"Pusher" is the first installment of a gritty crime trilogy from Danish writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn set in the Copenhagen underworld. In each of the three films, the main character (a different one in each) is trapped in the same existential scenario: One incurs a debt from a drug deal gone wrong and must pay it back on a tight deadline. It's not stupidity that puts these pushers in a bind: The drug trade is inherently a risky one, and even the smart players can get beaten by the odds. Relying on hand-held camera-work, a tight budget, and an emphasis on natural lighting, the trilogy's gripping set of stories unfolds with the raw immediacy of a documentary. In "Pusher," our anti hero is Frank (Kim Bodnia), a mid-level dope dealer who is successful and hardcore enough to live his days in a fast, fun-loving manner. Accompanied by his friend/enforcer Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen), Frank spends the movie's first half-hour roaming from deal to deal, to a couple of bars, and simply living it up with Tonny. Bad news arrives, of course, in the offhand form of a score gone wrong with local kingpin Milo (Zlatko Buric) on credit, despite Frank's looming debt. When the cops chase Frank down, he dives into a lake, taking the drugs with him. Now his debt to Milo is unmanageably huge, and as the thugs come looking for him, he begins a frantic, frustrated search for cash. The film begins loosely structured, but as Frank's predicament becomes more dire, the narrative tightens. Surprisingly, Frank slowly becomes genuinely compelling despite the fact that he is a low life smack dealer and now an emotional wreck beneath his stoic exterior. Abrasive from start to finish, Refn's debut has a vibrant life apart from its obvious influences (Mean Streets, Trainspotting), and he has the gift for taking familiar material and making it his own. Refn scoffs at Hollywood's third-act redemptions and justice served as simply a pipe dream, while refusing to glamorize criminality or trying to correct it. As botched-drug-deal stories go, "Pusher" digs surprisingly deep.

What drew me to this film wasn't the fact that there are two remakes of this film but due to the fact that this is the directorial debut of Nicolas Winding Refn. The Danish director who made the impressive and brutal Bronson and equally entertaining Drive.Filmed in a naturalistic nature, the camera follows the central character Frank and his associate Tonny through their day to day life in an objective manner. The film kicks off with the two of them wheeling and dealing (the narrative does not pause for breath for minor details such as background characters and situations, we are just pushed straight into the world of drugs, dealers and buyers).An offer of a big deal comes along in shape of a large buyer and Frank goes to his suppler Milo to obtain the goods. Milo is reluctant to give him that much without money upfront as Frank still owes a substantial amount but on the condition that Frank pays him the following day, Frank accepts. When he goes to do the deal with the buyer, things start to go very bad for him as the police are waiting for him and he has to throw away tip all the goods into a lake. In the following few days Frank has to come up with a large amount of money or face the consequences.What comes across you straight away is the immediacy and intensity in the way in which the camera follows our protagonist. Medium close up and long cuts pushes the audience closer into the seedy world of drug pushers and the criminal world. confined spaces in the car and apartments makes it feel claustrophobic and trapped in this underground business.An altogether rawness and close to documentary quality to the picture makes it feel almost real and gritty. As Frank becomes more and more desperate the mood and atmosphere changes, making viewing feel ever increasingly uncomfortable.A powerful and harsh look into the world of drug dealers shot with roughness and unremorseless savagery. With the character Frank, we not suppose to sympathise with, but he shows enough emotion that there is a connection that he is still human underneth it all. A great performance from all involved, mesmerizing and montrous in equal measure. It's a film that will burn in your memory for a long time.

Awful! A drug dealer has to dump his drugs when the cops get him, and so he owes his supplier big. He can't pay, and grows desperate trying to scrape together the huge sum he owes, otherwise he's toast. My question: who cares? The dealer is a total dick. I pretty much wanted to see him die from the film's first frame, and every second the thugs who are after him aren't torturing and killing him is a wasted one, in my opinion. To boot, the film is absolutely ugly visually. How the Hell did Refn ever produce a film as great as Drive? The only thing I really liked in the film was Laura Drasbæk, the prostitute whom the drug dealer is kind of dating. He treats her like such crap, though, it's hard to watch.

A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.Today I continued the Nicolas Winding Refn marathon with his first movie "Pusher". I had begun with "Drive" and was great, then i followed with four films (Valhalla Rising-Bleeder-Bronson and Fear X).Pusher is a very good movie and when you take into consideration it was his first movie, it makes it all the better, you can sum up the movie in one simple sentence, (A really bad week) in the life of a Danish drug pusher. That's the story. For a first time director, working with a lot of first time actors, he gets great performances out of them. The story moves along very quick and has enough turns in it to keep the viewer interested.The characters are also deep enough to make you actually care what happens. Many first time film makers seem to go more with whats happening now then character development. Refn however does a good job at both. The only familiar face in the movie is Mads Mikkelsen, who played the villain in Casino Royale and also was the main character in Refn's "Valhalla Rising". This movie is the first in a trilogy but has a definitive ending that does not make you feel you need to see the rest immediately, ending leaves one speechless. I won't spoil it, but it's unforgiving and breathtaking.