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Pusher

Play trailer Poster for Pusher Released Aug 18, 2006 1h 46m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
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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Pusher

Critics Reviews

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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 Robert Abele Los Angeles Times The film practically vibrates with youthful aggression, sly humor and gathering tension, hurling itself forward like a junkie toward the next fix. Rated: 4/5 Nov 2, 2006 Full Review Noel Murray AV Club A pulpy, twisty crime story Rated: B+ Aug 25, 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ian R Standard plot following a small time criminal who owes money to bigger crooks. Threatened knee capping and such. Mads Mikkelsen from 20 years ago is interesting. My problem was with the character who owes the money. I didn't care if he was crippled or not. Some parts of the script contained some slightly witty dialogue, but it's not a Guy Ritchie movie. Okay if you are scrapping the bottom of the streaming barrel for something to watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/01/25 Full Review Dani G Very low-budget, very ground-establishing film for the director... I expected it a little better and I expected a little more Mads, but it's Ok Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/25/25 Full Review Benjamin H The filmmaking style that director Nicolas Winding Refn and cinematographer Morten Søborg brought to Pusher manages to paint the gritty, dirty and volatile nature of Copenhagen's underworld. In general, this is a well-acted and tense crime film that captivated me from the moment the plot fully kicked in. The film doesn't have the strongest or smoothest start, and a few character decisions could have been handled in a finer way, but nevertheless this is a solidly crafted film that had a great influence on Danish cinema. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/05/25 Full Review Audience Member One of the best drug dealer movies ever Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/25 Full Review Audience Member All in all not a bad movie, but the plot gets confusing at times. Certain plot points feel overshadowed by the grunginess and anxiety that permeate the movie. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/25 Full Review Millie C Love the Pusher trilogy, With Blood On My Hands is definitely the best however this one is just as good! Phenomenal acting and great tension, anxiety and suspense! Det var så fantastisk nydt det! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Pusher

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Cast & Crew

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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

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Movie Info

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
Henrik Danstrup
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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