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:

Du har ikke en chance. Grib den.

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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

Nicolas Winding Refn's directorial debut.

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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: What the fuck is this?
Brian: What does it look like?
Frank: It's a gun. What's a gun doing here?
[throws the gun to Tonny]
Brian: Can I get it back?
Frank: No, not right now.

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Crazy Credits

Til min onkel Peter Refn

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Connections

References Reservoir Dogs (1992)

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Soundtracks

Ambivalentino
by Koxbox

User Reviews

Outstanding, realistic crime film

This is a really good film, one of the most realistic films about drugs and the criminal underworld I've ever seen. The film examines a week in the life of a mid-level drug dealer on the streets of Copenhagen and pulls no punches. Kim Bodina gives a great, nuanced performance as Frank, the dealer and main character. He captures perfectly the snaky charisma, emotional detachment and nihilism of a street dealer. Frank is essentially a sociopath, turning on the charm when it suits him and turning a blind eye on the people in his life when they can't be of any use to him. Especially effective is the portrayal of Frank's relationship with Vic, the high priced call girl he obviously cares about but can't bring himself to get physical with because of his emotional coldness. Frank blames this dilemma on her work, suggesting he can't touch her because she's a whore. However it's Vic he always turns to when things go bad.

And things go very bad very quickly for Frank. Through a series of miscalculations and bad luck, he finds himself indebted to a slimy dealer higher on the food chain who's patronizing attitude barely conceals a violent streak. As the week progresses, Frank spirals downward into a desperate attempt to fix his broken life. Trusts are broken, violence and mayhem ensue, and the film finishes on a surprising but perfect note.

The director, Nicolas Winding Refn, shows a good command of pacing and camera work. The real star of the film, however is the script. There is never a moment of Pusher that doesn't seem utterly real. Though many may find this film dark and depressing (I won't argue), I think it's strong acting and excellent direction make it well worth seeing.