Three...Extremes (Saam gaang yi) (2004)

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 tells 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.

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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!