Nicolas Winding Refn's directorial debut is an engaging, zero-budget story of crime and revenge, a thriller which sees a small-time drug dealer's life spiralling out of control when his latest deal goes bad. Shot on the streets of Denmark in a verite style by a director who already appears accomplished, PUSHER is a fine debut feature.
There are certain influences in the film; with the recent release of Tarantino's PULP FICTION there had to be, but the style of PUSHER is all its own. Despite being relatively unknown at the time, the acting of the cast is very good; THE BRIDGE's Kim Bodnia and VALHALLA RISING's Mads Mikkelsen in particular play each other off very well. There's also a surprising level of originality in the script that keeps the viewer on his toes at all times; you've never quite sure of what exactly is going to happen next.
PUSHER isn't a perfect film, and there are a few flaws that stopped me enjoying it totally. It lacks a single sympathetic character in the entire cast, and much of the dialogue is moronic and off-putting. It's also fairly dark and depressing, although I understand such style is all the rage these days. However, PUSHER overcomes such deficits by being one of the most realistic thrillers out there.
There are certain influences in the film; with the recent release of Tarantino's PULP FICTION there had to be, but the style of PUSHER is all its own. Despite being relatively unknown at the time, the acting of the cast is very good; THE BRIDGE's Kim Bodnia and VALHALLA RISING's Mads Mikkelsen in particular play each other off very well. There's also a surprising level of originality in the script that keeps the viewer on his toes at all times; you've never quite sure of what exactly is going to happen next.
PUSHER isn't a perfect film, and there are a few flaws that stopped me enjoying it totally. It lacks a single sympathetic character in the entire cast, and much of the dialogue is moronic and off-putting. It's also fairly dark and depressing, although I understand such style is all the rage these days. However, PUSHER overcomes such deficits by being one of the most realistic thrillers out there.