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Ling Bai, Miriam Yeung Chin Wah, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Pauline Lau, Zabit Memedov ... see more see more... , Miki Yeung , Wong Su-Fun , Byung-hun Lee , Lim Won-Hee , Gang Hye-jeong , Lee Jun Goo , Lee Mi Mi , Kyoko Hasegawa , Atsurô Watabe , Mai Suzuki , Yuuya Suzuki , Mitsuru Akaboshi

Three Asian directors, from Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, join forces to create an omnibus horror film, Three...Extremes. In Fruit Chan's "Dumplings," shot by Christopher Doyle, Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung),... read more read more... a thirtysomething former actress with a philandering husband (Tony Leung) goes to visit Aunt Mei (Bai Ling), who sells the most expensive dumplings in Hong Kong. Mrs. Li knows about their rejuvenating powers, and she also knows about their unpleasant main ingredient, but after some initial nausea, she digs right in. In Oldboy writer/director Park Chan-wook's "Cut," a successful filmmaker (Lee Byung-hun of Joint Security Area) arrives home to find that a disgruntled extra (Lim Won-hee) has taken over his home, and fastened his pianist wife (Kang Hye-jun of Oldboy) to the grand piano. The madman threatens to cut off the wife's fingers, one by one, unless the director strangles the helpless child he's tied to the couch. Takashi Miike directs the last segment, "Box," about a young author and former circus performer, Kyoko (Kyoko Hasegawa), seemingly haunted by the ghost of her twin sister, who died a mysterious and horrible death while practicing their act. Adding to Kyoko's trauma, her editor (Atsuro Watabe) is a dead ringer for her old stepfather/ringmaster, who may have perished in the same "accident" that took her sister's life. Three...Extremes was shown at Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival in 2005. For the American release of Three...Extremes, the order in which the films are presented was altered from the original "Box," "Dumplings," and "Cut" to "Dumplings," "Cut," and "Box." This film was actually preceded by another omnibus film, Three, that was nevertheless retitled Three...Extremes II for the English-language market and issued after this one. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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R, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Chan Wook Park, Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike

Release Date: October 28, 2005

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DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (1,097)

  • lewiskendell
    September 14, 2011
    lewiskendell
    Three...Extremes is an anthology of three horror films by three respected Asian directors.

    "Dumplings" - Directed by Fruit Chan

    In Dumplings, an actress who has entered middle age and begun to lose the attention of her husband to an affair with a younger woman visits Aunt Mei... read more, an old woman who still has the looks of her youth. Aunt Mei has a secret recipe that makes anyone look years younger, but such an unnatural benefit comes from a truly abominable source. I found Dumplings to be absolutely stomach-churning. A horror movie that doesn't even attempt to scare you, but actually tries (and succeeds, in my case) to horrifying you. Not for the squeamish. Even the sound effects eventually became almost more than I could bear. Disturbing and entertaining. - 4/5

    "Cut" - Directed by Chan-wook Park

    A talented director and his wife are taken captive by a murderous, utterly insane movie extra. Cut is darkly comedic, utterly absurd, and far more meta than the other movies in this collection. It took me a while to figure out whether I liked it or not, but by the end of the segment, I was won over. Like Dumplings, Cut isn't frightening in the conventional sense. Instead, it's flat-out zany (in a good way). - 3.5/5

    "Box" - Directed by Takashi Miike

    The most haunting of the three segments. Box is about a jealousy-fueled tragic accident involving two young sisters. The surviving sibling suffers from suffocating (literally) dreams and disturbing visions of her deceased sibling, even years later as an adult. Box is probably the creepiest of the three, and it has a psycho-sexual aspect to it that makes the whole thing even more unsettling. Definitely more of an atmospheric, "mood" movie than the other two. - 4/5

    I liked all three segments, as well as the movie as a whole. I found Dumplings to be the most effective/entertaining, but I recommend the entire anthology. The three short films are not only memorable and very different from one another, but they're also fairly unique among the other horror movies that I've seen.

    Overall - 4/5
  • gokhale1
    April 24, 2011
    gokhale1
    Few films manage to disgust yet fascinate you at the same time with their unusually outlandish and disturbing premises.

    "Three..Extremes" an offering from the dark underworld of Asian horror is one such film. This collaboration of film-makers from three different countries tel... read morels three different stories, all approximately 40 minutes in length, all exhibiting different levels of "Disturbing"!

    Since we are talking about three disparate stories here, it is only fair that each be reviewed separately.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The first tale of terror comes from Hong Kong, an absolute shocker named "Dumplings", written by Lillian Lee and directed by Fruit Chan. This one goes straight for your jugular with its utterly disgusting theme revolving around a certain Mrs. Li and a certain Aunt Mei. Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung) is an aging ex-actress going through a supposed midlife crisis and an unhappy marriage. Desperate to rejuvenate herself and regain her lost youth, she visits Aunt Mei (Bai Ling..superb!) who claims to have a secret recipe for some special "dumplings" that are supposed to give the partakers the ability to stay young. Only the "secret" of the recipe is revolting enough for anyone to lose their appetite...

    Fruit Chan directs very well and manages to succeed in his obvious goal of freaking the viewer out with his in-your-face display of gross-out material with some cringe-inducing special effects and sound effects. He builds the story to a shocking yet satisfying climax in a steady pace and subjects us to some highly repulsive images on the way. All said and done, this segment is a work of shimmering originality from Fruit Chan, who clearly knows his art. "Dumplings" treads new grounds in depicting the far extent to which human beings can go to in order to fulfill their deepest, darkest desires. Truly extreme....

    Words of caution:

    1)Not recommended for the squeamish.

    2) Avoid watching over meals!


    Score: 9/10.


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    The second segment, "Cut" (South Korea) is a "Saw"-like tale from the maker of the Godly Korean film "Oldboy", Park Chan-Wook. A frustrated and mentally unstable man acting as an extra in a successful film-maker's films kidnaps the film-maker and his wife and keeps them all tied up in their own house. He then forces the film-maker to be a part of his sadistic games or face the consequences, which include chopping off his pianist wife's fingers one by one over every five minutes that the film-maker refuses to comply. This story is akin to the cult thriller "Saw" or Park Chan-Wook's own "Oldboy" on many levels.


    This segment is surprisingly the weakest of the three, in spite of the name of Park Chan-wook attached to it. It is one of those typical thrillers (wrongly dubbed as "horror") dealing with sadistic individuals depicting torture for the sake of torture yet there is no convincing basis for the tormentor's actions. In spite of being the weakest of the lot, this film succeeds on the directorial front with some taut storytelling, fantastic acting by Won-hie Lim and an aptly built claustrophobic atmosphere. The gore quotient is moderate, definitely lower than "Dumplings", and barring a couple of scenes, most of the blood spilling happens off-screen, so all you faint-hearts don't have to turn away every time.


    Score: 8/10.

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    The last story is the icing on this bizarre cake..."Box" (Japan) by Takashi Miike is my most favourite of the three. This is a segment that would please lovers of atmospheric, surreal psychological thrillers as well as horror fans alike. It is about a young and beautiful writer named Kyoko who has recurring nightmares about being wrapped in a plastic sheet and being buried in a box in some unknown snow-clad region by a person whose face is not seen. "The dream always ends there.." as she reiterates. Is this dream somehow connected to her reality?

    Takashi Miike directs with the kind of poetic finesse that would make David Lynch proud. "Box" is brilliantly executed with haunting imagery, minimalist sound effects, a terrifying sense of isolation, astounding background score, clubbed with a layered narrative. The strange, enigmatic storyline further adds to its many qualities. Kôichi Kawakami's cinematography is especially noteworthy in this...."Box" is the most beautiful looking segment of all! Almost like a painting coming to life! Kyoko Hasegawa as Kyoko, delivers a commendable performance here and looks beautiful as well. "Box" is devoid of extreme gore and relies primarily on mood and atmosphere. This is one exceptional quality of this segment that separates it from the previous two. "Box" clearly scores the most, 'cause it is easier for any film to create shock value from extremely disturbing situations and gore but it is much more difficult to hold an audience captive in its unsettling environment.

    Score: 9.5/10.


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    Conclusion: "Three..extremes" is a solid entry from Asian cinema and a must-see for all film connoisseurs who like their films freaky and wicked!
  • imrealgod
    April 8, 2011
    imrealgod
    Dumplings - 2.5/5
    Cut - 3.5/5
    Box - 3/5
  • RCCLBC
    October 18, 2010
    RCCLBC
    While all of them were interesting, the only segment that REALLY got to me was the first film called "Dumplings". It was truly disturbing on many levels and I highly recomend it to those who like that sort of thing.

    They get progressivly less interesting (in my opinion) from ... read morefirst to last, which is odd because usually they save the best for last on this sort of a project.

    Having said that, I do think that fans of the genere will enjoy the journey(s).
  • flixsterman
    January 2, 2010
    flixsterman
    Episodic horror done right. Three tales of terror that will surely induce either the willies, the creeps or the eebie-jeebies, depending on your personal tastes. For me, there was one specific scene that made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up - just don't ask me... read more which scene it was until you've seen Three...Extremes for yourself.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    I wish I had skipped Dumplings and waited for the long version as I felt a little let down after the big shock was revealed early on in the film, after that it just seem to fade out. Was shocked at how bad Cut was considering Chan-wook Park's fantastic portfolio of work, I found ... read moreit pointless and a little dull. Box is another slice of Miike magic and although it?s a little slow at times, he make up for it with his signature shock ending. That said though, this was nowhere near as good as his previous work. All in all, I was expecting more!
  • Saxia
    August 10, 2009
    Saxia
    Mweh.. not really my thing.. Although Dumplings was the best out of the 3, they all couldn't really amuse me.
  • newvogueravyn
    July 16, 2009
    newvogueravyn
    In all honesty, I was expecting something more. Although Dumplings was still good I prefer the longer version, as to me this section felt rushed. I'm not sure I remember the last bath scene from the other film, and it was probably the best thing about the short. Although the idea... read mores behind Cut were interesting, I didn't particularly like it. Box I liked rather well, but not enough to consider adding this to my collection - though if Box was available on its own I would buy that.

    All in alll it was worth a rent but I can't say I'm overflowing with praise for it.
  • 76Majikat
    March 12, 2009
    76Majikat
    THREE EXTREMES are three short films put together by some of Asia's best Directors. Each are reviewed as follows:

    DUMPLINGS - This film instantly made it as the sickest film I'd ever seen, with every stomach-churning crunch, I found it very difficult to get to the end of this... read more film, but somehow managed. I'd be very interested to know if the guys as bad as the ladies watching this, given the subject matter?

    On reflection though, I feel I now understand it more as a creative piece. I think it provides an extreme metaphor for the kind of celebrity culture we have, where looks and youth are preserved at any cost.

    CUT

    An interesting film, which forms a visually artistic piece. Although this is a Short, it did seem to stretch a little at times and maybe it could have been made into even a shorter film, but was pretty enjoyable all the same.

    BOX

    A twisted plot as always, Takashi Miike?s contribution to the trilogy is by far the best. What is unspoken in this piece speaks volumes and the silence in fact makes a huge impact on the sinister tale ? One of Takashi Miikes most enjoyable films in my opinion and makes this trilogy worth watching.
  • garyX
    December 2, 2008
    garyX
    Three Extremes is a horror compendium from three of the most talented directors working today, although it's far from the kind of clunky Twilight Zonery you'll find in most examples of this genre. The first segment by Fruit Chan is probably the most straightforward of the three, ... read moretelling the story of a back street abortionist who sells the aborted fetuses as dumplings that promote youth and beauty. It aims straight for the gross out factor and although succeeds in making the viewer uncomfortable it fails to really explore the subject. It is done with some considerable visual style though. The second by Chan-wook Park is a beautiful looking tale about a film director who wakes up on his own film set having been kidnapped by a disgruntled extra who tells he he must murder a child or his wife will be tortured to death. The concept obviously has a lot in common with A.D.D. teen pleaser Saw but it is done with considerably more style and wit and is tinged with black humour. I found the twist at the end a little unsatisfying and unnecessary but otherwise it's gripping. But the best is saved for last as Takashi Miike's extraordinary talent for the macabre tells the haunting story of an authoress who is plagued by horrific dreams that are rooted in a tragic event from her childhood. Both beautiful and disturbing, it's reminiscent of David Lynch's most powerful imagery.

View All Three...Extremes (Saam gaang yi) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
November 7, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

You can't believe what they're doing here. Full Review

Bob Longino
October 30, 2005
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Asian horror like the new Three ... Extremes beats an American film like Saw II at its own game. Full Review

J. R. Jones
October 29, 2005
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

'Cut,' Park's contribution to Three... Extremes Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
October 28, 2005
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

One is haunting and wonderful, one is very good, and one spoils the fun. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
October 28, 2005
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Evokes a queasy fascination. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
October 28, 2005
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Ask three of Asia's most extreme filmmakers to contribute a short horror film each, and the result is, well, extreme.

Jami Bernard
October 28, 2005
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

Blood, grotesquerie and humor mix equally in the first two, but the full combo makes a savory witches' brew for Asian-cinema cultists (or Halloween lovers in need of a gore fix). Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
October 28, 2005
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

It has three stories, and each is extreme. Yet even literalism can be an understatement. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
October 28, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

You can't watch these three mini-movies without wondering what you possibly can take from them, but there's warped creativity at work in all of them, and if you can separate talent from content, you'l...

Lisa Kennedy
October 28, 2005
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Makes a persuasive argument for what's wrong with so many horror films today. Full Review

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