Billed as a triptych of terror from a trio of celebrated Asian filmmakers, “Three … Extremes” is at times disarmingly brutal, and more other times painfully dull; certainly not a piece of work I’d recommend to anyone but the most twisted J-horror fans and, perhaps, people I don’t like very much. “Extremes” begins with a short by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan called “Dumplings,” about a gynecologist turned chef (Bai Ling) who cooks up aborted fetuses and feeds them to rich women like Qing (Miriam Yeung) with the promise of reversing the aging process. And that’s the easiest of the three shorts to, uh, digest. “Old Boy” helmer Park Chan- Wook’s “Cut” — about a film director and his wife held captive by a jealous extra — shows promise but lingers far too long. Takashi Miike’s “Box” is better left unopened. (Rated R. Running time: 125 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.