Da Zui Xia / Come Drink with Me (1966) - Heavily Overrated but Historically Important Wu Xia Film - 6/10 (03/05/23)

Da Zui Xia, internationally known as Come Drink with Me, is one of the very first wu xia movies coming out of Hong Kong that has paved the way for many more films of the same genre to be released ever since. This genre combines historic settings, plots and costumes with extravagant martial arts techniques that can at times defy realism. This particular movie has a strong female protagonist played by iconic Cheng Pei-pei. She incarnates a governor's daughter who is sent to negotiate the liberation of her brother who was kidnapped by a ruthless group of bandits who demands their leader to be freed in exchange.

This movie has a few positive elements that deserve to be pointed out. As mentioned above, the combination of historic settings, plot and costumes with martial arts techniques was creative, exciting and innovative back in the days. The settings deserve particular praise as the inn that serves as a gathering spot for people living in the country, the beautiful monastery bringing Buddhist culture into the story and the hut next to a waterfall where reclusive beggar Fan Ta-pi resides are truly memorable locations. Another element that stands out is that parts of the movie work as a musical when the charismatic beggar played by Yueh Hua and the children he takes care of are singing numerous songs in the inn. These songs aren't just presented for the purpose of entertainment alone but provide additional information about characters and locations.

Sadly, this movie hasn't aged very well despite its important role in the history of cinema. The worst part of this film are the stiff martial arts techniques displayed here. They are slow, harsh and exaggerated as they happen to be lightyears away from the wu xia cinema of the seventies, eighties and nineties that has brought actors such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li to international stardom. Lead actress Cheng Pei-pei sadly looks particularly terrible as she is completely miscast for her role. The story is also everything but surprising as the movie offers a simple tale of revenge that has been created time and again before and after the release of this movie. The film's conclusion is also very weak as there isn't much focus on the female protagonist, her kidnapped brother and their father. Even the villain of the story escapes unharmed and is never seen again. The ending of the movie actually feels rushed, as if the production company had been running out of time and resources.

At the end of the day, Da Zui Xia, better known as Come Drink with Me around the world, is only interesting for adamant wu xia fans and intellectuals studying the history of cinema. Everyone else can skip this film without any regrets as several actresses and actors involved here have made much better movies. Cheng Pei-pei is a member of the cast of the excellent Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yueh Hua plays the protagonist in the wonderful tale of revenge Fury of the Shaolin Master. To conclude, there are many other wu xia films old and new that deserve your attention before discovering this movie. My recommendation for an older movie would be the brutal Five Fingers of Death. If you are interested in iconic genre films from the nineties, I would suggest you to discover the famous Once Upon a Time in China film series. If you are interested in contemporary cinema, you could give Donnie Yen's Sakra a chance.