Plot: What’s it about?
Frank (Kim Bodnia) has some good luck of late and he has a large business deal just ahead of him. But Frank isn’t a car salesman, shop owner or such, he is a drug dealer and as such, his business involves huge amounts of money and sometimes even life and death situations. His luck runs out at this next business deal and he ends up in a world of total desperation and dire consequences. He is supposed to sell a large amount of narcotics, but ends up having to dump the stuff when the police arrest him. As such, he owes someone a lot of money for the goods and since he has no goods to sell, he is in serious trouble now. His supplier is not the friendliest man on this planet and he is not the sort of man you want to be in debt to. With his life on the line and his sanity being pushed too far, Frank has to raise enough money to pay off his connection within the week’s end.
At first glance this storyline doesn’t seem that unique, but the characters and events push it beyond the status of just another simple tale of a criminal desperate for cash to save his own life. I like just about all the characters in this film and maybe that’s a bad thing, who knows. But with such rich and developed ones, how can I resist? I like the good guys and I like the bad guys, if such labels even exist in this movie, since you might consider either side able to claim both titles. I’d recommend this movie on the strength of the writing alone, but the visuals also warrant a peek or two. The events always seem very real and that’s due in part to the unpolished visuals used by director Nicolas Winding Refn. I know some readers despise having to read subtitles, but this is a case where you will not regret doing it. I always welcome the original language and I am pleased it was included here. This is a very effective and entertaining thriller and with such a nice disc, I am forced to give this release a high recommendation.
This film was written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who made his feature film debut with this movie. This is a very impressive movie in first place, but even more so when you take into account this was Refn’s first cinematic effort. The writing is quite good and though some impact is lost in the subtitles, it all stills come through in fine form. The dialogue seems well done and never forced, while the characters have a real edge to them, very cool stuff. The whole movie seems realistic and gritty, which is perfect for the subject matter it explores. The visuals also spark throughout and help push through the events and characters. Some sequences shine more than others of course, but the overall style is effective in the end. Refn also directed a film titled Bleeder, which you should look into if you liked this movie. This film sports an impressive, young cast which is led by Kim Bodnia. This film seems like a perfect match for Bodnia (Nightwatch, Bulldozer), who slips right into this character from the first frames. The cast also includes Laura Drasbµk, Slavko Labovic, Zlatko Buric, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Video: How does it look?
Pusher is presented in a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This a very clean and solid transfer, with no major issues to report. The colors are based on a natural scale, but still show brightness and flesh tones seem to be natural and distortion free. Whenever the colors need to be vivid, such as the club scenes, they look fantastic. Contrast is good on the whole, but when natural light is used some minor flaws surface. Nothing serious though, but still worth a mention. Overall a solid transfer that should please fans.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc features a Danish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, with optional English subtitles also included. So even if you don’t speak the language, you can still enjoy this terrific film. I wasn’t blown away by this mix, but it still offers an acceptable experience in the end. This film seems to use a lot of natural sound, instead of looping or overdubbing, which presents some minor issues at times. The volume is sometimes a little low on the dialogue, then too loud on other elements. But the variance isn’t extreme and as such, I won’t knock the rating too hard. It all comes together well overall, but the use of natural sound does cause some flaws. Still, I doubt anyone will have serious complaints with this mix. This disc also houses a much rougher 2.0 surround track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an audio commentary with director Nicolas Winding Refn, who speaks decent English and shares some insight on the production. This track has few silent spaces and turns out to hold some good information on making a low budget motion picture. You can view the film’s trailer (without or with subtitles), some cast bios, and a television spot, all of which make for nice inclusions. A behind the scenes featurette (with optional subtitles) has also been jammed onto this disc, running about thirty minutes and loaded with production footage and interviews. This is an in depth piece and I learned about how this film was created and why.
