Three… Extremes (2004)

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Avg Rating: 4.3 / 5. Voted: 86

No one cared thus far. Do you?

AKA: Sam Gang 2
Directed by: Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike
Starring: Bai Ling (Aunt Mei), Miriam Yeung (Mrs Li), Tony Leung Ka-fai (Mr Li), Lee Byung-hun (Director), Kang Hye-jung (Director’s wife), Im Won-hee (Killer), Kyoko Hasegawa (Kyoko), Atsuro Watabe (Yoshii/Higata)
Country: Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea
Language: Cantonese, Korean, Japanese (English subtitles)
Runtime: 02:05:58
Genres: Anthology-Short, Cannibalism, Dolls, Gore-Gruesome, Home Invasion, Incest, Old-Young Relationships, Revenge, Siblings-Family, Childhood

Plot – Spoilers:
Three films by three acclaimed directors from Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.

Dumplings – A former actress who’s lost the attention of her wealthy husband is willing to try out a bizarre recipe to reignite her fading beauty. A full-length version was later made, with a different ending and additional plot lines.

Cut – A frustrated actor relegated to bit-roles envies a director who epitomizes everything he hasn’t had, or ever will.

Box – A popular writer is tormented by delusions of a criminal act from her childhood.

At the end of Box, it is suggested that what you saw wasn’t what happened. But if we assume that the finale itself is Kyoko’s final delusion to make peace with herself, all three films throw up a conflicting thought – is it reasonable to say that each of the desperate characters are victims and the real crimes were committed by Mrs Li’s husband’s apathy to her, the director by virtue of his existence, and the incestuous Dad(?) of the twin girls.

Favorite moments include the dance performance by the actor in Cut, the ending of Dumplings (a childless woman willing to sacrifice what she possibly pined for, all her adult life, just to continue to look younger) and the visual wonder of a person being buried alive in the snowy wilderness of Box.

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fred fat
fred fat
August 18, 2024 5:54 pm

this was a bit extreme

mallo
mallo
July 16, 2024 5:01 am

Mrs. Li had really good skin the whole time she just needs to stop wearing Hilary Clinton suits and get a better haircut and she’d look 20 years younger instantly.

Allahkiller
Allahkiller
December 3, 2023 5:39 pm

Good Masonic cinema

SlavePhoenix
SlavePhoenix
October 24, 2022 10:03 am

Park Chan-wook & Takashi Miike fan for life! Every film is absolutely fucking phenomenal. This movie never gets old it will always be my midnight snack. Something like asian horror that always gets me off like no other culture etc etc blah blah blah just keep feeding me

Alex Hogendorp
Alex Hogendorp
December 4, 2021 10:22 pm

Reminds me of the days I watched Cool Devices. The same charm is there.

Kiki
Kiki
July 27, 2021 7:36 pm

Why can’t I skip backwards or forward without the movie messing up? And then have to start from the beginning

big drip
big drip
April 30, 2021 12:18 am

Very interesting film!
1. Dumplings is imho the best in this film as it is mesmerisingly disgusting and compelling at the same time.
2. The cut is artistic, chaotic and ends confusingly.
3. The box is interesting and slow. My least favourite of the three.

Thank you for this film, EUM!

Alice
Alice
April 18, 2021 4:21 am

I like the first one, Dumplings…the extents some people would go to, to remain youthful and to please the fake, superficial people in their lives.

Cut is chaotic and aimed to just twist and left me scratching my head.

Box is artistic, sleep-inducing, very slow. Tbh I don’t like this drama cos of the theatrical acting.

OJ
OJ
November 21, 2020 10:33 am

What an artitstic approach to horror. A beautiful combination of masterpieces. More I watch Asian Cinema, less I want to watch American movies.

Antinatalpist
Antinatalpist
August 27, 2020 9:33 pm

Box is fantastic.

Matthew Crimsons
Matthew Crimsons
August 6, 2020 7:47 pm

Now I want some effedup dumplings

princessdestruction#8028
princessdestruction#8028
July 13, 2020 8:42 pm

this was beautiful and well put together, each story line has it’s own meaning and really makes you think