Product Details

• Actors: Leon Lai, Hye-su Kim, Bo-seok Jeong, Suwinit Panjamawat, Eric Tsang
• Directors: Jee-woon Kim, Nonzee Nimibutr, Peter Chan
• Writers: Jee-woon Kim, Chao-Bin Su, Ek Iemchuen, Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui, Matt Chow
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Korean, Thai
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: April 25, 2006
• Run Time: 140 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000EHQ7ZQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,406 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "3 Extremes II" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

THREE EXTREMES II - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THREE EXTREMES II flounders as horror but flourishes as drama, February 7, 2010

By 

Don S. Bryant (Portugal Cove-St Philips, Newfoundland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3 Extremes II (DVD)

After the vast success of "Three Extremes" three other Asian horror savants (South Korea's Kim Je-Woon, Thailand's Nonzee Nimibutr, China's Peter Chan) stepped up to the plate to deliver us a successor.

The original had three tales of distinct horror methods--one of gross-outs, one of violence, and one of psychological maiming. "Three Extremes II" however, seems to have a common theme about all three which is the voyage of the afterlife.

Due to atmospheric and thematic similarities I found the stories a little less engaging when viewed back-to-back. Perhaps this could've been that the first two films of the movie (the first especially) were rather uneventful.

Starting chronologically, the short "Memories" by Kim Je-Woon is South Korea's entry into the anthology. It starts with promise as it shows a man presumably sleeping on a couch and very gradually pans closer and closer to him. Then it shows us more of the room he is in, and immediately Je-Woon strikes a nerve of undeniable creepiness with a huddled women rocking to and from in a corner. This sense of uneasiness quickly dissolves as the story progresses. Nothing really happens throughout. Like I said above it was uneventful--sure people are talking (though there's an odd lack of dialogue in "Memories"), sure they're walking and driving around trying to discover a mystery, but it's a mystery most viewers have probably solved. There's also a woman who seems to have lost her memory, but almost immediately I put two-and-two together and figured out her connection with our main character. Je-Woon uses rather cheap shock-tactics like sudden movements and sharp music to make us jump. Its unfortunate Kim Je-Woon's entry was so weak narrative-wise and predictable story-wise, because he is the director of one of my favorite movies ever "A Tale of Two Sisters". I went in hoping for something exquisite from him but got a rather generic story. I do not dislike the movie, because it does have its pluses like solid acting, beautiful camerawork, and the cutest child you'll ever see in any movie, but I cannot say I liked it either because there was so little story. All-in-all, Kim Je-Woon's "Memories" is forgettable, shiny, and predictable--nothing more than you'd expect from one of Hollywood's J-horror remakes.

The middle segment on the disc is one of Thai origins called "The Wheel" from director Nonzee Nimibutr. Being only briefly acquainted with Thai horror, I found myself excited to see what Thailand had to offer. Many reviews claim this to be the flimsiest entry, but I have to disagree. I think most of "The Wheel" was lost in translation because it is a piece so close to Thailand. It's a cultural short involving Thai beliefs that we North American viewers simply cannot grasp--or at least not appreciate fully. That being said, I personally loved the cultural experience of watching "The Wheel" and felt almost like it was a documentary of rural Thailand. The set design is beautiful and exotic; the costumes and puppets are breath-taking and unique; the entire piece rings with foreign flavor, and was a nice contrast to "Memories" which could've been copied and pasted into any country's film. That being said, while it dealt with horror (spirits, possession and vengeance) it didn't feel like a full-feldged horror. The very opening is chilling but like "Memories" it fades to black rather quickly. Unlike "Memories" I found myself interested by the foreign aspect and the beauty of the setting, from the murky lagoon to the unique houses to the vibrant costumes. The acting throughout is rocky--there's a few actors who deliver questionable performances, and that is probably my biggest qualm with the film. Aside from that it had a very redeeming ending, and in more ways than one.

The closing piece is absolutely and without question my favorite of the three, and probably my favorite out of the original three as well. I think the DVD editors placing Peter Chan's "Going Home" last was strategy, as they started with the most feeble and the "Going Home" segment is powerful enough to make you forget about "Memories"'s weakness and leaves you with a very positive feeling after watching. Had they reversed the order, the haunting touch of "Going Home" wouldn't have survived through the end of "Memories" and my review would be two starts instead of three. That may sound ridiculous but it's all too true. The story starts with a single father and his son who are moving into a new complex, one that looks decrepit and neglected. This dirty setting is awesome for capturing what will happen later. Chan's direction then switches from the father-son relationship and to a much more aberrant relationship concerning a rather shoddy character we're introduced to through the young son and a wife who is seemingly long-dead. This is a ghastly, provocative, touching story of requited love and the testing of lengths one will go through for that love. I will not delve any further into the story--discover this gem on your own. If anything this DVD is worth the $15 for this piece alone--I wish it could've been a feature length film.

Overall, "Three Extremes II" doesn't succeed as horror but are an excellent trio of chilling dramas. It was a disappointing follow-up to "Three Extremes" but the two shouldn't be compared because they are different films with different messages. I picture only a fan of Asian horror liking this DVD, so if you're new perhaps go with something more user-friendly before diving into this piece.

6.5/10

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An okay watch, May 30, 2006

By 

Horror-Fanatics.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3 Extremes II (DVD)

Previously called Three, this movie was actually made 2 years before Three...Extremes was released. I really did not like this movie as I did with the previous Three...Extremes. I'll be reviewing this just like I did with the first Three Extremes since these are three different directors working on three different short movies. The film makers didn't work on the same script or with each other.

The first story 'Memories' comes from Korea by Ji-woon Kim, the director of A Tale of Two Sisters. His story tells of a husband and wife. We learn that the husband has been searching for his wife who ran off one day. But then we see a woman who we definitely assume is his wife. She has woken up in the middle of the street but has no idea who or where she is and all she has is a telephone number from a dry cleaners receipt. Every time she calls the number it doesn't work. Soon she begins to remember things. Soon after that creepy things start to happen. She is covered in mysterious bruises and severed fingers begin falling out of nowhere. The husband also acts very suspicious and is lugging around a heavy mysterious bag.I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy but you can probably see where this story is heading. You pretty much get where the story would end up from after the first 15 minutes. I did enjoy the idea for this story and the few shocks and surprises did make it worth watching. I really enjoyed this director's style. He did the same thing in Two sisters where things seem bright and beautiful on the outside but inside things are dark and more sinister. Thats what I usually get from his style anyways. This is my second favorite story and from what Ive read on further websites this story seems to be the most popular one.

The Wheel is from the director of Nang Nak. Thai director Nonzee Nimibutr brings us a story of cursed Puppets (yeah thats all it really was, cursed puppets). It doesn't sound exciting and yes its exactly as it sounds. I'm not really sure how the wheel title came along. Basically the only person who can control the puppets were the original owner. I guess these puppets were stolen so its hard to say where they came from. You can skip this story, it's was very boring and is my least favorite of all three entires. I don't blame the actors for this even though I'm sure they were taking cues from the director to be more scared. Its not that the puppets were going after people, its just that strange things were happening. It deals with drowning, random fires, deaths and a possessed little girl. The only thing that I probably enjoyed about this movie was that in a few parts the puppets were like Voodoo dolls. Sadly that's about it.

Going Home is from the producer of all 'The Eye' movies (including the American remake), Peter Chan from Hong Kong weaves a story of kidnapping, death and love. Going Home tells the story of two men. The first man is a single father, Chan (a police officer) and his son Cheung have just moved into a new apartment. An apartment which will be torn down in about a month, everyone else in the building has moved out. The only other tenants are Yu and his wife, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Also there is a mysterious little girl who looks to be about 2 years old, we believe this to be the couple's daughter. One day Cheung goes missing, Chan works at night so he does not notice until later. After sleeping all day he goes searching for him. He believes that Yu has kidnapped his son and enters his apartment to investigate. The only thing he finds is Yu's wife dead in a bathtub. Yu has been waiting for her to wake up, afraid that Chan will tell what he has seen. Yu holds him captive because his wife will wake in three days and after that, everything will be fine.

This story was definitely my favorite. It had the most depth and meaning behind it. The movie doesn't really start off like it, it's more of a love story. The ending to Going Home is also very shocking. This short goes a little bit into the distrust of western medicine and the power of the old Chinese medicine. It's hard for me to say too much because I really could go on and ruin the ending by mistake. But if you are a romantic like me then you'll definitely love this story. Sadly the Three...Extremes 2 DVD doesn't include anything special like the first one. You can check out some cool trailers to other movies that are currently on sale and that will be heading to theatres.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as "Three...Extremes", April 12, 2006

By 

neoroark (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3 Extremes II (DVD)

As noted in the review below, this film is not a sequel to "Three...Extremes". It is actually a predecessor to that film and was originally released under the title "Three". Unfortunately, this is a rare case where the sequel is far better than the original, as the stories and talent involved in this production just don't measure up to "Three...Extremes".

The best of the three segments is "Going Home" from Hong Kong, featuring Leon Lai and Eugenia Yuan. The Thailand segment goes for cheap scares but makes no sense, while the Korean segment is instantly forgettable. It's an interesting concept, but ultimately this project just serves as a trial run for the much more accomplished "Three...Extremes".