Nicholas Winding Refn's "Pusher trilogy"

[Burnt Offerings]

Has anyone seen this films?

Refn has had some acclaim with a few of his more recent films (although he seems like a divisive filmmaker, as far as whether you, as an audience member, will appreciate his "style"...I personally like "Only God Forgives" a good deal, it grew on me as a film, but a lot of people seem to hate it) The Pusher films were some of his early efforts, though. They all revolve around the drug world in Denmark.

"Pusher" focuses on a very small-time drug dealer and "middleman", Frank. He ends up owing lots of money to a violent Serbian drug lord / organized crime figure, Milo, after getting arrested by the cops & losing a consignment of drugs.

"Pusher 2: With Blood On My Hands" focuses on Frank's friend, Tony, who is briefly depicted in the first film. He has recently been released from prison and starts working for his father, a respected older criminal who runs a stolen car ring.

"Pusher 3: I'm The Angel Of Death"...I haven't actually seen this one, but it's supposedly based around the story of Milo, the Serbian drug lord who makes appearances in the first two films.



They're pretty decent crime dramas, IMO. I like how they depict Denmark, where they're set, particularly the Denmark underworld...a dreary bunch of mostly small-time heroin & coke dealers, assorted scumbags & hookers. There are subtle little ways that the characters are developed, too...I liked the photo of Arkan on one of Milo's walls...I got a kick out of Milo's character in generally, really...I love how he always referred to Frank as "my friend!", LOL. I really want to see Pusher 3 if it's really centered around his character.

I also really like "anti-hero" movies, which is a film that Refn seems to like to do, and these are good examples of anti-heroes...none of the main characters are really good people, in fact most of the time they seem like scumbags, but once in a while they express some genuine compassion & humanity

 

[malakaix]

I watched these a couple of years ago when I was over in Europe. I had been watching the Hannibal series and wanted to see what else Mads Mikkelsen had done.

I watched all of them and loved it. Particularly how it portrayed Denmark and the European underground. The first from memory seems to give an intense high-speed introduction into that kind of lifestyle and the consequences of pursuing it, the second deals with the struggles of family and friends and the third if I remember is how that kind of life can catch up to you later on when you have much more emotional vulnerability (family, children, grand children etc).

 

[theMerovingian]

Watched the trilogy very recent. Really enjoyed it and very happy i came across his thread cause i purchased if on ebay. I like the anti hero theme with the gritty seedy realism of the characters that are life like.

Liked the copenhagen underworld setting. Recommend to others.

 

[theMerovingian]

If I could recommend a film it be A Prophet a french crime drama that is a masterpiece of cinema and if it was an english language it would have all the accolades labelling the greatest crime/prison drama of the twenty first century. I just hope I have not over done it and if you check it out you dont get let down cause of the high praise I have heaped on it. Its raw, brutal, gritty, fantastic characters and social cultural commentary all rolled into a fictional story of someone at the bottom who rises up among the most brutal and unsymapthetic of environments. Watch it.