Omnibus films are uneven by their nature, and Three...Extremes is no exception. Unsurprisingly, the film, as a whole, has no cumulative power. The three shorts, from three directors, each with a distinctive style, from three different countries, don't really compliment each other in any way. They are all meant to be disturbing, and beyond that, there is no genuine thematic or stylistic connection. Fruit Chan's segment, "Dumplings," is an unappetizing though aesthetically gorgeous presentation of youth-obsessed cannibalism. It is viscerally unsettling, but, despite Christopher Doyle's stunning work, it's essentially an EC Comics-worthy morality play gussied up with fancy visuals. Its tale of vain women and a wicked back-alley abortionist/witch also contains more than a hint of misogyny. Takashi Miike's "Box" is less problematic thematically, but it's overly familiar. Perhaps owing in part to his prodigious output, Miike is an inconsistent and occasionally sloppy filmmaker, and, despite the presence of twin little-girl contortionists, this is one of his less interesting efforts. While "Dumplings" is memorable in its way, only Park Chan-wook's (Old Boy) brain-twisting and amusingly reflexive "Cut" makes a lasting positive impression. Once again, Park's motif is revenge at its most baroque, and from the elaborate set design to the startling, witty performances of Lee Byung-hun as a successful young film director and Lim Won-hee as his insane tormentor, the film gets the most out of its abbreviated running time. Park is the one director represented here with both a great "extreme" tale and the means at his disposal to tell it to full effect.