It's been almost a year since I heard that the original DRAGON GATE INN would be coming out on DVD. But since then, there hasn't been any news about its release, so I just couldn't wait any longer. I'm reviewing a bootlegged copy, and even though the picture is less than perfect, the colors are surely a bit washed out, and the subtitles don't even fit entirely on the screen, this is a magnificent film.

Once again, King Hu works his magic around a threadbare plot. I hate to summarize, so from Jeff Yang's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA: “Chief Eunuch Cao executes Defense Minister Yu, a Ming loyalist, and declares his family outlaw; as Yu's children are escorted to the border, Cao orders them assassinated before they even reach exile.  His agents converge with operatives loyal to Yu at Dragon Gate Inn, a small hostel near the border, setting the scene for a clash of wills and blades.”

Released one year after COME DRINK WITH ME, DRAGON GATE INN is in many ways COME DRINK WITH ME II. Some elements from the earlier film have been lifted and directly planted in this one. It would almost be embarrassing except that some of those things have actually been improved upon in this film. It's all done so well, you can't call it self-parody, and isn't self-repetition something we just call “style”?

Some of those trademarks include great period costumes, a Beijing-opera-influenced soundtrack, the best looking villains in town, tavern showdowns, and heroines who have trouble keeping their hair under control in a fight. Speaking of fights, there are none here that benefit from the dazzling backdrop of the temple in COME DRINK WITH ME, but Hu makes up for it with scenes that are much more convincing this time around.

Some of the credit for this should go to leading lady Polly Shang Kwan Ling Fong. Of course, if the Shaw Brothers hadn't pissed off King Hu, he wouldn't have left their studio in a huff, and Cheng Pei Pei would have starred. While Pei Pei, who remained under contract with the Shaws, would certainly have been fine for the part, we were introduced to the great Polly Shang, who apparently was hooked on the martial arts after filming DRAGON GATE INN and now holds black belts in judo, karate, and tae kwon do.

While we're on the subject of actors, it's nice to see the always-likeable Jun Shi in a more macho heroic role than his milquetoasty TOUCH OF ZEN scholar.

In a lot of ways, DRAGON GATE INN is a more streamlined, simpler film than COME DRINK WITH ME. The story doesn't go off on a spiritual tangent. There is no big fight scene where our heroes take on unrealistic hordes of enemies. To me, that's much more interesting than the escalating production and sensory onslaught of today's fight scenes.  And there are some strange things going on in the final showdown with something akin to strip poker, as articles of clothing are removed one by one. And then we have the eunuch who I swear seems to be suffering from a severe case of hypoglycemia. Get this guy some Gatorade!

And once again, Hu briefly touches on the theme of men and women unable to fully express their feelings for each other. It's one of the many small details that somehow make his movies seem, I don't know, essentially Chinese.  Perhaps it's just my imagination or Hu's attention to detail. Or maybe it's that this is a period piece. Heck, it might even just be the color and quality of the film stock from 1967 that are making me feel nostalgic.

But I think it's more than that. There is something about King Hu's best work that just resonates with me in ways of which I'm probably not even consciously aware. Like sitting in my great grandparents' living room with all our family history swirling around me—like tapping into something big. With the exception of the majestic HERO (click to see reviews by VAL FROST, SILMAN, and TERI TOM), it's a feeling I don't often get from other Chinese films. Kind of like when my ninety-something grand aunt first visited China. Overwhelmed by the centuries of her ancestral roots, she said in her typically understated way, “You get a funny feeling.”

I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense, but DRAGON GATE INN gives me a funny feeling. I'm going with my gut and giving it a 5.5