Synopsis
Three is a 2016 Hong Kong–Chinese action thriller film directed by Johnnie To. To is well-known for his mastery of tension and stylized action, and in this film, instead of the streets of the city or sprawling action sequences, the setting is a hospital with its sterile and confined corridors. This gives rise to timeless tension and suspense.
The conflict of the film revolves around three main protagonists who showcase different moral dilemmas. First is Shun, a highly intelligent and extremely dangerous criminal. Shun gets shot in the head in a police encounter, and post the police’s emergency treatment, he is sent to a hospital. He will not allow surgery to remove the bullet from his head, as he prefers to remain awake, slowing time for his escape.
The second character is Chief Inspector Ken Chan, a level-headed and no-nonsense commanding officer who managed the arrest of Shun. As Chan sees Shun after the operation, he immediately suspects Shun has a plan to wait out the police response time, and give his gang enough time to spring into action. Preferring not to escalate matters, Chan makes the calculated decision to wait out and follow Shun’s lead.
The third character and arguably the most intricate one is beneath Dr. Tong Qian, a highly skilled neurosurgeon. She is intertwining into her profession and personal life emotionally. She handles Shun case and is caught in the middle of her ethical obligation to treat a patient with the intrigue of his possibly nefarious motives. As a Tong struggle to stabilize the evolving events, she becomes pivotal in the balancing act of securing order while combatting ethical dilemmas.
As the drama of the film develops overwhelming moments, the majority revolves in real time, all within a single hospital ward. Slowly, patients, nurses, and even doctors turn into unwilling participants along with the police in what becomes an unstopping rage-filled showdown that culminates in the big bang. The actions gather towards boiling point accompanied with set location, tight close-up shots, and enclosed camera angles which gives rise to what can only be described as astounding and jaw- dropping climax filled with shocking action and unprecedented brutality, even the most far-fetched assumptions would be milder than the reality.
Cast and Characters
Hiroshi Tamaki starred as the emotion struggling “rule follower” Ken Chan. Inspector Ken Chan, HIs cold calculations drives him into conflict internally. Follows rules but parts wisdom that leads him to shift perspective for ultimate outcome.
Shun where Wallace Chung features recently updated role as bold and brilliant head of lawbreakers. Even after injury, Shun possesses unparalleled control, particularly through mental seduction and optics.
Zhao Wei recounts the story of a haunted surgeon, Dr. Tong Qian, whose emotional arc is arguably the most compelling in the film. Her attempts to balance her emotional impulses with professionalism while seeing the moral ambiguity of her surroundings proves difficult.
Supporting cast includes:
Lo Hoi-pang as a patient who is both disabled and rich, offering moments of profound silence and paradoxical humor.
Lam Suet as a likable constable with a great sense of humor.
Cheung Siu-fai, Mimi Kung, Stephen Au and others play the supporting roles of hospital staff and policemen who populate the never-still, ever-tensed world of the film.
Production and Technical Aspects
Three was directed by Johnnie To and produced by Milkyway Image, which is known to be the epitome of stylish crime cinema in Hong Kong. While Drug War and Election are To’s more action-packed epics, Three is more subdued and focuses on just three characters locked in one location, exploring the interplay between three colliding ideas.
Cinematography by Cheng Siu-Keung is methodical in nature. The use of extended takes, gradual pans, and harsh framing emphasizes the constricting nature of the hospital space and the suffocating standoff. The camera does not move. Most of the time, it jars the viewer, creating tension through stagnation instead of movement.
His film is astonishingly mesmerizing and shocking, especially a lone-cut, slow-motion shootout as the climactic apex of the story. David Richardson ensuring a perfect pacing with content escalation through character motivations and interconnected storylines, all while maintaining taut tension build-up throughout the film.
Brilliantly synced background music by Xavier Jamaux highlights the underlying tension without being overpowering. Projection of the sound design is striking, emphasizing sounds like whispering, faint footsteps, and heartbeats, all of which contribute towards an increasing sense of dread, heightening the films unsettling nature.
Three fundamentally serves as a slow philosophical dive into the intricacies of effectiveness, righteousness, and modern-day profesional dilemmas. Not only does the title represent the three main protagonists, but also the moral triangulation they embody and create.
The epitome of the opportunistic world, chaos as well as living criminal genius, Shun encapsulates it all. A rule breaker, a strategist who finds wild ingenuity within restrictive structures, executes flawless defiance.
Half legally allowable law enforcement inspector, Chan stands for opportunistic skirtble law enforcement and questions if the outcome validates the approach adopted. His internal battle is subtle but potent, as he masks ethical uncertainty behind a calculated demeanor.
Systemic pressures pose challenges to compassion and integrity representatives, Dr. Tong. Out of compassion, she faces crippling personal matters as well, torn by an past surgical blunder and left wondering whether her moral obligations of refusing decision aligns with realism circulating her.
The hospital setting can be viewed as a metaphorical crucible. A crucible is a placing where characters face essential moral and psychological conflict. Such a setting also interrogates the nature of care versus control and treatment versus containment.
In what ways does the viewer have to “pay” in order to perceive the compromise? The film brings forth questions such as, can one duty without dehumanizing oneself? Is it permissible to play with people’s lives in order to trap a greater evil? When does one draw the line, where order appears to be battling the order turns out to be the very entity one is trying to fight against?
Reception and impact
Three was positively received by the critcs, especially with its storytelling, minimalist approach, and performance. The movie was appreciated for being suspenseful without excessive action or showing excessive exposition.
The film’s last action sequence – a singular tracking shot of a hospital shootout done in slow motion – is heralded as a feat of technical prowess. This showcases the directorial prowess and confidence of Johnnie To and his craftsmanship in placing so much emphasis on the camera’s movements.
Some other viewers criticized this scene for being too drawn out, and the extensive dialogue was a departure from To’s typical action packed films. Regardless, those that embraced the psychological aspects of the film found the experience rewarding.
Conclusion
Johnnie To’s craftsmanship is perhaps best exemplified in the film Three, which explores the taut interplay of atmosphere and tension through his lens. The film’s setting of a morally complex, identity-riddled, and justice-centric war zone is a product of exceptional performances, great direction, and a robust ethical dilemma at its core—turning a hospital into a clash between fierce contending forces.
In contrast to contemporary filmmaking that favors grandeur, Three is a thriller of philosophical depth presented with cinematic elegance. It tells its story through precise restraint which, alongside the film’s intellectual prowess, gives it profound a impact. The film, which belongs to the Hong Kong crime cinema genre, is sure to appease fans of Asian cinema as well as smart thrillers.
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