Three… Extremes (2004)
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.
this was beautiful and well put together, each story line has it’s own meaning and really makes you think
Now I want some effedup dumplings
Box is fantastic.
What an artitstic approach to horror. A beautiful combination of masterpieces. More I watch Asian Cinema, less I want to watch American movies.
The more YOU, mentally , going to be more one-sided ,irrational ,untrustworthy and ethnically ultra-nationalistic, regarding good choices of genuinely good and in fact quality movies, hereof in his case horror movies, from both worlds that makes their own production in term of plot and concept in their own really great and unique way… Well, I can tell you haven’t watch many psychological horror(or thriller/drama) high-budget American movies, then, that’s for sure, by saying that, solely..
Such a low-IQ unfortunate reply of yours, so I wish you could undo or unsay that to not make an one-sided thinking and “not thinking out of the box” fool of yourself, but ok….lol…;-)
Did you take your pills before writing the reply to my comment ?
Nope, that person clearly never touched his/her pills lol
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.
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!
The ending is guilt to the point of insanity. (Whenever he looks at his wife he sees the kids face.)
Why can’t I skip backwards or forward without the movie messing up? And then have to start from the beginning