Pusher

Released Aug 18, 2006

1h 46m

Crime

Drama

List

83%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As a heroin dealer in Copenhagen, Frank (Kim Bodnia) is far from the top but earns good money pushing with a friend (Mads Mikkelsen). When he decides to up the ante, Frank goes to Milo (Zlatko Buric), a drug lord -- except he doesn't have enough money for the heroin. Instead, Milo fronts him the goods upon the condition of immediate repayment. But when Frank goes to make the deal, and the police arrive, he has to ditch the drugs. Now Frank has to find a way to repay Milo if he wants to live.

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Dave G

An absorbing and believable look at seedy characters in untenable situations from a gifted filmmaker. Pusher's projection of authenticity makes me wonder uncomfortably if Refn is only too familiar with the reality of its subject matter.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

R 9

A solid crime thriller. 'Pusher' entertained me enough, though the plot did feel a bit repetitive as it felt like it kept 'going around in circles' to me personally. Some of the lighting and editing (as in cuts) choices also made the film feel a little more underwhelming. The cast do well, arguably the film's strongest element. Kim Bodnia makes for a solid lead, though his performance is a tad samey throughout - similar to the aforementioned. Mads Mikkelsen's Tonny sticks out because he is being played by Mads Mikkelsen, the character is OK - underused perhaps, though I may just think that as it's Mads... the whole reason I chose to view this trilogy, to be honest. 6/10 would feel harsh so this 1996 release gets 7/10 from yours truly. I didn't overly enjoy it, though I can't exactly say I disliked it either... probably levels out at watchable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/24/23

Full Review

Mahdiyeh H

One hell of a debut for Mads Mikkelsen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

eduardosuarez

A boring film about a man who is really bad at being a drug dealer. One of those movies where you keep thinking "why is he doing this? Why would you do that? Why wouldn't you just..." etc. If you're thinking about watching this because you liked Drive and wanted to check out Winding Refn's other work, don't bother. Drive [edit: and Bronson] are his only good films. Definitely don't watch Valhalla Rising, it's worse than this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/16/22

Full Review

claudiu s

Totally a blast. Loved the gritty atmosphere and Yugoslavian characters. The young and versatile Mads Mikkelsen also stole the show.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

colin m

(The Pusher Trilogy, Part 1) Slice of life of a pusher.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Nicolas Winding Refn

Director

Kim Bodnia

Frank

Zlatko Buric

Milo

Laura Drasbæk

Vic

Slavko Labovic

Radovan

Mads Mikkelsen

Tonny

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Pusher 3

53%

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Little Odessa

38%

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Ethan Gilsdorf

Boston Globe

Rated: 3/4

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Refn's electrifying debut soon morphs into something far more opaque and unsettling than a mere genre retread.

Rated: B+

Jun 9, 2011

Full Review

Boston Globe

Rated: 3/4

Nov 4, 2006

Full Review

C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

Full of resonant themes not simply confined to the crime/drug world.

Rated: 5/5

May 4, 2019

Full Review

Henry Stewart

Brooklyn Magazine

The kind of stuff Miramax used to pump into the Angelika like Fruitopia.

Jun 15, 2016

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Outstandingly well-done for a first-time director with no formal training on a shoestring budget, but something about it is unappealingly typical.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 18, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

As a heroin dealer in Copenhagen, Frank (Kim Bodnia) is far from the top but earns good money pushing with a friend (Mads Mikkelsen). When he decides to up the ante, Frank goes to Milo (Zlatko Buric), a drug lord -- except he doesn't have enough money for the heroin. Instead, Milo fronts him the goods upon the condition of immediate repayment. But when Frank goes to make the deal, and the police arrive, he has to ditch the drugs. Now Frank has to find a way to repay Milo if he wants to live.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Producer: Teddy Gerberg, Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Screenwriter: Jens Dahl, Nicolas Winding Refn
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Balboa Entertainment
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 18, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4K
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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