Pusher 3

Written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Pusher 3: I’m the Angel of Death is the story of a Serbian drug lord who struggles to maintain his sobriety as he faces many challenges in the wake of his daughter’s upcoming birthday. The third and final film of the Pusher trilogy, the film explores the character of Milo who had been in the previous films as he is played by Zlatko Buric. Also starring Kurt Nielsen, Slavko Labovic, Levino Jensen, and Ilyas Agac reprising their roles from the previous films. The cast also includes Marinela Dekic, Vasilije Bojicic, and Kujtim Loki. Pusher 3 is a ominous yet hypnotic film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Milo’s daughter Milena (Marinela Dekic) is about to celebrate her 25th birthday at a lavish party in a Copenhagen dining hall as Milo is trying to handle all of the festivities. After learning that Milena is dating a drug dealer named Mike (Levino Jensen), Milo is struggling to maintain his business as well as his newfound sobriety as he’s been going to meetings for recovering addicts. Still wanting to maintain his role as a drug lord, a shipment he was supposed to receive from an Albanian supplier named Luan (Kujtim Loki) revealed to be ecstasy rather than heroin as Milo has no idea what to do with it. Luan’s partner Rexho (Ramadan Hyseni) suggests that Milo should sell it so he can get a new shipment of heroin in return.

When one of Milo’s associates in Muhammad (Ilyas Agac) arrives with his daily take, he tells Milo about the ecstasy as he decides to help Milo sell it as he asks for a bigger cut in return. Milo agrees as he’s trying to prepare food and gather things for Milena’s party as his henchmen become ill with food poisoning forcing Milo to do things himself. At the party, Milo becomes worried about the food as he tries to order fish to replace some of the food he cooked. Instead, an encounter with a dealer in Kurt the Cunt (Kurt Nielsen) adds to trouble while Rexho and his Polish arrive at Milo’s home base with a young hooker forcing Milo to do things as Muhammad hasn’t returned with the money.

With Rexho ordering Milo around to remind him of the huge debt he has, things get worse after a bad deal between Rexho’s Polish friend and a brothel madam named Jeanette (Linse Christansen) over the young hooker. Milo decides to take matters into his own hands where he turns to his old friend Radovan (Slavko Labovic) for help.

The film is about the day in the life of a drug lord who finds himself becoming irrelevant as he’s dealing with his daughter’s birthday, younger drug dealers, and trying to be sober. All of it is told from Milo who was seen in the past two films as a powerful yet friendly drug lord who carries an air of respect. In this film, Milo is a shell of his former self due to these changing times while he is forced to cater to these newer, younger drug dealers who feel like they are more powerful than he is. It’s all part of the world that Nicolas Winding Refn creates to explore this man’s fall as he tries to do what he does while being a good father to his daughter who at times can be a bit selfish towards him. Even as she knows about her father’s business and wants in so her boyfriend can do better.

The screenplay is really a character study of sorts where it follows Milo doing all sorts of activities while going to these addict meetings where he reveals his struggle and such. In the course of the day, things escalate as he has to deal with his daughter, her ambitious boyfriend, all these new dealers, an old one, and everything else where things eventually escalate in the third act. Since the film revolves around a man dealing with these new dealers where he gets screwed in the process. It leads to this third act where an old character from the first film in Radovan is re-introduced but as a very different man who still has his old skills.

Refn’s direction is definitely more engaging in the way he explores the day in the life of this man as it begins with Milo in an addicts anonymous meeting where he reveals he’s been sober for five days. With a lot of hand-held cameras including a scene around the party at a dining hall where the camera is always wandering the table. The direction is very potent to establish the fall of a once powerful drug lord who is struggling to get through an entire day. Particularly as it features scenes of Milo inside a room all by himself where he’s just smoking a cigarette just to get through the day. Even as the film is progressed where Milo would smoke something that is laced with some drugs.

The film eventually gets darker where Refn’s camera becomes much tighter and more in control with these compositions where it’s shown from Milo’s perspective as he’s looking at what is happening around him. Notably the scene involving Rexho, Rexho’s Polish friend, and a brothel madam discussing about the transfer where it’s a simple scene where nothing drastic happens but some of it is shown from Milo’s perspective where he is later seen in the background. The film’s third act is really the most intense moment due to the violence that eventually occurs where there is a newfound brutality that Refn does present as it features the return of an old character from the first film. Overall, Refn creates a truly mesmerizing and chilling film that serves as an intriguing study in the day of a man's life.

Cinematographer Morten Soborg does amazing work with the film‘s stylish photography from the moody interiors created for the party scenes and exterior nighttime shots to the more brighter but crisp look of Milo‘s home base at night. Editor Miriam Norgaard and Anne Osterud do great work in the editing by creating stylish jump cuts to play around with Milo‘s state of mind as well as slower more methodical cutting sequences to help enhance his troubled mood. Production designer Rasmus Thjellesen does nice work with the set pieces such as the place that Milo runs to the dining hall where Milena is having her party with its balloons and such.

Costume designer Jane Whittaker does terrific work with the costumes from the suit that Milo wears to more stylish clothing that the younger dealers were to contrast the different worlds the characters live in. Sound designer Jens Bonding does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the birthday parties to the sparse sounds of some of the locations that Milo is at. The film’s score by Peter Peter is a wonderful mixture of driving rock and ambient music to set a mood for Milo’s troubled journey in a tense day of his life as it is easily the best score of the trilogy.

The casting by Pernille Lembecke is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some memorable small performances from Linse Christiansen as a brothel madam, Vasilije Bojicic as Milo’s henchman Branko, Levino Jensen as a low-level drug dealer/Milena’s boyfriend Mike, Kurt Nielsen as the troublemaking drug dealer Kurt the Cunt, Kujtim Loki as an Albanian supplier named Luan, and Slavko Labovic as Milo’s old friend Radovan who steals the show as a hood who turned straight. Ramadan Hyseni is very good as a sleazy gangster in Rexho who serves as Luan’s translator while Ilyas Agac is excellent as a young dealer named Muhammad who tries to help Milo with a deal only for something to go wrong.

Marinela Dekic is wonderful as Milo’s daughter Milena who is trying to have a lavish birthday party while wanting to ensure about her financial future as she’s a character who is quite complicated where Dekic allows her to not be a completely un-likeable person. Finally, there’s Zlatko Buric in a marvelous performance as the Serb drug lord Milo. Buric’s performance is very different from the performances he gave in the previous film where he allows himself to show humility as well as a man on the edge as he tries to deal with a tense day. It’s definitely the best thing Buric has done as he creates a truly exhilarating performance as Milo.

Pusher 3 is an incredible film from Nicolas Winding Refn that is highlighted by Zlatko Buric’s brooding performance. While it may not have some of the more intense, exciting moments of the previous films of the trilogy. It is still a very interesting film for the way it highlighted a day in the life of a character losing control. In the end, Pusher 3 is a phenomenal film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Pusher - Bleeder - Fear X - Pusher II - Bronson - Valhalla Rising - Drive - Only God Forgives - The Neon Demon - The Auteurs #12: Nicolas Winding Refn

© thevoid99 2012

Pusher (1996 film)

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and screenplay by Refn and Jens Dahl from a story by Refn, Pusher is the story of a week in the life of a mid-level drug dealer who is trying to maintain a professional life as he is dealing with people who is trying to involve themselves into her personal life. Starring Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbaek, Slavko Labovic, Mads Mikkelsen, Vanja Bajicic, and Peter Andersson. Pusher is an exciting and chilling debut film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Frank (Kim Bodnia) is a drug dealer who deals in all sorts of drugs in Copenhagen with his friend Tonny (Mad Mikkelsen) as they live a lifestyle that is fast and profitable. Though Frank also has a girlfriend-of-sorts in a prostitute named Vic (Laura Drasbaek), he remains focused on his work as a dealer as he owes money to a Serbian drug lord named Milo (Zlatko Buric). When Frank meets a Swedish man named Hasse whom he knew in prison years ago, Frank asks Milo for 200k of heroin to sell to Hasse so he can pay off his debt. Instead, the deal goes wrong when cops come in and bust Frank who loses the drugs and finds himself in even more trouble with Milo.

In order to repay Milo the debt that has now increased, Frank reluctantly teams up with Milo’s bodyguard Radovan (Slavko Labovic) where they find those who owes Frank money only to come up with very little. With his time up and no one to help him, Frank devotes his time to Vic whose dog is very ill as she is hoping that they become a real couple. Yet, when one of his drug mules in Rita (Lisbeth Rasmussen) reveals what she did to drugs that Frank gave her to sell. Frank realizes he’s in serious trouble as he contemplates making one final move with Vic to help.

The film is about a week in the life of a drug dealer whose attempt to clear a debt to his boss becomes troubling as he is forced to face the severity of his life in his attempt to get everything that he owes. It’s a film that explores the life of this mid-level drug dealer who is good at what he does, he makes connections so he can create these deals but he is also very detached when it comes to his personal life. He has a girlfriend where he’s only interested in just having sex with her rather than have a real relationship. He has a friend whom he just wants to help him in the drug deals. Then he has this boss whom he’s friendly to but when things go wrong, the boss no longer becomes friendly as he and his henchman become quite vicious towards him.

The screenplay that Nicolas Winding Refn and Jens Dahl create is a story where they follow the life of this drug dealer in the span of a week as the script is also a character study of sorts. There’s not many reasons into why Frank doesn’t like to reveal much about his personal life though he only tells Tonny about why he’s cautious in having sex with Vic. With Vic, he doesn’t say much to her either though he does like to take her out to places. When he’s doing his dealing, he’s focused but after things go wrong. He has no idea what to do where his only motivation is pay off this debt or else he’ll face various consequences. He’ll probably go to prison again, he’ll likely get beat up, or he might be killed. He also has to deal with betrayals and other problems that just raises the stakes of everything he’s dealing with as the script succeeds in creating the element of suspense over everything that is happening to him.

Refn’s direction is very entrancing for the way he creates a film that is more than just some drama about a drug dealer’s troubles. It’s a film that is filled with lots of excitement such as Frank trying to run from the police through Copenhagen while there’s a lot of humor involving scenes with Tonny. Still, it’s a dramatic film with a lot of dark and intense moments where it revolves on a man trying to pay off his debt in the film’s second half where the film’s violence is more brutal and the humor is much darker. While a lot of the film is shot in a hand-held style with lots of close-ups and wide shots to display the violence. Refn’s direction is always engaging for the way he captures these very personal relationships and how a character like Frank tries to deal with all of his troubles. Overall, Refn creates a very solid and thrilling film that refuses to play to convention while taking some of these conventions to make it exciting.

Cinematographer Morten Soborg does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography that is quite vibrant and colorful for the film‘s daytime scenes in its interior and exterior setting while playing to the stylish look of nighttime Copenhagen as the photography features some grain to maintain a gritty look. Editor Anne Osterud does wonderful work with the editing by creating some amazing rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s intense moments of violence along with a more straightforward approach to the editing for the more dramatic scenes. Production designer Kim Lovetand Julebaek does terrific work with the film’s art direction from the place that Milo runs to the loft that Frank shares with Vic.

Costume designer Loa Miller does very good work with the costumes from the track suits Frank and Tonny wear to the more stylish clothing of Vic. Sound editor Peter Schultz does superb work with the film‘s sound to capture the atmosphere of the clubs Frank, Tonny, and Vic attend to the intimacy of Milo‘s home to play out the suspense. The film’s score by Povl Kristian and Peter Peter is brilliant for the soundtrack that is created as it ranges from throbbing electronic music to thrilling hard rock as the soundtrack also includes a cut from the American metal band White Zombie in the film’s chase scene.

The film’s ensemble cast is incredible as it includes some small but memorable performances from Lars Bom as a police officer who interrogates Frank, Thomas Bo Larsen as an addict Frank and Radovan confront, Vanja Bajicic as one of Milo’s henchman, Lisbeth Rasmussen as Frank’s drug mule Rita, and Peter Andersson as the Swedish drug dealer Hasse that Frank meets who offers to buy drugs from him. Slavko Labovic is excellent as the brutish but also calm henchman Radovan while Mads Mikkelsen is wonderful as Frank’s very funny sidekick Tonny. Laura Drasbaek is terrific as Frank’s prostitute girlfriend who is trying to deal with Frank’s detached emotions as well as her own issues as she becomes concerned over their dog King. Zlatko Buric is great as Frank’s drug lord boss Milo who is just trying to maintain a good business while reminding Frank who is boss.

Finally, there’s Kim Bodnia in a marvelous performance as Frank where Bodnia brings a very low-key approach to a man who is quite troubled while also proving to be quite friendly with his friends. Bodnia’s performance also shows a brutality to a man who is put into an amazing amount of pressure where he also has this scene where he’s at his mother’s home where he knows what he’s doing isn’t good though it’s very understated to display the desperation that he’s going through.

Pusher is a remarkable film from Nicolas Winding Refn that features a great cast led by Kim Bodnia. The film is definitely a unique take on the world of drug culture while focusing the film on characters who are interesting and not playing to stereotypes. It’s also a film that is a nice introduction to Refn’s work outside of his more recent English-language films that broke him into the international film scene. In the end, Pusher is a fantastic debut film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Bleeder - Fear X - Pusher II - Pusher 3 - Bronson - Valhalla Rising - Drive - Only God Forgives - The Neon Demon - The Auteurs #12: Nicolas Winding Refn

© thevoid99 2012