come drink with me
4/5
A woman seeking to free her brother and bring justice to the bandits who kidnapped him. Meanwhile, bandits who seek to exchange her brother for their leader who has been captured. Both get in over their heads with forces far beyond the normal kung fu. Slowly it dawns on them that they are each mere pawns to an ancient rivalry between two disciples of the same master.
This doesn't feel like a typical kung fu movie, it moves at a slower place like a serenade. The traditional soundtrack is closely bound up with the action making the film seem like a play. The action flows like a combination of a play and German expressionism. The camera work is truly remarkable. It gives heightened tension and intensity which imbues the entire film. It is a very stylistic piece.
The film is roughly held together by the character types. Each one in a slightly dichotomous position. For example, the main hero of the film the master, lives his life as a drunkard. He dresses in rags and begs for money and is always looking for a drink. Which is probably where the film gets its name. His antics possess extremely subtle wisdom and his kung fu is so low key it comes off as accidental. He is a trickster and saboteur. However his opposite the villain, dresses as a high priest. He lives in a temple inhabited by bandits. His skills are flashy and obvious. His entire manner is pompous and conceited. This combination of socially held opposites, drunken hero, pious villain, makes for an extremely interesting and unpredictable story. And characters slowly reveal themselves, nothing is as it seems at first.
The philosophy of this film, I believe, comes down to question appearances. The generalizations we accept about certain members of society can be completely mistaken, and only serves to delude ourselves. Common judgement though it contains the accumulated knowledge of generations is not enough to accurately get through life. We must use our own decrement to see things as they really are. We ultimately have a choice, who will you drink with?
Come drink with me is a powerful film, with a wide cultural influences. It combines high stylization with powerful story telling. I recommend it to fans of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Lone Wolf and Cub.