Saam gaang (2002)

Directors:

Peter Chan
Ji-woon Kim

Writers:

Teddy Chan (story) (segment "Going Home")
Matt Chow (screenplay) (segment "Going Home")

Release Date:

1 May 2002 (Canada)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

When two just ain't enough!

Plot:

Memories: A woman wakes up on a street without memory. A husband cannot remember why his wife left him...

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Several Directors | Going Home | Memories | Anthology

Awards:

6 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Hye-su Kim	...	Wife (segment "Memories")
Bo-seok Jeong	...	Husband (segment "Memories")
Suwinit Panjamawat	...	Gaan (segment "The Wheel")
Leon Lai	...	Yu (segment "Going Home")
Eric Tsang	...	Wai (segment "Going Home")
Eugenia Yuan	...	Hai'er (segment "Going Home")
Ting-Fung Li	...	Cheung (segment "Going Home")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kanyavae Chatiawaipreacha	...	Nuan (segment "The Wheel")
Jeong-won Choi	...	Doctor (segment "Memories") (as Jung Woo Choi)
Pornchai Chuvanon	...	Plew (segment "The Wheel")
Anusak Intasorn	...	Im (segment "The Wheel")
Pattama Jangjarut	...	Nan (segment "The Wheel")
Jung-Won Jang	...	Eun-Ji (segment "Memories")
Sung-Keun Jee	...	Taxi Driver (segment "Memories")
Savika Kanchanamas	...	Sa-Ing (segment "The Wheel")
Tsz-Wing Lau	...	Yu's Daughter (segment "Going Home")
Manop Meejamarat	...	Cht (segment "The Wheel")
Jung-Hee Moon	...	Hyun-Joo (segment "Memories")
Hee-soon Park	...	Hyun Joo's Husband (segment "Memories")
Tinnapob Seeweesriruth	...	Dang (segment "The Wheel")
John Sham	...	Photographer (segment "Going Home")
Camy Ting	...	Pathologist (segment "Going Home")
Tak-Ming Ting	...	Janitor (segment "Going Home")
Vinn Vasinanon	...	Bua (segment "The Wheel")
Pongsanart Vinsiri	...	Master Tong (segment "The Wheel")
Heng Wong	...	Doctor (segment "Going Home")
Komgrich Yuttiyong	...	Master Tao (segment "The Wheel")

Also Known As:

3 Extremes II (USA)
San geng (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Three (International: English title)
Three Extremes 2 (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, brief sexuality and some nudity.

Runtime:

140 min | 129 min (DVD) | Hong Kong:120 min | Japan:120 min | South Korea:137 min

Country:

Hong Kong | South Korea | Thailand

Language:

Korean | English | Mandarin | Thai | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:18 | Australia:MA (2007) | USA:R | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG (theatrical rating) (cut) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Philippines:R-13 | Italy:VM14

Company:

Applause Pictures

Trivia:

Released in America as "3...Extremes II" to capitalize on the success of Saam gaang yi (2004).

Movie Connections:

Followed by Saam gaang yi (2004)

Terribly boring Asian horror film showcase

Three would probably qualify for one of the worst Asian horror film showcases in history. It is terribly boring and mundane. Of the three stories, the much-lauded 'Going Home' by Peter Ho-Sun Chan didn't touch me much as it lost its meaning to me. The emotions expressed by Leon Lai and Eugenia Yuan were wooden, uninspired, totally cliched and superficial. The only redemption I could think of the segment is perhaps the limitations of the script and setting that were forced upon them and their acting. The only other thing I think is worthy of comment is Christopher Doyle's cinematography - he has effectively created a dull washed-out Hongkong, a rough disused suburban facade which contributes to the feeling of desolation in the city. Kim Jee-Woon's first segment, 'Memories', is an effective shriek-inducing segment but on first viewing, one would be hard-pressed to make out the point of the film. One only gets to appreciate the premise of the story upon repeated viewing - and the juxtaposition of the points-of-view of the husband and his murdered wife was, in restropect, well-cut and interplayed, though somewhat pointless and rough-hewn initially. But the segment suffers from boring pacing and a disgusting macabreness matched by the cheap thrill of inserting shrieky soundtracks to induce fear in the audience. The second segment, Nonzee Nimibutr's 'The Wheel', is a Thai horror film that is marred by B-grade acting in a story-plot that is not scary but boring - the premise of the film just doesn't work for modern audiences. On the whole, the film may revisit or awaken new perceptions of cross-cultural collaborations, but I thought it reinforced negative perceptions of such Asian horror films instead.