Pusher (1996)

A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:

Jens Dahl, Nicolas Winding Refn

Stars:

Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbæk

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Bodnia	...	Frank
Zlatko Buric	...	Milo
Laura Drasbæk	...	Vic
Slavko Labovic	...	Radovan
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Tonny
Peter Andersson	...	Hasse
Vasilije Bojicic	...	Branko (as Vanja Bajicic)
Lisbeth Rasmussen	...	Rita
Levino Jensen	...	Mike
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Junkie
Lars Bom	...	Uro'er
Michael Hasselflug	...	Uro'er
Nicolas Winding Refn	...	Brian (as Jang Go Star)
Jesper Lohmann	...	Mikkel
Steen Fridberg	...	Lasse

Storyline

Frank is a drug pusher on the roll until he makes a huge deal with dope that he hasn't paid for and he gets busted by the police. He manages to dump the dope in a nearby lake but he owes his supplier a lot of money (not a nice guy to owe money to). Now we follow Frank in his quest to raise money in the underworld of Copenhagen.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | bathtub | drug deal | drug lord | ex convict | 

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Taglines:

You don't have a chance. Seize it!

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Swedish Serbian

Release Date:

30 August 1996 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Diler

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,656, 9 May 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,440, 16 May 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Balboa Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mads Mikkelsen, Zlatko Buric, Slavko Labovic and Levino Jensen are the only actors from the first film to reprise their roles in the sequels.

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Goofs

When Frank enters the room and sits down next to sleeping Vic, he grabs her left leg and shakes it, but in the following shot, he drops her right leg.

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Quotes

Frank: [pulls a gun] I need your money and your drugs.
Mike: Oh, man. Now you've lost it.

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Crazy Credits

Til min onkel Peter Refn

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Connections

References Shaft (1971)

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Soundtracks

8-Bit Kid
by KAT-D

User Reviews

Pushing as a way of life, no way out...

This movie blew me and my friends away 10 years ago. This rock steady and realistic tale about real criminals, not the typical American teen age- BS. These people are real, that's as simple as it gets. The docu-kind of outlook fits this movie perfect.

Someone was complaining how he couldn't sit through this movie because he didn't understand why Frankie made the choices he did. That's the point, there is no reason in real life. People make choices because they are bored or simply don't want to think about life outside the carnival. What is a family, Volvo or a house in the suburbs to a guy, who still at about 35-40 goes out clubbing and gets hi on crank and what-not everyday. These human fates don't need explanation. Perhaps I've been too close to need an explanation. One thing is for sure, these guys have made a great movie that has become a legend within certain groups of people. I guess the point of the movie was very clear in the end. Where does a man go, who keeps pushing the envelope day after day? The answer is - nowhere... Learn your lessons people, no more explanations needed.

Absolutely fabulous, that's all I can say... And I won't say too much about the movie, just that it kicks ass. Definitely one of the most enticing criminal stories in the last 20 years.