PUSHER II: WITH BLOOD ON MY HANDS is a sequel to the Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 feature debut, and this time the story follows Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen) who just got out of prison and is looking to straighten out his life. Of course with these types of movies, you can usually guess that it will be really difficult and the person will likely fail despite their best efforts. Without spoiling anything, I can say that the resolution to this oft-told story isn't as downbeat as you might think. Mads Mikkelsen, my favorite part of PUSHER, does an even better job this time around as his character is further developed and easier to root for. The filmmaking style is much the same also but doesn't have the quite the same narrative structure, which works a little better in my opinion. The strongest part of this film is the writing, which does a good job of setting Tonny apart from the filth that surround him. Sure, his hands aren't really clean, but he's pretty tame compared to the people around him. Even the tattoo on the back of his head ('Respect') gets some significance, as it's the one thing he never gets from anyone, not even his father. Respect is always beyond his reach and field of vision. And that's just a single example of how PUSHER II is thematically deeper than its predecessor. I do think the basic story it tells is one that, like PUSHER, has been done before and better, but a criminal/junkie trying to go straight is ultimately a more compelling story by default. From a technical standpoint, the cinematography, while still digital, is greatly improved and the hand-held camera-work feels more controlled. I didn't mention this with PUSHER, but with this film also the score and soundtrack are incredible. In this one particularly, there was some of the electronic-style music that would feature heavily in DRIVE and ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Overall, PUSHER II is a significant improvement over PUSHER that has a more sympathetic lead character, compelling story, and one of Mads Mikkelsen's best early performances. Even if you didn't care for PUSHER, I would still highly recommend seeing this sequel.
Review of Pusher II
