In this third chapter from the Book of Dirty Harry Callahan, there's plenty of action as Harry breaks in a new partner and goes after a ruthless bunch, some self-proclaimed revolutionaries who are nothing more than common criminals, in `The Enforcer,' directed by James Fargo, and starring Clint Eastwood and Tyne Daly. And beyond the action, it's a film that manages to make a valid statement about bureaucratic nonsense, as well as the lack of common sense employed by those ensconced in the budding agenda of `political correctness,' who put an emphasis on image over purpose and results. Mostly, though, it gives the audience a chance to share vicariously in the triumph of good over evil, as Harry once again metes out justice in his own inimitable way.

After taking charge and cleaning up a hostage situation in a way that only `Dirty Harry' can, Harry (Eastwood) is assigned to a desk job in personnel. But when his partner, Frank DiGiorgio (John Mitchum) goes down on the job during the robbery of a munitions warehouse, Harry is back on the street, but with a new partner, Kate Moore (Daly), one of the first female inspectors in the country. And Harry puts her through her paces as they attempt to track down this particularly volatile gang, who seemingly put little value on human life as they cut their swath through the city of San Francisco and pursue their own `for the people' agenda, which in reality means they want to get their hands on as much cash as possible, and plan to hold the city hostage to do it. But they had better think again; because when they took down Frank, they inadvertently provoked the ire of Inspector Callahan himself, who does not take kindly to their sort to begin with.

James Fargo is in the director's chair for this one, and he comports himself well, recapturing all of the attitudes and elements that made the first two `Dirty Harry' films so successful. Fargo sets a good pace and keeps the story on at least an equal footing with the action, which keeps this one involving. Giving Harry a female partner puts some added interest into the mix as well, in light of the fact that this film was made in an era in which women were just beginning to emerge in such positions, on the screen or otherwise. `Cagney and Lacey,' for instance, was still some five or six years away, and Kathleen Turner's `V.I. Warshawski' wouldn't make an appearance until 1991. Initially, the film takes something of a patronizing attitude toward her, but Harry treats her as an equal from the beginning, and in the end, Inspector Moore emerges as a strong character, gender aside. Most importantly, that is not the focus of the filmmakers here, and the fact that Moore is a woman is little more in the overall scheme of things than a footnote in cinematic history; Moore is just another character in the `Dirty Harry' saga, and she's a good one (especially when compared to Harry's partner, Al Quan-- played by Evan C. Kim-- in `The Dead Pool'). And credit Fargo with insuring that it all blends together naturally within the context of the story, as well as the fact that he keeps the relationship between Callahan and Moore on task, and allows it to develop quite credibly. All in all, it's a good, collaborative effort from all concerned.

What really gives this one that ring of authenticity, however, is that Clint Eastwood is in top form, and even in his third outing as Harry seems more immersed in the character than ever. And, in the final analysis, story aside, it's the `Dirty Harry' character that makes these films so popular and successful. Creating a cinematic icon is no easy task, and that's precisely what Eastwood has done with Harry; and it's gratifying to see that he is willing to give that 110% at this stage of the game, in order to maintain the credibility of the character and the films, as well. A lesser actor would have taken this kind of success to the bank by now, while possibly allowing the character to slip into caricature rather than being concerned with keeping it real and convincing. It demonstrates what a pro Eastwood is, and why he commands the kind of respect afforded him within the industry.

Taking on the role of Kate Moore had to be a challenge for Tyne Daly, and happily, she succeeds quite well with it. She makes her character convincing by allowing her to develop in a `real time' manner; she doesn't just jump in there, full blown and ready to take on hardened criminals. Initially, she displays some intimidation in Harry's presence, which gives their relationship some realism from the beginning. After all, Harry IS an intimidating guy; add to that the fact that this is a new job for Moore, which in reality would create a level of discomfort for anyone, anywhere. And Daly has tapped into all of that with her portrayal of Moore, making her a very believable character, and one of the most memorable from among the five `Dirty Harry' films.

The supporting cast includes Harry Guardino (Lt. Bressler), Bradford Dillman (Capt. McKay), DeVeren Bookwalter (Bobby Maxwell), John Crawford (The Mayor), Samantha Doane (Wanda) and Albert Popwell as `Big' Ed Mustapha (look for Popwell in the original `Dirty Harry' as the Bank Robber; in `Magnum Force' as pimp J.J. Wilson; and again in `Sudden Impact' as one of Harry's partners, Horace). A well made and entertaining film, `The Enforcer' keeps the `Dirty Harry' series alive, well and on solid ground; in retrospect, it seems a shame now that Eastwood waited seven years to make the next installment, `Sudden Impact,' as with the dreadful `The Dead Pool' in 1988, it all ended with barely a whimper. The first four, however, more than make up for it-- and that's the magic of the movies. 8/10.


The Third Dirty Harry Film is not a character study or a social comment this time it's a out and out action film. a terrorist group targets San Francisco and they are intent on starting a race war with a black militant gang based on the black panthers it's a ruse of course and Dirty Harry gets caught in it . Harry is assigned a new partner a female PArtner named Kate Moore who has a hard time trying to walk in Harry's shadow. the war comes to S.F. and Harry after stopping a robbery is assigned to Personel. harry is like a fish out of water but the clues and tips keep piling up as do the bodies. Finally Harry is suspended and while he sits this out the Terrorists seize the mayor hostage and hole up on alcatraz. Harry is asked to rescue the mayor and does so in a thrilling climax that also breaks Harry's Heart. Not the best in the series but not the worst either it does what it's intended to do entertain you. it's not a political statement it's not a thinking picture it's a action picture which means sit back and watch one of the best in the business show you how it's done.


Clint Eastwood returns to his most famous non-western role of Inspector Harry Callaghan in the third of the San Francisco based crime thrillers. This time he is up against a group of terrorists who have robbed a military warehouse and are threatening use their newly acquired arsenal if the city doesn't give them two million dollars.

Of course this being a Dirty Harry film we see him dealing with a shop full of armed thieves in a way that leaves the shop in ruins and Harry transferred to Personnel, a department he does not hold in high regard. Luckily this transfer doesn't last too long, after the arms robbery he is back in Homicide with a new partner, the recently promoted Inspector Kate Moore, played by Tyne Daly before she found fame in "Cagney and Lacey". At first Harry isn't too pleased with having to break in a new partner but inevitably grows to value her contribution.

The terrorists unfortunately seem a little too insane, they claim to be doing it "for the people" but happily kill anybody who crosses their path... at least the chief bad guy gets a spectacular ending which I won't spoil here. Almost as important as the case against the terrorists is the city politics where the mayor and chief of police wish to talk up Harry and Kate's role just to further their equal opportunities policies even though they had no role in the arrest they are getting the credit for.

Despite the film having some weaknesses I'd still recommend it to anybody who enjoyed the other Dirty Harry films or just like cop films in general.


Dirty Harry Callahan is back with bad-assery and no sense for nonsense. After Don Siegel's masterpiece "Dirty Harry" of 1971 which outraged critics but defined 70s cinema and Cop flicks thereafter and the somewhat tamer sequel "Magnum Force" of 1973, Clint Eastwood comes back as the toughest & coolest Cop in cinema-history, Inspector Dirty Harry Callahan. This third film in the series, "The Enforcer" of 1976, is arguably the most action-packed Callahan flick (along with the fifth and last one, "The Dead Pool" of 1988). Harry doesn't only stop trouble with his 44. Magnum, he also uses higher calibers and even cars as weapons in this one. "The Enforcer" is not the best film in the series (the best is doubtlessly Don Siegel's masterpiece original, my personal second-favorite is the fourth film, Clint Eastwood's own "Sudden Impact" of 1983). Yet this is another violent, gritty, outrageously entertaining and purely bad-ass Dirty Harry film that should not be missed, especially by action fans. Director James Fargo, who had worked as an assistant director to Clint Eastwood for "High Plains Drifter" (1973) and "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976) was not as experienced as masters Don Siegel and Ted Post, of course, but he definitely managed to keep the adrenaline-dose up.

When "Magnum Force" tried to becalm critics (who bashed the original for its political incorrectness) a bit by having Harry fight vigilantes, this third film in the series is as politically incorrect as ever. Harry beats the living crap out of punks, rants about everybody, and does all the super-tough things that we love him for. Harry Callahan is not exactly delighted when his superiors assign him a new partner who happens to be female. Inspector Kate Moore (Tyne Daly) has chance to impress her legendary new partner when an extremist organization begins to terrorize San Francisco... Storywise, this is not the most interesting film in the series. However, the action is great and Clint Eastwood is great as always as Dirty Harry. Tyne Daly as his female partner is somewhat cute and somewhat annoying at the same time. This is the second of three times Edward Popwell appears in a Callahan flick, this time as a the leader of a black militant group. Popwell had also appeared as a robber in the famous 'Do You Fell Lucky' scene in "Dirty Harry" and would appear again as Harry's colleague and buddy in "Sudden Impact". Overall, this is yet another violent, tough-minded and vastly entertaining "Dirty Harry" flick that is a must-see to Callahan-fans and highly recommendable to all action-lovers.


I really felt Dirty last night, so I revisited this film along with The Gauntlet and Magnum Force. Sometimes, you just need to immerse yourself into the world of "Dirty" Harry to remember what life is all about.

There are sheep and there are goats. Most of us are sheep, but we need goats like Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) to remind us that "...if you want to jerk all these people off, you can, but don't do it with me." Too often, we go along like sheep while the bureaucrats do their song and dance. Nothing gets accomplished, and people get hurt.

I am not a big Tyne Daly fan, but she really did a good job as Harry's partner. Bradford Dillman, who will be back with a different name in Sudden Impact, was perfect as the toady who would kiss any butt to get promoted.

Lots of action, and the heart of "Dirty" Harry shines through the rough exterior again.


"The Enforcer" ranks as the least interesting Dirty Harry police procedural and its chief gimmick is pairing up our gritty, trigger-happy, insubordinate cop with a female sidekick. She prefers for him to refrain from performing favors for her. He manages to keep her alive for most of the movie, including an amusing scene on a ordinance testing range. A radical group is loose in San Francisco, and they have stolen some L.A.W.S. rockets and plan to use them. Harry ignites the controversy for his lone wolf handling of several robbers in a liquor store by driving his police cruiser through the glass storefront and blowing the opposition away with his Model 29 Smith & Wesson 44 Magnum. This act of legal janitorialism is him transferred to Personel. His sidekick is DeGeorgio (John Mitchum of "Dirty Harry"), but like most of Dirty Harry's partners, he catches a bullet from these unsavory villains and dies. Bradford Dillman in the first of two Dirty Harry movies plays the top cop Captain McKay and he makes it clear to Callahan in no uncertain terms that he doesn't approve of his methods. The radicals abduct the mayor (John Crawford)and take him to Alcatraz. Predictably, Harry is not about to let them get away with it. Nevertheless, the city of San Francisco punishes him and he decides to take matters in his own hands. Future "Cagney & Lacey" star Tyne Daley is appropriately unglamorous as Harry's sidekick Inspector Kate Moore. There is a rooftop chase that goes on far too long and at one point Harry plunges into a porno movie in production. James Fargo directs with an impersonal but efficient enough style. Daley easily steals the show as the most sympathetic of the characters. Naturally, she wins the admiration of the eponymous character. There is something approaching routine here with this Dirty Harry installment. Jerry Fielding wrote the music. The villains don't hold a candle to either the mad sniper Scorpio in "Dirty Harry" or the clean-cut rookie cops in "Magnum Force." The next Dirty Harry "Sudden Impact" restored considerable tenacity to the franchise and still gave the leading lady something important to do.


This movie continues the tradition of great Clint Eastwood movies. The Enforcer is filled with Harry Callahan's dry humor and tough talk. 1976 San Francisco is filmed beautifully and provides a great background as usual. The music is suitably funky, perfect for the period. Much better than what passes for entertainment these days. We took them all for granted back then. You must have this movie to complete your Dirty Harry collection. It's one of the 3 best of the series.

Great bad guys, and DiGeorgio, his partner, played by John Mitchum, Robert Mitchum's brother. Tyne Daly makes her first major appearance, and handles it well.


For some reason (or reasons), I found this "Harry" episode a little more entertaining than the others. Maybe it's the Tyne Daly interview scene with the woman's rights liaison sanctimoniously commenting on equality while Harry lam-basts her with a "what would you do in this situation?" scenario. Maybe it's the rich kid who metamorphosed into the smarmy old man quasi-liberal mayor, with his "Jimmy" sycophantic aide at his side resembling a blathering French poodle. These mayoral scenes take a really sarcastic swipe at so-called liberal politicking by mostly all the brass bigwigs.

Also enjoyable is the opening scene at the restaurant where Harry bum-rushes Freddie the Fainter, the food-"poisonee" faker who fools everybody but Harry. How about the Tyne Daly/Harry partnership which develops nicely as we segue from the soul-brother barbershop scene (great one-liners here!) to the foot chase segment, with the accompanying jazzy-funky score and with Ms. Daly at his back (well, sort of!)? She finally does really cover his back later on, but I won't say how or when (no spoiling!).

All the above plus a well written and nicely paced story line, a gorgeous cinematic backdrop of 'Frisco and the adjoining Bay area and a more understated execution of this film makes it a little different from the other "Harrys". It's not necessarily better than the other "Dirty Harrys", but I just enjoyed this one more, especially the unique ending.


In his biography of Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel refers to a largely improvised scene between Clint and Tyne Daly, in a bar, where they compare notes and get drunk. Schickel calls it the best scene in the movie, and a first for any Eastwood film. They rolled camera and the actors just cut loose. At one point, Tyne even gets up to go to the restroom and, according to Schickel, it was so good it was left in the release print. Director James Fargo then shot some extra pickup footage, extra coverage, then edited the whole thing together. Again, he called it the best scene in the film; one that really cemented the close relationship between the two characters. So I'm watching the film last night. Both Clint and Tyne spar with each other, talking about getting a beer. Then we cut to a two shot, on a wharf pier, at a juice stand. Eastwood says "All they had was apple juice." The actors start walking and drinking... the dolly movies... and they do a brief "walk & talk." No bar, no improvisation, etc. And not much of a scene. Was this picture edited for video? Is this a replacement scene for TV? Very strange.


I have already submitted this comment to IMDb for correction, but haven't seen anything yet.

The credits for The Enforcer show Will Hutchins as "Stakeout cop"(uncredited), but does anyone else agree that that role and character were actually part of the liquor store stakeout/holdup sequence in Magnum Force instead? The sequence, right after Harry has dinner with Carol McCoy and her kids, has Harry entering the back of the store, where Early Smith is posing as a cashier. Harry heads to the manager's office where, along with Will Hutchins, dressed in uniform and wearing a bulletproof vest and holding a shotgun, is waiting as well. Harry sees the three perps walk into the store and comments, "Well, there are three salty looking dudes". After the shootout, where Will Hutchins' character bungles part of it because he hesitates, he actually has a line where he shakes his head after looking at the carnage Harry has wrought and says, "I've never shot a man", whereby Harry looks at him in disgust and says something to the effect of "Help out with the customers, will ya?" Does anyone else remember it this way, and note that Will Hutchins is credited to the wrong movie, or am I missing a role in The Enforcer that I forgot about? I remember Hutchins because I hadn't really seen him since Merrill's Marauders and Sugarfoot and happened across this in the IMDb.

Remembering trivia like this is a disease, I tell ya!


I think this is the best out of all the Dirty Harry movies. This one has style. Some of the best one-liners are from this movie alone. "That's mighty white of you" After seeing this movie...Clint is Dirty Harry.


"Dirty" Harry Callahan(Clint Eastwood) is back on the streets of San Francisco. This time he goes after radical Vietnam Veterans who want to take over. They first kill the men for a delivery truck, take all the weapons they could use, killing a guard and a cop at the same time. That cop was Callahan's partner. He gets a new partner which he's not too thrilled to have. A rookie female(Tyne Daly) who happens to be slow at first but has a lot of resilience. In order to get the militants they look up to an all-black group named Uhuru. The leader Mustapha(Albert Popwell), gives out information which is helpful. However, the captain and the mayor captured them, and Callahan tells him where to put his badge. I liked it more when he tells his superior about his "mouthwash ain't making it!" What can you say, the captain's a blow-hard, and the mayor is self-absorbed. Both he and his partner go to Alcatraz for the final confrontation, and it took one bazooka shot to stop the leader. This movie was a lot of fun, I liked the part where Callahan took out the crooks at the liquor store, and the last one got his jewels blitzed. This version has more bang for the buck! 5 stars!


The third picture featuring Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry. Clint Eastwood resumes his role as Police Inspector Harry Callahan; Tyne Daly plays the role of Inspector Kate Moore and Harry Guadino as Lt Al Bressler. Harry gets into one of his usual predicaments when his is relegated to Personnel to help interview patrol officers on the list to make inspector. While filling his duties in personnel he learns that there are eight openings for inspector and three of those eight will be filled by woman. A group of people who call themselves the People's Revolutionary Strike Force (PRSF), led by Bobby Maxwell, are making plans to go on a crime spree all over the city of San Francisco. When Dirty Harry's longtime partner is killed by the PRSF during a major weapons theft, Dirty Harry vows revenge and, surprisingly, is given some support by his superiors. Harry has one problem, he's given a new partner and it's non other then a lady inspector. After the Mayor of San Francisco is taken its up to Harry and his new partner are expecting to find him. All and all I give this movie 8 weasel stars.


This film was to be Dirty Harry's last outing in the seventies (do not worry though, he had two comebacks in the eighties). It is easy to compare this film, with the two previous Dirty Harry movies, because there some things have (still) not changed. First of all, Harry (obviously) kept his cheeky mouth, which again provides the viewer with the necessary laughs and his boss with the necessary headaches. This is not the only thing that has stayed the same though. Again some of the scenes could have been shorter, thus (theoretically) making The Enforcer a much tighter package. A perfect example of that is the scene in which Harry chases a bad guy to the rooftop of a building. Not only could this scene have been shorter, but it could also have been much more exciting had there been adequate use of music and cinematography. There is however one upside to this installment in the Dirty Harry series, which is, that it is far more stable than it's predecessors. It is not a decent or good film film, but it gets very close, mainly because of the good acting and the fact that the film remained interesting for the despite it's downsides. Best Dirty Harry film until then. If you want to know if it is the best in the series, check my comment for Sudden Impact.

6,5 out of 10


Clint Eastwood's third coming as Detective Harry Callahan is once again a stylish, well-made, fast-paced and wonderfully strong police thriller that's definitely worth a watch or ten. Personally I've seen it numerous times but I guess when you love something as much as I love Clint and his works you're probably stuck with it. I do admit "The Enforcer" may not be the best sequel to "Dirty Harry" but it sure as hell is, like Callahan himself would put it: marvelous. Of course Harry says it when he wants to be sarcastic and I really mean it. Tyne Daly played Kate Moore, Harry's lady partner who had no street experience of the real police work. Late Albert Popwell had a different role in all of Dirty Harry flicks except the last one. He was the unlucky bank robber in the first movie and pimp in the second. This time he played Ed Mustapha.

"The Enforcer" also included an uncredited cameo of Joe Spano who few years later got an excellent part of Henry Goldblume in the magnificent television series "Hill Street Blues". And let's not forget that Harry's Magnum .44 is one of the most important characters of the film. Plot is average and not as inventive and interesting as it was in "Magnum Force" but this movie contains perhaps more humor than any other part of the series and at least two of my favorite Dirty Harry -moments. Other one is the scene where Harry puts an end to an armed shop robbery and a hostage situation by driving a police car inside the store (very unusual police work and a crazy stunt you can only expect from Callahan) and the other one's when Harry blows away a tower in Alcatraz with a rocket launcher. "The Enforcer" is splendid, enjoyable, classic 70's action flick and a great forerunner to "Sudden Impact".


**SPOILERS** With this gang of psychos calling themselves "The Peoples Revolutioary Task force" terrorizing the city of San Francisco. while this is happening the city fathers from the clueless mayor, John Cawford, on down are only interested in being politically correct and force on it's top cop Insp. "Dirty Harry" Callahan, Clint Eastwood, a woman Inspt. Kate Moore (Tyne Daly)as his new partner.

Harry having trouble with the top police brass about his unorthodox methods in law enforcement, shooting first and asking question's later,is hardly amused with Kate. Feeling that her Job should be in the home doing house-work and bringing up a couple of kids instead of being on the streets hunting and shooting down bad guys. Armed to the teeth the revolutionaries lead by this psycho Vietnam Vet Bobby Maxwell, Deveren Bookwalter, decide to strike it big by kidnapping the mayor himself and hold him hostage. Maxwell will then ask for 5 million dollars with a promised from the state and city of safe passage out of the country.

You can easily see where the movie is leading up to with Harry being stymied at every turn by his gutless superiors. These gutless political hacks are more interested in their jobs photo-ops and promotions then in the safety of the people of San Francisco. Harry was about to break the case wide open when he got former militant Black Panther leader and now Man of Peace Big Ed Mustapha, Albert Popwell, to finger the terrorist group leader and where he and his gang of terrorists can be found. It was Harry's egomaniac boss Capt. McKay, Bradford Dillman, who blew the entire deal by storming Big Ed's headquarters and arresting Big Ed and a number of his followers, who were unarmed and not breaking any law to speak of.

On the streets with his new partner Insp, Moore tagging along Harry goes to see the outspoken Father John, M.G Kelly. Father John runs a church that Maxwell was involved with and member in since he was in prison at San Quentin. Father John lambasting Harry about entering a house of God with anger and violence in his heart and a gun in his holster is suddenly startled. One of the nuns in his church of love and peace Sister Wanda, Samanta Doane,is shot down and killed not by Harry but his partner the rookie Inspt. Moore. It's revealed that she herself, Sister Wanda,was secretly a member of Maxwell's terrorist gang. Sister Wanda was also packing a shotgun, in a house of God no less, and was just about to blow an unsuspecting Harry away. A now totally distraught but brought back to the real world Father John, finally seeing the light,tells Harry that The Peoples Revolutionaries are holding up, with the kidnapped Mayor, in the now closed Alcatraz Island. Harry and Insp, Moore head out to "The Rock' for a final showdown with Bobby Maxwell and friends in the movies bullet riddled and explosive final sequence.

A more humanized and humorous Dirty Harry who at least tries to follow the law, and not try going above or around it, in doing his job. It's the likes of Capt. McKay and the city bureaucrats like the Mayor that makes his job almost impossible to do. Harry who at first had little respect for his new partner woman cop Kate Moore later was almost in tears when she was gunned down saving his life, for the second time in the movie, by taking a bullet that was meant for him. Harry after saving the Mayor's life,by blasting his kidnapper Bobby Maxwell, walked away from the grateful Mayor in disgust; he spends his remaining moments in the movie standing alone and grieving over his dead partners, Inpt. Moore, body.


That's one of the Dirty Harry films, one of the first maybe, the third one actually. A cop who uses all his force to enforce the law and who discovers  for us  because he knows, that the main opposition to that kind of police force and police work is not so much the people who want security, or the press who only look for sensational news items and strong police work is good news, but the politicians who are moved not by principles but by a bunch of minority groups who are so vocal that they can cover the noise of a hurricane if they so decide. In this case we have one of those phony revolutionary groups who were inspired by extreme Maoism and pure egocentric paranoia and psychosis, who were  and are  a bunch of psychopaths in one word, who try to get money out of society by using fear, by capturing highly dangerous weapons and taking hostages, in this case the mayor of San Francisco. Clint Eastwood is a lot better than just this thriller but he doubles up the plot with the question of the integration of women in homicide departments in US police forces, which was a hot question in 1976. The films has gotten a new interest today because these pseudo Maoist and pseudo anarchist groups have become one of the most dangerous plagues of this world today? They are the FARCs in Colombia, they were the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, good riddance, they are many other groups of that kind that refuse to be political and to run into any normal political procedure and who know only violence and blackmailing. Am Qaeda is only a new perfectly organized group at global level that uses these terror tactics with the great financial power they capture from the stock exchanges around the world and from other forms of extortion and racketeering. The only answer is for sure the political will to defeat them, but the right strategy is not to shoot first but to corner them at all levels and then shoot them down if they don't want to come down all by themselves. There is no negotiation with these skunks. But we are talking of criminals here. What if these criminals have the power of a state in their hands? And the potential of nuclear weapons in their backyard? Clint Eastwood was a little bit young about this question. And that makes the question today all the more pregnant and potent.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, CEGID


I'll admit I trailed off a little towards the end, but this second Dirty Harry sequel from director James Fargo (Every Which Way But Loose) didn't seem very interesting anyway. Basically 'Dirty' Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) foils a liquor store robbery after driving a car the robbers wanted through the front and killing them, causing thousands in damage. As punishment he is relegated to Personnel to see which patrol officers become inspectors, three out of eight places to be filled by women. Meanwhile a group called the People's Revolutionary Strike Force (PRSF), led by Bobby Maxwell (DeVeren Bookwalter) plan a rampage in San Francisco, and Harry's long time partner is killed during their big weapons theft. Vowing revenge, Harry and his new partner, not brilliant Human Resources department officer Kate Moore (Tyne Daly) try to catch these suspects, and she later proves resourceful. Eventually the PRSF kidnap the Mayor (John Crawford) and demand a $2,000,000 ransom, so Harry goes undercover to find Maxwell and his gang, leading to a final showdown. Also starring Bradford Dillman as Capt. McKay, Harry Guardino as Lt. Al Bressler, John Mitchum as Insp. Frank DiGiorgio, Albert Popwell as 'Big' Ed Mustapha, Samantha Doane as Wanda, Jocelyn Jones as Miki and M.G. Kelly as Father John. Eastwood still does well with the gritty attitude and one or two good one liners, and the film has it's moments of action and explosion, but to be honest, it was a little boring. Clint Eastwood was number 18 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 61 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and Harry Callahan was number 17 on 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains. Okay!


****Excellent

***Good

**Fair

*Poor

This is the third installment in the Dirty Harry franchise and probably should have been the last. After successfully creating a character who's as brutal as the enemy in a violent society Clint Eastwood turns Dirty Harry into an action star. No longer is Harry battling the enemy but his female partner who has to prove to Harry that she can be a great cop.

The plot is actually quite good and Eastwood still delivers but the film lacks impact and the art imitating life premise is gone. Not to mention that the action scenes are a bit dated.

RATING: 2 STARS

Mustapha: You really *are* a dirty son of a b---h.

Harry Callahan: The dirtiest.


The third film in the Dirty Harry series is more of a regular action film than a Dirty Harry movie. It has a plot so basic it was probably thought up in 5 minutes. Still, that does not make it a bad movie. Harry still focuses mostly on tracking down the bad guys so there's plenty of good action. I liked SUDDEN IMPACT more but this is definitely better than THE DEAD POOL. If you are either an action fan or an Eastwood fan, go out and pick this, its a fun movie. 4/5


After a so-so effort in Magnum Force, Dirty Harry goes comedic. Coupled with some great comic lines and action, this proved to be a turn in the right direction, considering this film showed a different side of Harry which we had not seen yet. While I was disappointed Lalo Schifrin did not conduct this film's score, Tyne Daly brought in a new dynamic which had not been seen in the other films. While this could be considered nothing more than a transitional picture, it did so with some class and dignity.


This is the third Dirty Harry movie and the series begins to lose it's legs. While the first two movies were about violence in society this one is basically an action movie. The movie is entertaining but the impact is gone.

**out of****stars


Very good action movie that takes the Dirty Harry style more mainstream this time.The story/script here is only average and does not have much depth but the action and Eastwood's charm still makes this film one of the best action movies all time.The deterioration of Dirty Harry movies start with this one but you will still enjoy the action here.Just don't expect a masterpiece.The sound quality was below average.You can tell this film had a B movie budget.The cinematography is also just average although there are great shots of the San Francisco scenery.Only for action fans and big Eastwood fans.....


I think Dirty Harry is a super cool character, but this third installment is just the pits. The film has a "been-there-done-that" feel to it. Nothing adds to the film by giving Harry a female partner -- and what a poor excuse for a villain. Just a dull, shabby, action picture.


Wow, just went to go see these three shorts last night, which are about 45 mins a piece. I agree that "Cut" was one of the most enjoyable horror experiences I have had since High Tension. Takeshi Miike is probably the biggest name in the Asian horror biz, but I have to say that I miss the style of his earlier work, like Audition and Happiness of the Katakuri's. "Box" was very strange but it leaves little explanation for what has actually occurred, and I wish it delved a little deeper. And oh my! Mr. Fruit Chan, I have never heard of you before last night. "Dumplings" was by far one of the most deranged things I have ever watched. And the sound that was used in this short was was of the most intense, stomach curdling noises that are still sticking with me today. This was a very fun watch, and I am glad I got to see it before it left the theater. My recommendation....don't eat a big meal before you start!!!


This movie is incredibly cruel and unrelenting. It plays as a single feature divided into three sections: "Dumplings", directed by Fruit Chan of Hong Kong, "Cut" directed by Park Chan-Wook of Korea and "Box" directed by Miike Takashi of Japan. Each section is like a dissertation in horror, although "Dumplings" could also be classified as an exploitation film.

All of them are beautifully produced and directed, and I especially found "Box" to be quite lavish in sets, costumes and atmosphere. They each show a lot about the culture of the respective countries they were made in and also provide new takes on the terrifying and the appalling. They are each original in their own right, although "Cut" could be compared to the "Saw" or Hannibal Lecter franchises in that there's a psycho who's trying to get a message across by way of murder and mayhem.

I don't want to give details on the plots of any of them because I think that viewers need to experience them for themselves with no preconceptions going in, but what I can say is that "Dumplings" has the most plot and is probably the one with the highest "squeam" factor, "Cut" covers a rather familiar premise but with lots of fun moments (you'll see) and "Box" is more of an artistic endeavour with not much of a plot, but for some reason I was enthralled and couldn't look away; it's the one I liked the most.

A solid 8 out of 10 for the efforts of these genius Asian directors.


watched "Three... Extremes" last night, and it was insanely good. All three stories I thought were very thought provoking, and again a little frustrating. Here's a short review...

Box-Takashi Miike (Japanese Language) This is a nightmarish tale of a woman's horrifying dreams becoming reality, but then again, maybe not. That's the difficulty with this story, there is so much surrealism, that it's hard to tell. I liked the story, some of which was very frightening. The ending however is completely totally bizarre, and it totally left me clueless as to what Miike intended for the viewer to take away from this, if anything. This is the weakest of the three stories, but still very interesting and definitely requires multiple viewings.

Dumplings-Fruit Chan (Chinese Language) This little story is my favorite of the bunch and also very very disturbing and pretty gruesome. Not because of gore or anything like that, but because of the subject matter. It's no secret or spoiler that this movie is about vanity and a women's need to enhance her physical appearance to try and win her husband back from his whoring around. It concerns as most of you know, the grisly meat a former lady abortionist uses to treat her rich clients vanity needs. This movie made me squirm on more than one occasion as the woman chomps down on the dumplings with a wicked crunching sound of tiny bones. This story has a lot of humor but it is very dark and totally black humor. Some may call it totally sick humor, and all would apply in my opinion. The ending is very confusing for me, especially one particular scene and I hope somebody explains it to me. I'm not talking about the grand finale, where the leading lady commits the ultimate gross-out, but the scene with all the blood where some guy has been attacked by a women. This appears to happen at the apartment of Aunt Mei, and then it shows her packing up and leaving. What was that all about? Who was the woman covered in blood, and the guy that was attacked? Anyway, the grand finale as Ching looks directly into the camera and commits what must be THE ultimate sin is flat out creepy as hell. Excellent short story, and now I'm thinking whether I need to see the extended version.

Cut-Chan-wook Park (Korean Language) Now this is one gruesome story, which revolves around a movie director (Lee) and a former extra of his that's gone completely insane and terrorizes the director and his wife at their home. Park's short story touches on adultery, relationships, regret, fame and childhood memories - as well as featuring amputation, torture, child abuse, and a crazy set - as Lee and his kidnapper spar until the shocking (but not altogether satisfying) end. In fact, the ending is the only bad part about this otherwise intriguing story. This is the most graphic of the three stories, and the most brutal. But the twists and turns that happen towards the end, tend to confuse the whole story. Nevertheless, this is a great little horror movie, and now I'm very hyped to watching my new DVD of Park's "Oldboy".

Summary This is one of the most entertaining dvds in the horror genre to come out of Asian for a long time. With three short movies totally over two hours, it makes a great evening of demented entertainment by three exotic filmmakers. The second disc which contains a text portion which explains the plot of each story, and then a "Making Of" extra for all three stories is very good. It's always interesting to see how these directors work and the interviews with the actors is excellent. The other thing I found interesting with this package, is that each movie is in a different language which intrigues me. Since I'm watching so many Asian movies recently, I find the languages of the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese to be so different, but then again similar. This is especially true with "Cut" which has the psycho maniac speaking in a totally different Korean dialect which is almost funny to me being a Westerner, and the other actors speaking in the standard Korean language. Not sure why they did that, but the interview with the actor playing the psycho said he had a very hard time learning and speaking that interesting dialect. I had to watch several parts of each movie over again after I finished the first viewing, because it's pretty hard to figure out what the hell's going on with one viewing. I'll never forget those chilling eyes of Ching in the closing scenes of "Dumplings" and that crunching sound as she enjoys her latest and most extreme serving of dumplings. yum yum........


Three short films that are plenty extreme and if the endings of all three leave us wondering maybe that is good. I did however find the end of Cut more than a little baffling. There again 'unsatisfactory' endings of Eastern films as judged by Westerners is nothing new. All three are beautifully shot with great camera-work and excellent use of colour. I found Miiki's the most perfect if not as much like his usual output as many would like. Park's Cut is a little pedestrian at times but so gloriously over the top and bewildering at others. Dumplings is a little predictable and I am surprised that it is said to still work at 90 minutes as it seems very much a single idea film. It's a good idea though and not without social interest and it has to be said the grossest of the three. The sound of tiny bones being crunched - aagh!! I watched all three on separate occasions, fearing that otherwise they might blur into one another - no fear of that though so I'll watch them again soon, all together. Good effort by all concerned


This is an excellent blend of three horror films that characterize the ideal representation of Asian cinema. Each story is presented with ordinary people displaying qualities of evil and depravity. These directors use powerful cinematic storytelling elements in exploring their genres. This is not an ordinary horror film with a ghost or a slasher/killer with a knife but a combination of people who are capable of psychotic behavior. While all of the films are not perfect and contain some mildly dull aspects, watching all three will leave you intrigued with the art and approach of the horror genre utilized in various countries Asia. If you can hold your stomach through the first film "Dumplings", you will certainly enjoy one of these stories and won't be disappointed. A disturbingly good movie!!


3 extremes were 3 short stories about extreme situations. Each story has very different qualities and gave the viewer something to enjoy. Not American style, scream queen, psychobabble laden horror films. More intellectual and artistic as the characters are made to look good rather than deviant. Shorts were you can turn off the subtitles and still understand the plot are hard to come by, but these fit the bill. I wish I could speak the languages of the films because the English translation detracted from the emotional content and context. If you like slasher movies and jump out of your seat scary, pass on these. If you like more artistic, intelligent, and subtle horror films, then these shorts are for you. Some blood and minor amounts of gore. A job well done.


Three....Extremes has some pretty disturbing stuff in it for your viewing...pleasure. "Dumplings" is the nastiest, with a woman that seeks to regain her beauty by eating dumplings made with a special ingredient. Box, by Takashi Miike, is probably the weirdest (big surprise, eh?) and the offering from Korea is probably the least effective of the three but is still OK. Box is about a woman haunted by dreams of her younger sister who died when she was a child, in an accident that she seems to have caused, but is it just a dream? Of course if you watch "Dumplings" and you haven't got a strong resolve then you may not make it to the other two films. Overall this is a pretty sick & disturbing trio of films and it will stick with you long afterward. Recommended for fans of Asian Cinema but bring a strong stomach & sense of adventure. 8 out of 10.


A short synopsis and vote on each of the 3 films in THREE...EXTREMES:

BOX (Takashi Miike) - Kyoko is haunted by the accidental death of her sister. She has severe nightmares and has a hard time differentiating between her nightmares and reality. How much of what Kyoko envisions is dream, and how much is reality... 7 out of 10

DUMPLINGS (Fruit Chan) - centers around a woman who uses a sickening "special ingredient" for her dumplings, which causes age-reversing effects in those that eat them... 8.5 out of 10

CUT (Park Chan-Wook) - A film director who apparently lives the "ideal" life, is thrown into a hellish nightmare when he is confronted by one of his previous employees... 8.5 out of 10

I enjoyed THREE...EXTREMES for the most part. Each film had a unique style and vision, and all were good in their own way. I preferred BOX the least because it was the most slow and plodding, and it was the one I could make the least sense of. In fact all 3 films have strange, abstract endings that leave a lot open to individual interpretations. I have read many peoples ideas on the endings of each of these films, and many reviewers have some decent insights - but I still think it's up to the individual to take what they will from these films. Also, BOX has the "creepiest" atmosphere, but the least actual violence. DUMPLINGS had a very sickly humorous, almost exploitative feel to it. In fact, the whole time I was watching it, I was thinking "This would have made a great premise for one of the mid-90's Hong Kong Cat III films"- it just had that sort of feel to it. DUMPLINGS, in my opinion, had the most "squirm-inducing" scenes, although they were not extremely graphic and mostly implied, and were apparent due to the subject matter of the film. CUT had a good story and a decent amount of gore (though nothing "too" out-there...)and really just needs to be viewed to be "understood".

All the films in THREE...EXTREMES have some decent things going on, although as much as I like a lot of Miike's work, BOX just didn't do a whole lot for me - but DUMPLINGS and CUT were definitely worth the price of admission for these films. 8/10 overall - definitely recommended


more a drama than a horror movie, dumplings is so wonderfully acted that his strange subject have become believable and disturbing . The picture is astonishing ,the color perfectly fit the backgrounds so that it creates a special atmosphere. for the fans of gore don't't suspect a lot of goo. But still, a couple of scenes will disturb you.. Very intelligent, this movie provides a lot of thinking; incest, abortion, cannibalism and the search for youth are the topics approached. Those taboos will make you see horrible things that happens in everyday's life around the globe. The use of the incredible music is done with professionalism so it helps a lot on the spooky mood of certain scenes.

The end pour vrai là.


When three famous Asian directors work together to make a three part horror film you know you're in for a good ride. Written by Fruit Chan, Chan Wook Park and Takashi Miike they each have their own 45 minute slot to make you cringe with fear yet cannot turn away, three films entitled 'Dumplings', 'Cut' and 'Box'. The first film of the three is 'Dumplings', staring one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World 1998", Bai Ling and Miriam Chin-Wah Yeung. We follow the story of Qing a retired actress trying desperately to win her husbands love back with various anti ageing solutions. When she hears about Aunt Mei's Dumplings are the best things to regain your youthful looks, she knocks on the flat door of the unusually young looking Aunt. After consuming a number of Aunt Mei's dumplings for a couple of weeks she starts to develop some unusual side affects. Because of the great success of this film, the director went on to make a feature length version of 'Dumplings' with a run time of 91 minutes. The next instalment of the three is 'Cut' directed by Chan-Wook Park (famous for his Vengeance Trilogy) and stars Byung-hun Lee and Won-hie Lim. One way to describe this section of the film is the Asian version of 'Saw'. It tells the story of a director on the set of his latest film, but he's not to do work. he has been kidnapped by a jealous extra in his films and put into a life threatening situation, hands bound and a rope around his waist he is set a task, on one side of the room is an abducted girl and on the other his pianist wife, both of them securely tide up. The director must decide to either strangle the little girl, or his wife gets a finger chopped off every five minutes. I had a lot of problems with this story, first of all there were a collection of open flamed candles behind the director, I'm sure he could have used those to burn through the ribbon joining his hands together, and also there was a number of times were the extra came so close to the director that he could have easily swung for him, instead he just listened to him talk. After I put both of those things aside I really enjoyed this short film, it had some very tense parts as well as some strong horror, 15 minutes through you get sucked in and wish it also had a separate feature length. The third and final part is by Takashi Miike (most famous for Audition and Ichi the Killer) his film is called 'Box' this story contains a woman's worst nightmares as they become reality. Staring Kyoko Hasegawa as struggling writer Kyoko, the story mostly focuses on the flashbacks of her childhood when she ran a sideshow act with her sister and father. The shows success is great until the attention comes away from 10 year old Kyoko and onto her sister Shoko; her jealousy causes her to play a nasty trick on her sister that goes horribly wrong. I looked forward to this the most of the three and was the most disappointed, there was hardly any dialogue so most of the film was purely based on assumptions, and it also got quite boring watching the same flashbacks over and over again. On the other hand people that I watched this with found it to be their favourite; I guess it's a love-hate kind of thing.

Over all I give this film 7 out of 10, manly because of the first two films, they each got you involved with the characters and had a great ending, the third made me drop the score by a couple of marks, if they had 'Dumplings' as there final piece I would have enjoyed this film a lot more, a good thing about the films is the length of them, as some of the times you may not have the time to watch a two hour feature you can choose to just watch one of the stories and turn it off afterwards. I do recommend this film to fans of horror or Asian cinema, if not then try something new, this films a good catch and worth watching.


Saw this with the wife. Interestingly, she was grossed out, but enjoyed it. ****Possible spoilers ahead***

Think of this as "Creepshow", but more disturbing on a mental level. "Dumplings"--the HK extreme-- will definitely gross out the average viewer, but can be seen as an allegory to the trends of beauty today. "Cut"--the Korean extreme--brings some of Park Chanwook's themes of the "Vengeance" trilogy into a 40 minute segment. Very nerve-racking. "Box"--the Japanese experience--pretty standard Miike a la Gozu. But extremely entertaining.

While nowhere as disturbing as "Audition", these three would pack a wallop in any American theatre. Savor it...


Box..Takashi Miike Miike's entry in this Asian horror anthology was the most visually inspired, I thought. Very surreal imagery punctuates this tale of a young woman, Kyoko, who placed her twin sister, Shoko, in a box as a youngster which led to the girl's death and eventual haunting of the adult Kyoko.

I had no idea what Box was saving itself up to be until halfway through and I was pleasantly surprised--up until that point where it all clicked, I thought it was just some J-horror ghost story. I should've known better with Miike. The goodness of this short paved the way for the loveliness that followed it. 8/10.

Dumplings..Fruit Chan Aunt Mei cooks up some sumptuous vittles to please the stomachs of her aging clientele and keep their snappers snappin'. This delightful showcase of Asian delicacies had me clamoring for the phone to order wonton soup and fried pork dumplings from the Chinese store at 10:30 PM last night. Oh man, was this a good 'un.

I loved this segment from start to finish. It was too gross and wrong not to love, really. I'm hungry again just thinking' 'bout it. 10/10.

Cut..Chan-wook Park Korea's contribution to this anthology is a giallo-flavored charmer peppered with sweet set-pieces and sick, sadistic twists. This segment is about a director who is toyed with by a low-life extra from his movies who begrudges the rich man his fame, money, and his easy entry into heaven.

This one had a little bit of comedy to it that worked with the outrageous violence and shocks. Beyond that, I can't say too much--it was all money. 8.5/10.


This compilation movie of three horror stories is dark and disturbing. The first story concerns a woman's greed for beauty and the bizarre path she takes to get it. The second story centers on a director who gets held captive by a film extra with an agenda. This leads to torture and a strange game of cat and mouse. The final story regards a writer with a twisted past. This part is surreal and at times awkward in storytelling and direction. I enjoyed this film as a fan of the horror genre. The elements of surrealism and paranormal activity were effective in each story. While the movie did have a relatively slow pace, the intensity of each stories climax made for a fulfilling watch. Recommended for fans of Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone and admirers of Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park.


I thought "Ichi The Killer" and "Oldboy" were interestingly weird films, so I rented "Three...Extremes" on the basis of what I knew about Miike and Park. I figured that if Fruit Chan was notorious enough to be included in an anthology with those two directors, his contribution would more than hold its own.

Well...the results were worth seeing once. "Dumplings" was both the most revolting and the most socially savvy of the stories; "Box" displayed the deepest emotions in a tale of loneliness and despair disguised as a ghost story; and "Cut" was the most overtly gruesome and had the most gimmicky and contrived plot.

Since I am unfamiliar with Chan's work, I can't say whether he stretched himself or tried anything new, but I do think that the acting and direction here were the most subtle and complex in the trilogy. Park's stuff seemed very much of a piece with his previous tales of violence and Hitchcockian entrapment that drive the protagonist to despair. But Miike surprised me, since "Box" was entirely different in tone and structure from his famous film "Ichi", and I wasn't expecting anything like this from him. "Box" is more of a waking dream such as Lynch would do in "Lost Highway" or "Mulholland Drive" and I thought some of the dialog and photography were most impressive. Good for you, Miike, you're even smarter than I thought!

As anthology films go, this was pretty good, although nothing that anyone will remember in a decade. Worth getting or at least renting if you are a fan of any of the directors,or if you want to see something relatively fresh from cultures whose clichés and conventions haven't worn out their welcome in the Occident.At least not yet.

Note about the DVD edition I saw: The 2nd disc in the package offers a "feature length" version of the Chan story "Dumplings". The additional footage is very well integrated into the original and this long version gives the "Aunt Mei" character and the philandering husband more screen time and adds an extra sex scene. But it doesn't change the real thrust of the original story enough to make it a "must see" unless you really dug Aunt Mei. If the only DVD you can find is a bare bones edition without the feature length version, don't worry that you've missed anything vital.


I'm always very cautious when people refer to the genuine brilliance of Asian horror productions (as I've been let down one too many times), but in the case of "ThreeExtremes" every single word of praise is more than justified! This movie is bound to make an everlasting impression on you, and most likely that impression will either be fear, disturbance or just plain repulsion(but the 'good' kind of repulsion). The format of a horror anthology isn't very common in Asian cinema, at least not that I'm aware of, but these three directors approach the format with the exact right attitude. There's no silly and overlong wraparound, the stories just follow each other without necessarily featuring common themes or characters. This results in three versatile stories, covering completely different horror styles. The first story by Fruit Chan aims at pure controversial shocks, with its plot about an ageing actress who desperately wants to maintain her good looks and young skin and therefore consults the mysterious "Aunt Mei". Her secret of eternal youth involves serving her customers dumpling-dishes made of  hold on to your socks for this  aborted human fetuses! Mrs. Li is very pleased with the results at first, but then gets sick after finishing a 'meal' made of the leftovers of an incest baby. Fruit Chan is the least famous director of the bunch, but his is definitely a name to remember and keep an eye on. The style of "Dumplings" is extremely brutal and nihilistic. People talk about the abortion of living creatures like it's the most normal thing in the world and the camera regularly zooms in on how aunt Mai professionally grinds the baby-flesh. Admittedly, you require a strong stomach to endure the make-up effects in this first episode, but even more disturbing is Chan's use of freaky sounds. The music is downright nightmarish and particularly the chewing-noises, made when Mrs. Lee eats the dumplings, sent cold shivers down my spine. Chan-Wook Park is responsible for the second tale and if you've seen any of the entries in his Vengeance-Trilogy ("Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance", "Oldboy", "Lady Vengeance"), you already more or less know what to expect. Namely a cruel and relentless tale of violence that brings out the absolute darkest side of the human mind. Chan-Wook Park is a genius when it comes to the drawing of his characters and he once more demonstrates that here, with his story about the home jacking of a famous director and his vain wife by a severely frustrated walk-on actor. The wife is imaginatively tied between the walls and her piano and the perpetrator threatens to cut off her fingers, unless the director has the courage to strangle a little girl the stranger kidnapped as well. The seemly honest and friendly couple gradually turn into selfish and aggressive monsters the more their lives become endangered. "Cut" is probably my favorite segment of all three! The tension is almost unbearable and you just know Chan-Wook Park isn't going to come up with a happy ending! People are crazy, evil bastards that only look after themselves and that's the ONLY message to communicate here. His segment also contains the most violent and gory images, as the house's artsy floor is literally flooded with blood near the end of the story. "Cut" is a harrowing piece of cult cinema that only confirms that Chan-Wook Park is a brilliant director. Die-hard fans of Takashi Miike that are expecting a short movie similar to "Itchi the Killer" or "Fûdoh" will be quite amazed that his contribution to "ThreeExtremes" is the most atmospheric and suggestive one! "Box" is a complex little mind-bender that is low on graphic violence and shocks, but nevertheless very intense and petrifying. The tale centers on a young woman experiencing nightmares about her childhood life as a circus artist. The competitive relationship with her twin-sister eventually led to unwanted murder and now the unfortunate girl comes back to haunt her. In all honesty I must admit I enjoyed "Box" the least, mainly because the complete change in tone and filming style came too unexpectedly. Miike puts a whole lot of haunting images in his film, but the plot is too abstract and raises too many questions for which there are no answers. Great ending, though. My guess is that Miike was merely using this omnibus job to experiment with horror styles and elements that are new for him. "ThreeExtremes" is a tremendously marvelous film that every horror fanatic has to see for him/herself! And that recommendation comes from someone who totally disliked the so-called Asian horror masterpieces "Ringu", "Ju-On The Grudge" and "The Eye".


Three...Extremes is a film with three different stories being told. Dumplings, Cut and Box. All of which have a horrific tale routed in it's story.

Three extremes take two talented directors and one unknown (from my perspective anyway) and let them carve their own original piece of a puzzle that fits together in Three...Extremes. While I'm still impartial to Miike, he does have talent. He has beautiful imagery in his films, it's just that they also tend to have some story lacking. With his short, BOX, Miike gets you to think about what the outcome is going to be. His films are always twisted in some kind of way and asks the audience to look deeper into what they just saw. With BOX, he ultimately disappoints with the ending. Cut, the second short directed by Park has an uncanny resemblance to "SAW", as some might say. It deals with the psycho kidnapping someone and getting them to play a game, or someone dies.

CUT was my favourite segment out of the three and throws the viewer a curve ball at the conclusion. Which leads you to believe one of two things. Do you believe the events that you just saw and take them as face value, or is there some mind tricks at play. Finally, the first short actually, is Dumplings from Fruit Chan. A name I never heard of but would like to hear more of. Dumplings doesn't have the edge that CUT has, or the beautiful images that BOX has, but it does have the disturbing factor. Which lands Dumplings in the good books.

CUT is my favourite segment and Park did a great job at hinting that the film is not EXACTLY what it seems and it has the "oh so cool" factor that this film needed. BOX, being the second film that I've seen from Miike still leaves me in the grey with him. I want to seek out more of his work, but am hesitant because it hasn't impressed all that much. BOX isn't all that bad, it's just not all that good and the viewer feels cheated by the end. Some might feel the same with CUT and be left very confused with the actions of some characters, but it worked out it's in favour for some strange feeling.

I'm going to let the cat out of the bag and tell you what Dumplings is about...eating aborted fetuses. Gross? Yes. Disturbing? Yes. Why did I like such a thing? Fruit handled it very well, I have yet to see the full cut of the short but it leaves me wanting to know more. The ending...again with these endings, left me very confused. What was with the tongue? It didn't flow with the rest of the film? Is she human?

Finally, if you're a fan of Asian cinema, give this a little taste test. It's three for the price of one, and you'll get some sort of enjoyment out of at least two of them. If you're the type that is uneasy hearing the crunching sounds of a women eating an aborted fetus, you might want to skip these and look for Bambi.


Known as Three... Monsters in Korea, where I bought the DVD, Three... Extremes is an omnibus horror film like Twilight Zone: The Movie and similar omnibus horror films, containing multiple shorts, often unrelated, with separate casts and actors.

In this case, we have three notable directors from east Asia: Japanese director Takashi Miike, Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, and South Korean director Chan-wook Park. Each presents their own short visions of horror, although perhaps it's more appropriate to say that although these are horror movies, they are more disturbing than outright frightening.

The first short, entitled Box, by Takashi Miike, relates the story of a young writer who is having some difficulty distinguishing between her dreams and reality. It's the most supernaturally oriented of the three films and the most ambiguous. There are no particularly outright scare moments, but the ambiguity of the story and the elements of the story are why the short can be a little disturbing. Primarily contemplative in nature, it's ambiguity also serves as its foil, as it's hard to draw anything more from the short than simple emotion and a sense of confusion.

The second short, entitled Dumplings, by Fruit Chan, is undoubtedly the most disturbing of the three. The film actually deals with some particularly relevant issues, particularly the things that we do to be considered attractive and to return to former glory, but the means by which the film makes such a commentary is very unpleasant. I'd have to say that it's a pretty effective film, but certainly not enjoyable. I've discovered that a longer 90+ minute version of this film exists as well and it'd be interesting to do a study comparing the two--if I could ever handle watching it again.

The final short, entitled Cut, by Chan-wook Park, is the the most lively and comical of the works. Wrapped in a maniacal revenge story is a comment about the nature of evil, in particular, the reasons for which evil is committed. It's certainly the most glossy of the films, utilizing CGI effects, an elaborate set and dynamic camera-work. The short is weakened by the ending, which doesn't appear to be prompted or meaningful, and we can only guess at the reasons for which the ending occurred the way it did.

All in all, the three shorts are fairly effective works and compose a whole by their disturbing nature. There is nothing particularly compelling, also Dumplings does make a particularly strong effort and Cut is particularly vibrant, if a little shallow. Either way, if you're looking to see three notable east Asian directors give their disturbing short takes on horror, this is almost as good a place as any to see it. 7/10.


Since this movie has 3 mini-movies, I will give a short review and score of each in the order that I liked them.

Box - 9 out of 10 - This was my favorite of the three films. I loved the look and feel of it. Absolutely beautiful. To be honest I was surprised that Miike could pull this off. All of his other films are off the wall gangster-esquire gore shockudramas. This one had a very deliberate pace and feel to it. I expected the least from this film due to the horror genre and having seen Gozu, which was great but far from terrifying, as my last Miike film. Its the tale of jealousy and a horrible mistake that can never be forgotten.

Dumpling - 7 out of 10 - Id never heard of Fruit Chan before I saw this film and now I'm interested to see what else he has done and I'm excited to see what he'll do next. You have the story of an aging actress to who to preserve her youth my eating "special" dumplings which are said to reverse the aging process. To use a wondrous pun, she has bitten off way more than she can chew. Horrified at first...vampiric insatiability to follow. This is a very gritty, very dark horror piece that will definitely make you squirm.

Cut - 6.5/10 - I expected the most from this one being that its by good ole Chan Park, and I was really excited when the film starts and we see a grand set with one of the spookiest looking characters I've seen in awhile. We then learn this isn't what it appears to be and so goes the actual story. Its a bout a director who has recently learned some things about himself and his wife and now his personality is split in two; one wants her dead and the other wants to remain faux-happy and continue with his life. This sets up a great battle in his mind, which is played out on screen for us as two characters...an unhappy "extra" from his films represents his evil side....and he himself, along with the help of a child bi-stander, plays the good/innocent part of his persona....or does he?? You decide. I expected a lot more from this one, which is probably why I'm hitting the hardest. Id just seen Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, and Oldboy always weighs heavily on my mind when reviewing psycho-horror dramas. It could've been a much tighter segment, and I would've preferred to watch the movie within the movie that was being made from the get go.

Do see this trilogy though. All around its an excellent watch with an excellent feel to all 3 flicks.

7 out of 10.


"Three Extremes" is a collection of three short horror stories. Rather than repeating the same review three times, all three segments of this film can be summarized similarly: These three tales are all masterfully produced, seamlessly cast, and flawlessly produced. The acting is superb and directing is first class. What struck me most about these films was the beauty of the cinematography. The colors and textures were exhilarating; each film was almost a hand painted work of art in motion. Such emotion... Such clarity... It was stunning to see such intelligent brilliance on the screen. And remember, this is for all three films.... "Three Extremes" is intelligent horror that would more justly be classified as disturbing and bizarre than any form of scare fest. But it's this disturbing psychological horror that makes these films so unique and interesting to watch.

The first story is "Dumplings" by Lilian Lee. "Dumplings" is the tale of a beautiful woman that starts to age and attempts to regain her youthful looks by consuming very special dumplings. Not only are these dumplings expensive, they are made of a very rare ingredient considered taboo to consume in almost all societies. While she does start to regain her youth, the secret ingredient proves to have very strange side effects.

The second story is "Cut" by Chan-wook Park. "Cut" explores the anger of a movie extra whose life has been a miserable existence since birth. The movie extra decides to take his lifetime frustration to the attention of a renowned director that he has worked for on several occasions. The failures of the movie extra's life has caused him to spiral into to a deranged rampage of anger, and he chooses the renowned director and the director's wife to share his pain and anger with.

The third and final film is "Box" by Takashi Miike. "Box" is definitely the most abstract of the three films. The story is premised around a mysterious writer that experiences recurring nightmares about a tragic accident that befell her family in a mystical magic act. The death of a family member during the accident haunts the writer, not allowing her to rest peace.

"Three Extremes" is another example of outstanding Asian horror which seems to have taken the lead in producing the most outstanding of modern horror films. What has happened to American horror production anyway? Very few horror films released and made in the US since 1995 can compare to what has been coming out of Asia recently. "Three Extremes" in made up three very intelligent and unique horror films. I couldn't find anything to complain about with any of the three and would highly recommend this film to those US horror film goers that are as fed up as I am with US based horror cinema.


Note that these shorts are not "extreme" horror films in the American sense. The film that comes closest to contemporary American sensibilities in this vein is the South Korean one, "Cut."

Namely, if you're a strict fan of recent American "scare-core" movies and you don't particularly go for foreign films, you should probably steer clear of these. Otherwise you'll probably yawn and feel gypped because they don't scare you out of your skin. (But please take note that they don't intend to.)

These films are more unsettling and eerie than horrifying in the way that American audiences have come to expect in the horror genre. With the possible exception of "Cut," they are not mini "popcorn films" and should be watched with silence and an open mind.

"Dumplings" is very strong; it immerses you in the unique (and close) ambiance of its setting. The pacing of the plot is also good. "Dumplings" seeks to make the audience feel vaguely sick and recoil rather than scream or skip a heartbeat. It has a very sly, dark sense of humor running through its core.

"Cut" also has moments of levity and twisted creativity and is entertaining. There's something almost baroque about the visuals and it's got a denser, more packed plot than the other two shorts. Ultimately, I found it less effective than the other two pieces, which opt for the understated instead of overt "extremes." I liked the very beginning of "Cut" the best, with its strange and alluring female specter; I found myself wishing the filmmakers had developed this scene as a narrative instead of the main story.

"Box" is more similar to "Dumplings" in feel, being dreamy and surreal; however, you are invited to inhabit the main character more. The film is a psychological drama and relies heavily on its use of wintry imagery and symbolism, which makes it an engrossing experience. Ambiguity and the audience's projections on the story are crucial; especially toward the end. You might recognize some visual motifs from other Japanese works such as the original versions of "Dark Water" and "The Ring" ("Ringu.") None of these is a "popcorn" flick, with the possible exception of "Cut." I recommend "Three ... Extremes" for fans of East Asian cinema and also aficionados of foreign films in general.


Well first off i would like to say that this film was a beautiful display of genres. They way all three Asian directors captured light shadow and color was like looking at visual poetry. I felt all directors had their own take on how horror or drama and comedy should be portrayed and they brought it out very well. The biggest surprise in this movie to me is that the most violent and gruesome of directors Takashi Miike didn't display ultra images of violence, he didn't go over the top to try and gross the audience out he just stuck to the twist and turns of the story and he created a pretty usual short of his nightmarish ballad. The other two Fruit Chan and Chan-wook Park made there short highly grotesque with images of bloody infants and disturbing dissections of body parts. Therefore this film only went extremes with two directors not all three. In conclusion i felt it deserved an eight because of its acting, Cinematography, Direction and the conceptual aspects. Go see this film its amazing.


Stuff like this makes me question if it's possible it could ever be made in America. Sure, we have David Lynch, Guy Maddin, even David Cronenberg, adding to our wonderful world of extremely disturbing for the sake of disturbing film-making, but could they go to this level? Or am I being unfair to say that this is a different level? It could be the same intent with a different approach...

We have three segments, each "extreme" in their own way. The first, a shockingly gross-out horror film involving foetophagia (pardon me my neologism if there happens to be a real word for said consumption out there), is about all the wonder in blood and gross biological matter you can possibly compress into gut-churning madness. Too bad it doesn't really have much more to it than that, because honestly once you get over the initial "gut" reaction, there's not much more to care about... no spectacular cinematography, nothing really amazing in performances... no real reason to be a movie as opposed to a photograph, a written story, a bad tale told over candlelight. I'll just pretend it's all symbolic of the current issue over stem-cell research and leave it at that.

The second segment, by the wonderful Park Chan-Wook of Oldboy fame, gets a little better. Our little friend Park has an eye for torture, I see, as now it involves a movie director and his wife tied to his own house-like set, a disturbed extra putting him through physical and emotional turmoil. This one has no long-winded development of psychological torture-by-hypnotism, this is straight out lose-if-you-do, lose-if-you-don't. The focus on the stage lighting and the levels of truth and deceit make it an interestingly post-modern look at spectatorship, as now these characters are forced to look at each other take up and remove their costumes in a twisted dynamic. Too bad that theme isn't really developed much more than just being there, because again, this film has a little bit less in terms of cinema. It has some neat tricks here and there, just nothing to write home about.

The third segment, and my favorite, is from my man the amazing Takashi Miike of Ichi the Killer fame. A much more atmospheric and involving film, indeed, this is the story of a woman who dreams fitfully about her accidental murder of her twin sister at the age of ten, with a slightly more complex plot involving a circus performer and pedophilia. Mostly films that turn out to be "just a dream" are kind of disappointing, but this has something fresh to add to the group. It also has the most to offer cinematically, with real care put into editing, production design, imagery, juxtaposition, and whatever possible to embellish mood. Of all the segments, this is the most artsy and lovely, and really a good end to round up the features we've been subjected to.

Overall, don't expect to eat comfortably after viewing this film. Not gonna work out well. I wouldn't expect the most amazing stuff awaiting you, but on the other hand if you're the type to be absolutely fascinated by the places the human mind will go, see how you handle this. The Marquis de Sade would be proud.

--PolarisDiB


Three directors from three different countries made three separate films (around 40 minutes each) and put them together to create one hellacious and twisted film that continues to shock and disgust, shock and disgust, shock and disgust, over and over. These are the three films that collectively make ThreeExtremes: The first film is Hong Kong director Fruit Chan's Dumplings. A woman who feels old and ugly because of her adulterous husband will pay anything and do anything to look younger. She'll even knowingly eat dumplings filled with aborted fetuses. Oh, it's heinous! You see the abortions, the fetuses, and you hear all the slurping, chewing, and crunching. It's nauseating and twisted, but also says a lot about China's over-population and the resulting abortion culture. Fascinating. Definitely my favorite of the three films.

Next is Korean director Chan-wook Park's film Cut. A professional movie extra kidnaps his director and holds him and his wife hostage on the director's current movie set. His wife is tied to a piano and the kidnapper forces him to kill an innocent child, or else he'll chop off his wife's fingers. Fingers are blended in a blender, people are strangled, and necks are bitten off. If you love human flesh mutilation, you will love Cut.

Box, by Japan's Takashi Miike is the most psychologically haunting of the three films. A quiet, soft-spoken girl has a recurring nightmare about being buried alive in a box in the snow. But why, oh why, would she have such a wacky nightmare? Did something horrific happen to her when she was a child? Something involving boxes and dying? I don't know. You're going to have to see it to find out for yourself.

All in all, ThreeExtremes is disturbing, disgusting, brilliant, and chilling. If American movies are just too wussy for your taste, try an Asian film. Or better yet, try three films in one. It's sickin the best way possible.


Title: Three...Extremes

Directors: Takashi Miike, Chan Wook Park, Fruit Chan

Review: As of late Japanese horror directors are hot as hell. American horror directors have known this for some time and some have even gone as far as trying to add Japanese sensibilities to their films. First guy to come to mind is Eli Roth with his "Hostel". Sadly Roth couldn't really get it right. Hostel turned out to be a bad imitation of a J-horror film mixing Japanese style gore with frat boy mentality. It doesn't work, because for the most part these J-horror films aren't so much about gore or violence. Yes, they have the gore, but its not ONLY about that. They have more of a psychological thing going for them and not only that but they have something to say about society. Something a bit different then just having your average day killer going around killing teenagers, though I don't mind a dose of that every now and again. "J-horror" keeps blowing away anything that's being made in American horror films of today. I know that's a very common statement being made these days, but it is very very true. Sadly most American horror films are commercial throw aways that nobody will give a crap about after a few months have passed by. But that's not the case with some of the horror directors emerging from Asian cinema today.

Case in point the film Three Extremes which unites three of the best Japanese horror directors working today. Takashi Miike whos name is practically a house hold name amongst horror film fans. He is the man responsible for such great horror films as Audition, Ichi the Killer and Gozu among a gazillion others. Then we have Chan Wook Park who shot straight to stardom with his incredibly unforgettable Oldboy. Which by the way is a film I strongly urge anyone who hasn't see it yet to do themselves a favor and go and rent it right now. And last but not least Fruit Chan, the least know of the three, at least to me anyway. The film is divided into three equal parts each part directed by a different director, an anthology film if you will.

The first story is Fruit Chan's "Dumplings". A story about an aging actress who is searching for a way to stay young. When she comes across a rumor about a lady who makes these special dumplings that help you maintain a young appearance she quickly jumps at the opportunity. Whats in the dumplings? And are their any side effects to taking them? That's what shes about to find out. This story is a great way to start the film. Its funny cause at a glance the story appears to be a "light" and somewhat comedic little story, yet before you know it, the story ventures into dark dark territory. Stick through to the end for this one and you will be shocked. I promise.

The second story in the film is Chan Wook Parks tale entitled "CUT". This story is about a young horror movie director who is making a vampire film. The story opens with one of the scenes from his movie and let me tell you, I know it's a movie within a movie type of thing, but that movie that the director is making looked freakin awesome. It's almost as if director Chan Wook wanted to say "I don't make commercial horror films, but if I did this what it would be like!" Those first opening minutes are awesome! After that we follow the director as he closes down the set and encounters a truly screwed up extra that has appeared in all of his films. What follows is a story filled with some great social commentary on the frustrations of an every man who's life didn't turn up as grand as he expected. This story blew me away with its visual style but I expected nothing less coming from the director of Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.

The third story is Takashi Miikes tale simply called "Box". A story about two twin sisters who live in a circus with their dad. One of the sisters is a tad jealous of the other and goes to extremes to quiet down her jealousy. This story is visually stunning, but then again, it appears that this was a pre-requisite to make this film since all three short stories are equally good looking. Of course this story goes into freaky territory with an incestuous sub plot, but coming from Miike, that sort of thing is to be expected. Still, I think that this story was mild with its violence and gore coming from a guy know for his relentless and extreme use of blood and gore. I guess Miike was going for a more psychological, elegant and slick style. He really was shooting for something more artistic this time around.

All in all, this is a fine anthology film. It united some truly amazing talent and the result is nothing less then one of the best horror films of the decade. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is tired of watching horror films marketed for little kids. If you are searching for something artistic, horrifying and with something to say, then by all means indulge yourself in "Three Extremes" a fine example of how Japanese Horror is kicking American Horror firmly in its ass.

Rating: 5 out of 5


I do not wish to reveal any of the content of these films. I do, however, wish to convey a sense of gratitude to the directors for the artfully crafted scar that these films have etched upon my conscious. Each of these films have their own brand of indelibly disturbing content, and I highly recommend joining the altered persons who have viewed them. The camera-work is amazing. The symbolism is profound. I'm scarred, and wouldn't have it any other way. I do not wish to reveal any of the content of these films. I do, however, wish to convey a sense of gratitude to the directors for the artfully crafted scar that these films have etched upon my conscious. Each of these films have their own brand of indelibly disturbing content, and I highly recommend joining the altered persons who have viewed them. The camera-work is amazing. The symbolism is profound. I'm scarred, and wouldn't have it any other way.


I saw this Asian trilogy of terror a couple days ago with my buds, the Oscillator and Mr. VMU. The Oscillator was impressed by the Japanese one. Mr. VMU liked the Chinese one. My favorite was the Korean one. That makes three viewers, each liking a different segment of the trilogy. As a litmus test, it just goes to show that different people are always coming from different perspectives. Without a doubt, THREE EXTREMES will elicit three distinct reactions from your tripartite gut. What else would you expect from a trilogy where each short film comes from a different country?

First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed the juxtaposition of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures, and I hope to see more in the future. What would I recommend for future CKJ trilogy releases? Horror might be the genre to stick with, maybe something set in medieval Asia, warlord style. Maybe something with Genghis Khan and Francis Ford Coppola vampires. But before I get carried away, I had better check whether THREE EXTREMES made money at the box office. I'm supposing that it did not.

Dumplings (6.0) Fruit Chan, director of Public Toilet

Both the Oscillator and Mr. VMU were impressed by the shock value in the first installment. I agree, some of the scenes strike the nerve like cold lightning, but I wanted more shock. There seemed to be a lot voodoo floating around, what with the cursed fetus and all, but it pretty much went over my head. I have to admit, I'm not up to speed on my Chinese voodoo. Unlike the latter two short films, Dumplings features select scenes taken from a longer full-length movie. I think watching the whole movie would fill in some of the holes where I was plain lost. What are these dumplings supposed to do? Why don't they work? Who are these people?

Cut (8.0) Chan-Wook Park, director of Oldboy

The Korean installment features some lengthy sermons. The villain goes off ranting about the nature of society, so on and so forth, as the bound Byung-Hun Lee listens helplessly. I got kind of bored by the speeches myself, but after THREE EXTREMES was over, I realized that I liked Cut the best out of the three. It reminded me of the existential plays that Tom Stoppard used to write. The symmetrical film has four characters, two of which are bound and gagged. The weird, absurd situation produces a cozy environment where we can explore both the humor and terror behind psychosis. As Sartre said himself, hell is other people.

Box (7.0) Takashi Miike, director of Iishi the Killer, Audition, Visitor Q

I have a feeling that Miike is the main reason most people come to watch THREE EXTREMES. Besides, who really prefers Chinese or Korean movies over Japanese film anyway? Box is slow and quiet. That's all well and good, but during the whole installment I was waiting with breathless anticipation for needle-point shock. I'm sad to say that, there is no shock. Most of the terror comes from hidden uneasiness as opposed to in-your-face grotesqueness. I really wanted to see the bag monster from Audition. Thus "Box" gets a lot more interpretive than I had hoped for, and that means it gets boring. I am also not a fan of Atsuro Watabe, the male lead. His acting is annoying, and more often than not gets on my nerves more than the coat-hanger does.

JY

Jimboduck-dot-com


I think that 'Dumplings' takes it all. Well cut from the full length version so that audiences still get the main point. By far, my favorite of the three. Interesting, delightfully sickening, and great performances from all the actors.

'Cut' was a disappointment. Sure, it was gruesome, made one twitch here and there, however, it was pretty much a let down. Attempting to mix comedy and this type of drama was a disaster.

'Box'was very intriguing...until the end is reached. The audience is left thinking, 'All that for THIS?!' But all in all, the good outweighs the bad, and 8 very enthusiastic thumbs up.


It's almost redundant for me to say that Asian horror is at the forefront of what we perceive as disgusting and repellent (in a good way). There's a little extra edge to the way they approach the subject matter. Where American horror has veered out into some pretty bland arenas and have all but killed the (horror) genre, relying on shock value and the cheap scares to induce some semblance of fear, Asians delve much deeper. The approach is not Val Lewton, but a skewered distortion of reality that burrows deep into the psyche and festers there long after the credits have rolled and the movie has officially ended.

So. Here we have a trilogy, and you would say, what of it? It's been done before, many times, most famously in TRILOGY OF TERROR and the CREEPSHOW movies. True. However, these aren't the usual possessed doll/woman facing a curse/evil without a name typical of comic-book horror. The first segment, "Dumplings", released on its own as a full feature length movie, has the most ties to the Western world and 1950s horror: the fear of old age and ultimate mortality. An aging actress, played by Lillian Lee, comes across a woman who has a special brand of dumplings which can restore her youth. Of course, right at the start, nothing happens. However, imperceptibly but surely, the actress' beauty resumes itself, and an unlikely co-dependence develops between she and the woman who cooks the special dumplings. Until she finds out what the special ingredient within the dumplings are really about.

The second story, "Cut", also straight-forward, might be the weaker of the three even though it has some very tense moments: a director finds himself hostage to a situation with an actor who was little more than an extra, his wife attached to a piano like a puppet, and a child strapped against a sofa. Unless he strangles the child on the sofa, the disgruntled extra will slice off his wife's fingers. This portion moves with exquisite tension until events threaten to give in, and of course, there are surprises in store.

The third and final installment of the three is "Box", directed by Takashi Miike of ODISHON, and it plays with the unease that characterizes some of David Lynch's own forays into inter-dimensions. Here, a young woman is tormented by dreams of the twin sister who perished in a fire when they both were circus performers (and her father seemed to prefer the dead sister). Art directed almost to ridiculous levels, it presents a situation that seems to be heading one way, or in fact, might very well be non-existent -- something within the young woman's head. The fact that her editor looks like the father who died in the fire when she was a girl doesn't help in clarifying anything, and the story's own ambiguity lends light into its own world.

Of the three short films my favorite is "Dumplings". It presents a fear that we all know: the fear not only of growing old, but becoming undesirable -- a specter of our former selves. That Mrs. Li, knowing the horror she is being privy to, continues on her pursuit of youth, not altogether knowing what she will be really giving up, is part of the visceral horror that in other hands would have become just another remake of THE LEECH WOMAN (and its imitators). That final shot of Mrs. Li, as she looks on, serene, and licks the blood off her lips, a tongue that has become grotesque, cutting to the sound of her chewing those little dumplings is classic.


Three Extremes takes three highly talented Far East directors (one from Honk Kong, one Japanese and one Korean), and lets the dark side of their imaginations loose for thirty minutes each. The film is actually a trilogy of separate and unconnected horror tales, each one out to blur the boundaries between horror and art, and to produce something that is more than just to throwaway.

First tale is "Dumplings", a shortened version of the full length movie of the same name, a satire about contemporary vanity and the desire and desperation of some people to feed it. I loved the full movie, and the shortened version doesn't disappoint but the ending is different but just as deliciously dark. Fine performances and directing make this a stellar show for anyone.

The second tale is called "Cut" and surprisingly is the poorest of the three. A Korean short movie about one "nice guy" director and his wife held hostage by an extra from his movies who terrorises them both, trying to bring out the dark side of the director. Revelations and tension wrap this short up, but the violence is excessive at times and the story does seem to tail off very quickly. It starts off so well with some stellar camera work and movement, and the arty feel of this horror piece is quite intriguing, but the bulk of this piece turns stale and falls flat as violence overtakes all else. If you have seen an Austrian movie called "Funny Games" then you can see where this film likely got its influence from.

The final part of the three is "The Box". If you have seen anything by Miike Takishi before then this is quite tame in comparison to much of his other work (if you haven't then don't ask as you'll either love it or hate it and it's a conversation for another day). The film is a menagerie of dreams, memories and images of a girl's past life in a circus act with her twin and mentor which is tinged with tragedy (surprise surprise). The most artistic of the three, this is incredibly beautiful and dark, haunting and frightening, and also intriguing and thought provoking. This episode will be the one of the three you are most likely will be pondering about at the end.

I enjoyed this trilogy, although I had already seen the full "Dumplings" film which took out most of the surprise element, but even with the disappointment of "Cut" this is still a very worthwhile viewing for anyone into artistic horror. Each is different to another, and will offer something to everyone.