35 Years Before Kill Bill, This Female-Led Martial Arts Duology Changed The Genre

Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill isn't the only noteworthy martial arts duology centered on a female fighter on a bloody crusade. It's an old formula, one that actually dates all the way back to the mid-1960s. This period was essentially the formative years of the martial arts genre, which had yet to grow into what people think of it today.

Among the movies made during this era were Come Drink With Me and Golden Swallow. Both films - specifically the former - wound up being crucial to the evolution of the genre. And though it's changed significantly since their release in 1966 and 1968 respectively, they remained relevant, as evidenced by their clear influence on modern martial arts favorites.

Come Drink With Me Helped Shape The Future Of The Martial Arts Genre

Directed by King Hu, Come Drink With Me was a 1966 wuxia film that starred Cheng Pei-pei as a young swordswoman known as Golden Swallow. Dressed as a man, she arrives in a town full of ruffians on a mission to find her kidnapped brother. In doing so, she attracts the attention of several thugs, and winds up having a team-up with a drunken fighter to prevail against her enemies.

The film was a huge hit for Shaw Brothers, who produced a sequel two years later in the form of Golden Swallow. Cheng Pei-pei reprised her role as Golden Swallow, who is paired with the white-clad swordsman Silver Roc, played by Shaw Brothers' top male star, Jimmy Wang Yu.

King Hu's original vision for the story and Cheng Pei-pei's commanding presence contributed a great deal, illustrating how Chinese opera could be blended with martial arts to create thrilling, brilliantly choreographed battle sequences where one character transforms into a one-person army.

Come Drink With Me also delivered one of the most influential martial arts movie scenes of all time. Early in the film, Golden Swallow casually enters a tavern, where several men begin to observe her warily. Gradually, they begin to test her, whereas she remains calm, presenting herself as a powerful warrior who barely has to lift a finger to fend off threats. The scene has been copied countless times since.

Altogether, Come Drink With Me and its sequel launched a wave of popular female-led wuxia films, from The Lady Hermit to Touch of Zen, to Dragon Gate Inn, to The Fate of Lee Khan. Many have earned a place among the best martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s.

Come Drink With Me's Influence Can Still Be Found In Modern Martial Arts Movies

Its impact reaches far beyond that particular chapter of the martial arts genre's history. More recent films have taken inspiration from it as well. One such example is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which actually pays homage to the Golden Swallow character by casting Cheng Pei-pei as its villain.

A chase scene on a rooftop, multiple visuals, and certain martial arts moves from some of the other characters are indicative of the inspiration that Ang Lee took from watching Come Drink With Me when he made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And ultimately, it's fitting that one of the best female-led wuxia masterpieces would be built on the shoulders of another.