moments. King Hu’s (Dragon Inn) direction is solid, the action set pieces are exhilarating and well-executed, and the locations are beautifully photographed. Ultimately, Come Drink with Me is a solid Wuxia film that fans of this genre are sure to thoroughly enjoy.

Come Drink with Me gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an abundance of extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer