Three... Extremes (2004)

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三更2 (2004)

Three... Extremes

Reviewed by: j.crawford
Date: 10/21/2006
Summary: a compilation horror film

Three…Extremes is a compilation horror film comprised of short versions of feature films by master directors from the HKSAR, Korea and Japan.

Edited to about 40 minutes from its feature length, Dumplings is a deliciously creepy, thought provoking piece from one of Hong Kong's best directors, Fruit Chan Goh. If you can imagine that the beautiful Bai Ling could look in the mirror and see Hau Woon-Ling in her reflection, then you have an idea of the nature of the secret ingredient of Aunt Mei's famous dumplings. Director Chan's master stroke of genius is the casting of Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah. I never would have thought, from all her romantic comedy work, that she had this performance in her.

From Korea, comes Cut, directed by Park Chan-Wook, a quite gruesome work that is very unique. Internationally acclaimed master director Miike Takashi's Box is the third short film from Japan.

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 02/01/2005

Three... Extremes is a compliation of short films by directors from three different Asian nations. The stories vary, but they all deal with the theme of the extremes people will go to when confronted with loss. Overall, this is a strong series of movies that feels a bit unpolished, but still manages to create some pretty solid scares and shocks, especially when viewed together in one sitting.

Note: all three films have been put out seperately in full-length versions.

The first film is Box, directed by cult fan favorite Takashi Miike. It tells the story of a writer distraught over the death of her sister, which happened when they were child performers at a strange circus set up in the middle of nowhere. Like most of Miike's other work, Box is a very odd work that threatens to veer off the road at many points, but still manages to create a solid narrative. It's not as disturbing as your usual Miike picture, but it is suitably unsettling enough to warrant a viewing.

Next up is Dumplings, helmed by Fruit Chan, who is not normally known for doing this type of movie. However, he does a good job here in telling the story of an aging actress who takes to eating dumplings cooked with baby fetuses to regain her youth. I really enjoyed the full-length version of this film, and I like this version just about as much. It could have benefitted from some of the deeper characterization of the longer edit. But the short version is still powerful and quite disturbing in parts, and it features a difefrent ending which fans of Miriam Yeung might find unsettling, especially given her past squeaky-clean body of work.

The last film is Cut, directed by Park Chan Wook. It concerns a director and his wife who are held hostage by a failed actor. The captor threatens to cut off one of the wife's fingers for every five minutes that the director does not kill a small child in the room. Cut swings wildly between broad comedy and gruesome violence, but Park keeps things in check and manages to create one of the more powerful short films I've ever seen. The other two films are good, but it is Cut that really makes this compilation worthwhile for fans of Asian cinema.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]