"Pusher," a tight, taut crime thriller that takes place during the span of a few days, is the first feature film by director Nicolas Winding Refn, which immediately propelled him into the mainstream. Filmed in the style of cinéma vérité, Refn crafted a very brash and abrasive film - shaky, handheld camera dominates every scene, a far cry from Refn's current way of filmmaking. However, in "Pusher," it works.
Following the lives of drug dealers Frank and Tonny, played by Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen respectively, "Pusher" more specifically deals with the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, which leaves Frank with a large amount of debt, and not a lot of time to pay it off. With gangsters from different parts of the city seemingly hounding him non-stop for the cash, Frank finds himself in increasingly difficult and perilous situations as he tries to find a way to get the scratch. Sounds exciting, right?
In a way, it can be. There are many thrilling scenarios where Frank's fight or flight instinct kicks in, and the pseudo documentary style of the film does add a gritty realism. However, the number one thing that kept me from enjoying this movie is that Frank, the main character, is incredibly unlikeable, for seemingly no real reason. Frank might as well be the antagonist of this movie, because he is despicable to almost everyone he comes across. I understand that he is in a large amount of stress due to the goings on in the movie, but I don't feel like that excuses him to be an awful person - he alienates friends, hurting them both physically and emotionally, and treats the people who are out to get him better than the people who actually care about him. It is an interesting dynamic, but because of how evil Frank was, I found myself not caring whether or not he could repay the debt, and at times actively wishing for his demise. And maybe that was the point of the film, that some people are just bad people, and when the goings get bad, they become worse; an interesting premise, to be sure, but not one that led itself to sympathetic characters.
On the bright side, all of the acting in this movie is top notch, especially from Mads Mikkelsen. He wasn't in the movie long, but he was the real show stealer, and the most likeable character in the movie. Laura Drasbæk as Vic was also marvelous, playing a damaged woman who is clearly not happy with where she is in life. Mistreated by even those she considers friends, you can tell she is waiting for just one lucky break that will take her to better circumstances. A major strength of this movie is the fact that the side characters are just as fleshed out and well-written as the main character - you can easily understand everyone's motivation, even Frank's, though I still don't completely get why he was so cruel to the one's closest to him.
"Pusher" is a unique film, packed with Tarantino-esque dialogue and a deliberate soundtrack, meaning that most of the movie is devoid of a score. This does wonders in adding to the movie's tone, and Refn does a good job of sucking viewers into the world he has created. However, the unlikeable main character, in my opinion, overall detracts from the viewing experience, which led to me personally becoming unengaged and uninterested in what was happening.
Following the lives of drug dealers Frank and Tonny, played by Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen respectively, "Pusher" more specifically deals with the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, which leaves Frank with a large amount of debt, and not a lot of time to pay it off. With gangsters from different parts of the city seemingly hounding him non-stop for the cash, Frank finds himself in increasingly difficult and perilous situations as he tries to find a way to get the scratch. Sounds exciting, right?
In a way, it can be. There are many thrilling scenarios where Frank's fight or flight instinct kicks in, and the pseudo documentary style of the film does add a gritty realism. However, the number one thing that kept me from enjoying this movie is that Frank, the main character, is incredibly unlikeable, for seemingly no real reason. Frank might as well be the antagonist of this movie, because he is despicable to almost everyone he comes across. I understand that he is in a large amount of stress due to the goings on in the movie, but I don't feel like that excuses him to be an awful person - he alienates friends, hurting them both physically and emotionally, and treats the people who are out to get him better than the people who actually care about him. It is an interesting dynamic, but because of how evil Frank was, I found myself not caring whether or not he could repay the debt, and at times actively wishing for his demise. And maybe that was the point of the film, that some people are just bad people, and when the goings get bad, they become worse; an interesting premise, to be sure, but not one that led itself to sympathetic characters.
On the bright side, all of the acting in this movie is top notch, especially from Mads Mikkelsen. He wasn't in the movie long, but he was the real show stealer, and the most likeable character in the movie. Laura Drasbæk as Vic was also marvelous, playing a damaged woman who is clearly not happy with where she is in life. Mistreated by even those she considers friends, you can tell she is waiting for just one lucky break that will take her to better circumstances. A major strength of this movie is the fact that the side characters are just as fleshed out and well-written as the main character - you can easily understand everyone's motivation, even Frank's, though I still don't completely get why he was so cruel to the one's closest to him.
"Pusher" is a unique film, packed with Tarantino-esque dialogue and a deliberate soundtrack, meaning that most of the movie is devoid of a score. This does wonders in adding to the movie's tone, and Refn does a good job of sucking viewers into the world he has created. However, the unlikeable main character, in my opinion, overall detracts from the viewing experience, which led to me personally becoming unengaged and uninterested in what was happening.