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Pusher
Pusher
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Pusher

Pusher

1996
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 50m
Frank is a drug pusher on the roll, until he makes a huge deal with dope that he hasn't payed for, and he gets busted by the police... (imdb)

Directed by:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Screenwriter:

Nicolas Winding Refn, Jens Dahl

Starring:

Peter Andersson, Zlatko Buric, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Kim Bodnia, Laura Drasbæk, Slavko Labovic, Liv Corfixen

Franchise:

Pusher

Genres:

Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime, Action

Country:

Denmark

Languages:

English, Swedish, Serbian, Danish
imdb IMDb
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Pusher

1996
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 50m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 61.56% from 1084 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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paxtonPaxton
Rated 22 Sep 2016
79
75th
Listen, I don't know how you do things over there in Europe, but here in America, you don't just beat the living hell out of Mads Mikkelsen. At best, and if you're lucky enough, he beats the hell out of you. I'm still wrapping my head around this.
Rated 22 Sep 2016
kojilessKojiless
Rated 29 May 2016
54
59th
This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. This is Refn's brain on drugs. This is Refn on drugs on the subject of drugs. This is your brain on Refn's drugs watching a movie on the subject of drugs. On drugs.
Rated 29 May 2016
leonardisLeonardis
Rated 16 Mar 2021
95
83rd
I really dug it. Nicolas Winding Refn is one of my favorite filmmakers working today, and while he would only grow as a director after this, it's still really well made and perhaps his best character study after Bronson. I love that the movie explores some deeper themes and not just drugs. In that way to stands above some of the other drug stories I've seen. The acting is really good all around and there were some scenes that made me gasp out loud. Budget issues aside, this is really solid.
Rated 16 Mar 2021
detoxDetox
Rated 18 Nov 2019
86
85th
Refn was better when he worked with lesser money. There are already hints of his later work here, like the aggressive destructive hypermasculinity of the characters and the use of colors. But while some of Refn's later work is too ambitious while falling flat, "Pusher" is a straight forward gangster movie first and foremost. What kept the tension high wasn't so much the action, it was that there are no safe relationships found here.
Rated 18 Nov 2019
thedenizenTheDenizen
Rated 19 Apr 2016
85
91st
When a big drug sale goes sour, a mid level dealer in Copenhagen has to come up with a bunch of money in a few days to satisfy his psychotic supplier. It's very bleak and dark, but the use of handheld cameras and abrasive punk and electronica propels the movie forward with impressive kinetic energy. Frank's desperation is palpable as the days tick by and he burns his bridges one by one. Loved the final sequence too, though it felt like it was missing a shot of Tonny in traction or something.
Rated 19 Apr 2016
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 05 Sep 2009
53
41st
Okay, it's by no means bad but let's get a few things straight. Handheld filming doesn't always mean a movie is "documentary-style" and natural lighting doesn't always make it "realistic". Sometimes, as in this case, those mostly just indicate a tight budget. Loosely scripted dialogue does not guarantee naturalism either. It all depends on the vision of the filmmaker, and Refn's is pretty standard - he is no Scorsese or Cassavetes, hardly even a De Palma or Tarantino.
Rated 05 Sep 2009
mini_tMini-T
Rated 11 Mar 2012
90
90th
Frankieee!
Rated 11 Mar 2012
dirkdiggerdirkdigger
Rated 04 Feb 2012
92
55th
BAM! In-your-face masterpiece director-debut from Nikolas Winding Refn. Pusher 1 is a character-driven action-gangster-docu-drama. Aronofsky's The Wrestler borrows intensively from Pusher - and with good reason. It was one of the 90's-movies that helped kickstart the Danish movie-industry both commercially and artistically after decades of pure crap, with nearly only Bille August and Niels Malmros (and a young Lars von Trier) keeping the art alive. Pusher was a kick in the balls to Danish film!
Rated 04 Feb 2012
gordonbombayGordonBombay
Rated 24 Jan 2011
85
74th
Mads Mikkelsen gets beaten the fuck up. What's not to love?
Rated 24 Jan 2011
jmboschJMBosch
Rated 20 Jul 2009
92
95th
Very solid, realistic middle-level gangster/drug-dealer movie. What it accomplishes best is an ever-building sense of dread, tension, and desperation as the week goes on and Frank's situation gets more and more dire. That's an accomplishment rarely seen in this type of film.
Rated 20 Jul 2009
blayzeblayze
Rated 22 Apr 2007
100
98th
This is a really life-like, gritty and realistic gangster movie. None of that fantasy world bullshit with drug kingpin's sucking cocaine pulver out of golden plate and drive-bying recklessly random people. I love the atmosphere hand-held camera creates. Bodnia is a God.
Rated 22 Apr 2007
fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 06 Oct 2021
8
78th
You know a film is good when regardless how pale and dull it looks (oh God, that dvd transfer...) there are enough cinematic elements present to make for a truly compelling watch. It's a dynamically shot and gritty crime thriller, fueled by a suffocating sense of desperation that permeates both story and (main) character in equal measure. Think a tight budgeted Good Time shot in 90's Copenhagen.
Rated 06 Oct 2021
jnydamjnydam
Rated 29 Jun 2020
77
82nd
The desperation of the characters is palpable. The ruthless criminal behavior is unparalleled. This is quite the gangster story
Rated 29 Jun 2020
begoniabolbegoniabol
Rated 16 Oct 2016
65
53rd
Is often pretty slow and not sure if I liked the ending. Would've liked it to be more fleshed out instead of feeling so abrubt. The movie has some really good long takes though.
Rated 16 Oct 2016
muutanetmuutanet
Rated 21 Apr 2012
83
88th
The plot was very well written and I liked the mood and the main character. There was enough twists and good action to keep whole thing together. The ending was also nicely nailed.
Rated 21 Apr 2012
baggerBagger
Rated 09 Apr 2012
80
84th
It does what might otherwise never have been pulled off: A gritty and uncompromising gangster movie in the heart of the blue-collar Copenhagen underworld.
Rated 09 Apr 2012
davidblastDavidBlast
Rated 14 Aug 2010
85
88th
Raw. Brutal. Brilliant. This is everything 'The Godfather' should have been. There's a lot to appreciate for the initiate: The settings around Copenhagen, the best ever acting in a Danish film, 'Koxbox'. Surely, however, everyone can enjoy this universal big city tale of male emasculation.
Rated 14 Aug 2010
halfjapaneseHalfJapanese
Rated 22 Jul 2010
85
76th
A great, no-frills crime film that doesn't glamorize its subject or protagonist. Maybe it's mostly due to the film's independent nature, but the restraint shown by Refn all around makes the film that much more commendable.
Rated 22 Jul 2010
td888td888
Rated 19 Jun 2010
70
76th
Gritty, documentary style filmed story about a drug dealer whose life spirals out of control. Great atmosphere and weird characters. I lost the subtitles halfway while watching, but still enjoyed it. Fascinating film
Rated 19 Jun 2010
johnsandwichJohnSandwich
Rated 11 Apr 2010
90
95th
A bona fide classic.
Rated 11 Apr 2010
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 11 Dec 2008
82
92nd
Nice
Rated 11 Dec 2008
jakeaestheteJakeAesthete
Rated 14 Jun 2008
74
73rd
In retrospect this film is more of a straight-up Cassavetes/Scorsese pastiche than any real indication of the filmmaker Refn would become, but it's a very good piece of work in it's own right.
Rated 14 Jun 2008
scurryscurry
Rated 26 Jan 2008
85
97th
Goddamn. Criminals acting like the charming bastards they are. No frills, no glamour, and just enough stereotypes.
Rated 26 Jan 2008
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 02 Mar 2007
75
89th
Great film.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
30
11th
Not an especially interesting addition to the genre.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
closedmouthclosedmouth
Rated 05 Feb 2024
70
42nd
Silly fun, sometimes too silly, but well-paced. Mads is missed in the second half
Rated 05 Feb 2024
caspiancaspian
Rated 28 Aug 2023
80
55th
a bit like a dream where you need to pee the whole time, with turbofolk-charged violence
Rated 28 Aug 2023
jswinderjswinder
Rated 19 May 2023
92
96th
Ahh....Frankie.......
Rated 19 May 2023
matthagenmatthagen
Rated 04 May 2023
55
63rd
A simple, stark gangster tale, well told and well executed. Some Refn stylistic flourishes shine through and are welcome.
Rated 04 May 2023
amerigoamerigo
Rated 29 Mar 2022
80
69th
Standing on the shoulders of French Connection and Scarface, this classic paves the way for Sopranos, set to a frenetic Good Time pace.
Rated 29 Mar 2022
driscarpindriscarpin
Rated 31 Aug 2021
79
60th
Pusher estreava há 25 anos na Dinamarca. Refn virou um tipo de diretor que você ama ou odeia, eu gosto, especialmente de Neon Demon, mas às vezes acho intragável (Bronson), o primeiro Pusher é bem bom, gosto da atmosfera submundo sem iluminação que é o exato contrário de Neon Demon. BlurayRip no MakingOff.
Rated 31 Aug 2021
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 15 Nov 2019
60
32nd
Hard to say the depravity for depravity's sake works here when there's so little style to it. The final minutes in the nightclub looked great so here's hoping his filmography starts hitting more of those highs sooner rather than later.
Rated 15 Nov 2019
sourheartsourheart
Rated 29 Mar 2018
2
10th
Very good pacing. Main guy is a fucking bastard
Rated 29 Mar 2018
maborosimaborosi
Rated 14 Mar 2018
31
24th
lo-fi 90s schlock. the taste level of refn's later films are just nowhere to be seen.
Rated 14 Mar 2018
astrakhanastrakhan
Rated 26 Jul 2016
80
74th
Refn's debut is a confident thriller in which the characters seem to perfectly inhabit the gritty, grimy, messed up world of small time drug dealing. The grainy, lo-fi MiniDV look of the film is a good aesthetic match for these unkempt hardmen and unloved interiors. As is the soundtrack of vulgar dialogue and hard rock music. However, the film's plot is more a random series of violent events, than a well-thought-out construction like "Lock, Stock..." of the same era. Rough-edged but likeable.
Rated 26 Jul 2016
ronthedogronthedog
Rated 22 Jul 2016
77
22nd
Stylish and well put together but ultimately predictable all too early on, which makes the violent denouement all the more unpleasant and unsatisfactory.
Rated 22 Jul 2016
cinegeekdecinegeek.de
Rated 22 May 2016
85
71st
(...) Stattdessen konzentriert sich Refn auf seinen erbarmungslosen Spannungsbogen, der so intensiv und mitreissend wirkt, wie es kein "postmodernes" Filmchen je könnte! Refns Realismus macht den Unterschied aus und deshalb entwickelt Pusher das Genre ein Stück weiter.
Rated 22 May 2016
janusjanus
Rated 04 Oct 2015
55
25th
The likable Frank's journey from two-bit to three-bit thug is fluid and relatively convincing, almost casual, but I was for whatever reason unexcited and unengaged throughout. It's possible I'm just thoroughly uninterested in the subject matter (though couldn't a good enough film have changed that? Isn't that actually the whole idea?), could be the language barrier, or maybe due to the poor picture quality of the DVD I watched. The sequel sounds promising, though...
Rated 04 Oct 2015
djrossdjross
Rated 26 Sep 2015
65
71st
Mean streets of Copenhagen: there's not a lot of relief for the audience here, and no doubt there will be some who find the brutality and general unpleasantness to be amoral or nihilistic, but, even though it retains some vestiges of generic convention, it does establish its characters and milieu more convincingly than most of these neo-neo-realist films, and, as the pressure mounts, the tension builds in a way that successfully conveys the almost inescapable tragedy of this form of existence.
Rated 26 Sep 2015
lisa_iilisa-
Rated 11 Sep 2015
3
30th
refn's debut is far away from the other two films of his i've heretofore seen; rather than the intense formalism of those ones, this is immediately recognisable as a precursor to dogme 95. as a gangster film, though, there's nothing new.
Rated 11 Sep 2015
kopekkeremKopekKerem
Rated 10 Aug 2015
70
44th
The best thing is Refn' s cinematography for me. Plus Kim Bodnia and Mikkelsen' s acting are really great.
Rated 10 Aug 2015
barraocBarraoc
Rated 05 Mar 2015
80
85th
A dark beginning that spirals downwards. A superior film to the 2012 remake.
Rated 05 Mar 2015
neonmanNeonman
Rated 18 Sep 2014
53
8th
Appropriately grundgey and rather dirty, and also never particularly interesting. It's a combination of various different drugs stories I've seen dozens of times already compiled into one narrative that has as much emotional and thematic weight as a final year film student's project. Refn's mood-soaked style in his later films is not present, instead we have grainy docu-drama material here.
Rated 18 Sep 2014
nevejasnevejas
Rated 04 Aug 2014
63
46th
This picture reminds of a lazy Sunday. It starts painfully dull and slow. Then it gets its pace a little bit, shit starts to happen, and by the time you realize it you don't control the situation anymore and now no matter what you do there's gonna be good ol' Monday anyway. Minimalism sometimes shines through. Zlatko does nice. At the very end the story is absorbed rather than watched but still - nothing exceptional.
Rated 04 Aug 2014
susie_mauvesusie-mauve
Rated 04 Oct 2013
82
56th
It's refreshing to see some old Refn vision - more focus on brutal realism, less focus on visual prettiness. About 100 minutes of genuine, engorging despair, most of which being the despair of a guy who can't allow himself to display any emotion, but for sporadic bursts of aggression. The ending is absolutely fabulous, because the despair does not cease, nor does it climax, making you feel that you are watching anything but fiction.
Rated 04 Oct 2013
iranscamiranscam
Rated 07 Sep 2013
75
45th
Extremely standard gangster fare, but there are sporadic moments of brilliance that foreshadow Refn's later work.
Rated 07 Sep 2013
naurunauru
Rated 04 Jul 2013
31
22nd
Very repetitive, with no characters to care about. Some nice bits of cinematography here and there, but these aren't nearly enough to salvage this script.
Rated 04 Jul 2013
cinesexualcinesexual
Rated 26 May 2013
87
88th
Edited almost entirely via jump-cuts, and brashly violating all sorts of other continuity rules, director Refn's tale about a small-time drug dealer reflects in its style the inept scheming of its main character, whose life never quite matches up. The Dardennes get the credit for the shaky handheld camera following characters from behind - here Refn's camera sometimes whips its head around like an incredulous person -- but Pusher is coterminous with La promessa and its characters as novel-rich.
Rated 26 May 2013
glm01glm01
Rated 08 Jan 2013
80
64th
79.500
Rated 08 Jan 2013
svnhfsvnhf
Rated 07 Jan 2013
77
64th
An almost traumatically gritty movie, Pusher really made me realize how much I adore Nicholas Winding-Refn; both as a writer and a director. Kim Bodnia does such a great job with his minimalistic acting here, and although one of the most interesting characters in Mads Mikkelsen's Tonny is killed off pretty quickly, Pusher can luckily hang on the brilliant character development of Frank. On the surface a film about the dangers of drugs but really a deep story about life and its hardships.
Rated 07 Jan 2013
communicantsCommunicants
Rated 25 Aug 2012
10
4th
Quite possibly the most bored I've ever been while watching a movie, rivaled only by Reservoir Dogs.
Rated 25 Aug 2012
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 18 Aug 2012
6
55th
Has one really badass suicide scene but other than that it's mediocre throughout. That nigga Frank just can't catch a break. I understand the use of shake cam but a tripod goes a long way. Felt like it could've been a lot better, I wouldn't be surprised if the sequel is superior.
Rated 18 Aug 2012
judge_holdenJudge Holden
Rated 12 Aug 2012
5
69th
Despite one particularly powerful moment involving a suicide, Pusher feels quite derivative of better crime dramas from the 70s and early 90s. This wouldn't be so problematic if it didn't also feature a really typical gangster plot with completely typical gangster characters. It picks up momentum towards the end, but by then it's too little too late. We'll see if my impression/reading changes after watching the rest of the trilogy. Minus 1 for the lack of The Chromatics.
Rated 12 Aug 2012
catscandalCatScandal
Rated 04 Apr 2011
41
42nd
if you've seen one gritty european crime drama you've seen them all
Rated 04 Apr 2011
alanstrangalanstrang
Rated 31 Mar 2011
68
44th
boring despite all the action.
Rated 31 Mar 2011
ruslandgagaRuslandgaga
Rated 10 Sep 2009
93
73rd
The beginning of one of the best trilogies of all time.
Rated 10 Sep 2009
teeceeteecee
Rated 17 Oct 2008
30
35th
Den gør mig simpelthen i dårligt humør - er det meningen, så må den jo være ok.
Rated 17 Oct 2008

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