Pusher Trilogy

Pusher:

"Hey Fraaanke, my friend. We have a problem, right? You owe me money, right? You owe me a hundred eighty thousand kroner!"

If you meet a guy who talks to you like this, you should turn around and run away immediately! Zlatko Buric as the mob boss Milo is simply one of the most terrifying characters in European cinema in recent times. Pusher is clearly from before his nicer roles in Taxa and Duborg commercials. Kim Bodnia is also excellent as the pusher Frank, who gets caught by the cops during a deal and after a breathless chase manages to get rid of the evidence - a big bag of "powdered sugar." The police can't bust him, but Frank's good "friend" Milo would like to have his money back soon, and he doesn't want to listen to Frank's tall tales. No, sir, if Milo doesn't get his money, there will be consequences!

Nicolas Winding Refn's explosive directorial debut is a serious contender for the title of "the best Danish film of the '90s." As much as I disliked Refn's second film, Bleeder (which I found TOO disturbingly revolting), that's how much I love this dazzling "quasi-documentary" tale of dope-pusher Frank's rise and fall over the course of a fateful week. And as unforgivably flawed and deficient as Scanbox's DVD release of Bleeder was, the Pusher DVD is just as perfect and comprehensive.

Pusher II:

Pusher II tells the story of Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen), a criminal loser from the underworld of Copenhagen, who has just been released after a 13-month prison stay. He now has to deal with the fact that he has a child and try to get his life in order. There's nothing he wants more than the respect of his father "The Smith" - the most feared gangster in Amager (Leif Sylvester). But the more he tries, the more problems he encounters – and suddenly he finds himself in debt to his father, which he can't pay...

Eight years after his groundbreaking and legendary debut film Pusher (1996), Nicolas Winding Refn has made a sequel that is just as tough, even more raw, and twice as intense! Pusher II was nominated for 12 Robert Awards and secured Mads Mikkelsen his career's first Bodil Award. And while we wait for Pusher III, there's only one word that applies: Respect!

Pusher III:

Milo is back - more dangerous and more desperate than ever! After years of heroin abuse, he is confronted with a new reality as his position as the top gangster in Nørrebro is threatened by a new generation of immigrants. Now, Milo must, in one frantic day, try to regain his position, organize a big birthday party for his daughter, and attend his meetings in Narcotics Anonymous. Milo is pressured on all fronts. It's time for him to show that he's still on top. In his own ruthless way...

In the third chapter of his violent Pusher saga, director Nicolas Winding Refn focuses on the gangster boss Milo, who in Refn's debut from 1996 was Frank's merciless backer. Zlatko Buric reprises his terrifying role from the predecessor with renewed strength and charisma, and even though he's gotten older, he's still just as brutal