Superman (2025 film)

 

Based on the DC Comics series by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman is the story of an alien superhero who is trying to save the world while coming to terms with who he really is and the family that has adopted him on Earth. Written and directed for the screen by James Gunn, the film is a re-telling of the Kryptonian hero as he tries to find his place on Earth while dealing with those who are afraid of him and those who oppose him as David Corenswet stars as the titular role/Clark Kent/Kal-El. Also starring Rachel Brosnahan, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Superman is an exhilarating and wondrous film by James Gunn.

The film is the story of an alien superhero who has chosen to use his powers to do good while he copes with constant criticism and attacks from different forces, including Lex Luthor who has created a smear campaign on Superman. It is a film that explores a man who believe he was sent by his biological parents from Krypton to be a beacon of hope on Earth during tough times where he would stop an invasion from one country towards a neighboring country without government approval or sanction. That action would lead to criticism from social media and others including the American government with Luthor amping up the criticism because of his hatred for Superman. James Gunn’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative where it is more about Kal-El playing not just the role as a superhero who is trying to make the world a better place but also understand his own place in the world as Clark Kent who was raised by kind-hearted humans in Smallville, Kansas.

The script opens with Superman crashing onto a snowy landscape after he had lost a fight with a mysterious being known as the Hammer of Boravia following Superman’s own involvement in stopping Boravia from invading the neighboring country Jarhanpur. Kent also works for Metropolis’ newspaper Daily Planet with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whom he has been in a relationship with as she also knows his identity as Superman where she questions him about what happened at Jarhanpur since Kent always created his own interviews with Superman where Kent is forced to realize that things are not as simple as he wants them to be. Especially with the U.S. government having their own relationship with Boravia unaware that their leader President Vasil Ghurkos (Zlato Buric) is conspiring with Luthor in a scheme that Luthor wants to do with Jarhanpur. Luthor is an antagonist that is smart but is also hoping to be this godlike figure that is feared and revered yet he is unhappy with the presence of Superman to the point that he has one of his henchman in Ultraman and a nanotech metahuman in Angela Spica/the Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria) help find ways to get access to Superman’s secret lair in the Fortress of Solitude where they steal the message from Superman’s parents as well as Superman’s pet dog Krypto.

The script’s second act plays into Superman dealing with Luthor’s smear campaign and Superman turning himself to the U.S. government where Superman is sent to a mysterious pocket universe that Luthor has created. There, Superman is forced to endure torture by a metahuman named Rex Mason/Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) who can change his body into any form as he turns his hand into Kryptonite with Luthor also doing whatever he can to hurt Superman every way he can much to Mason’s own disgust as he is forced to torture Superman. The second act also has Lane making some discoveries about what is happening to Superman and Luthor’s connection to Boravia as she turns to a team of metahumans in the Justice Gang led by Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) along with Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) for help but only Mr. Terrific decides to help Lane who also learns about Luthor’s pocket universe due to sources from fellow journalist Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) who has his own mysterious connections.

Gunn’s direction is sprawling in terms of its overall presentation and different settings to play into a world that is chaotic yet there is this element of hope in this superhero from another planet. Shot on various locations at Trilith Studios in Duluth, Georgia as well as locations in Atlanta, Ohio, and Svalbard, Norway as the last of which is used for the scenes where the Fortress of Solitude is placed. The film opens with images in Antarctica where Superman crashes down the snow only to be picked up by Krypto to the Fortress of Solitude. What Gunn does is create something different rather than play into what has been told already about Superman as it plays into something more immediate as he has known to the world for about three years and this is the first time he lost a fight. Gunn’s usage of wide and medium shots not only establishes the locations that the characters are in but also a world that is falling apart due to war, misinformation, and the ambitions of those who want to destroy it for their own gain.

Gunn also maintains a sense of intimacy with the medium shots and close-ups as it relates to Kent’s relationship with Lane where he would let the camera linger for a bit during Lane’s interview with Superman where Kent would have trouble answering questions. There is also this air of dread and extreme that Luthor would bring when he confronts Superman as he has no problem killing ordinary people or those who are close to Superman to get a win over him. Even as Ultraman is controlled by Luthor’s people who would predict every move Superman makes in a fight as it highlights Luthor’s own desire for power above his own wealth. Gunn also knows when to slow things down and ground them into reality as it plays into Kent’s own identity as he wonders what his biological parents really want from him, yet it would be his adoptive parents in Jonathan and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell, respectively) that would give him the guidance that he needs to just be himself. Flaws and all as superheroes are imperfect as Gardiner is a bit of a dick while Mr. Terrific takes himself a bit seriously at times. Its climax has Gunn going all-out where Superman does what he can to be the savior that Metropolis and the world needs while also knowing he could not do this alone where Lane would also play a role in stopping Luthor. Overall, Gunn crafts an enthralling yet rapturous film about an alien superhero who fights evil to make the world a better place for everyone.

Cinematographer Henry Braham does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on vibrant colors in some of the daytime exterior scenes while using some harsh lighting for the interiors of Luthor’s pocket universe to bring that air of darkness while the nighttime interior/exterior scenes help play into the tense atmosphere of what Luthor’s goons will do for their master. Editors William Hoy and Craig Alpert do excellent work with the editing as it does utilize fast cuts for some of the action scenes and big set pieces while also knowing when to slow things down to let shots linger and knowing when to cut. Production designer Beth Mickle, with set decorator Rosemary Brandenberg plus supervising art directors Drew Monahan and David Scott, does amazing work with the look of the sets from the interiors of the Fortress of Solitude, the Luthorcorp building, and other places in and around Metropolis. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does fantastic work with the costumes in the look of Superman’s suit with its vibrant colors to some of the clothing that Lane wears that is casual but more business-like with pants.

Makeup designer Alexei Dmitriew and hair designer Peter Swords King do terrific work with the look of some of the characters including Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, and that awful haircut that Gardner has. Visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti does brilliant work with the visual effects in some of the visual backdrops for some of Superman’s flying scenes as well as the look of the pocket universe and some of the creatures that Superman and other metahumans deal with. Sound editors David Acord and Katy Wood do superb work with the sound in the way Superman lifts off from the ground as well the layer of sounds in the action scenes as well as some eerie scenes at the pocket universe. The film’s music by John Murphy and David Fleming is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that features elements of heavy string arrangements and brass arrangements as well as create variations of John Williams’ theme from the 1978 Richard Donner film while its music soundtrack also include pieces by Noah and the Whale, Teddybears with Iggy Pop, and a fictional band known as the Mighty Crabjoys that Kent is a fan of.

The casting by John Papsidera is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances such as Michael Ian Black as the talk show host Cleavis Thornwaite, Will Reeves as a news reporter on the ground, Terence Rosemore and Stephen Blackehart as a couple of associates of Luthor respectively in Otis and Sydney, Frank Grillo as U.S. military official General Rick Flag Sr., and in the voices of the Superman robots at the Fortress of Solitude are Jennifer Holland, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Alan Tudyk, and Grace Chan. Other notable small roles as staff members at the Daily Planet in Beck Bennett as the sports columnist Steve Lombard, Christopher McDonald as reporter Ron Troupe, and Mikaela Hoover as the columnist Cat Grant. Wendell Pierce is terrific as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White who is trying to run the paper while he has his own issues with Luthor. Sara Sampaio is fantastic as Luthor’s girlfriend Eve Teschmacher as this bimbo who often does selfies only to be smarter than people think she is. Maria Gabriela de Faria is superb as Angela Spica/the Engineer, as one of Luthor’s henchpersons whose body is filled with nanotech as she can access things while doing what she can to cause trouble for Superman.

Zlato Buric is excellent as Boravian president Vasil Ghurkos who is secretly aligned with Luthor as he hopes to profit from Luthor’s plans as well as get one over Superman. Skyler Gisondo is brilliant as Jimmy Olsen as a photojournalist for the Daily Planet who has his own secret sources about the pocket universe while is also a flirt of sorts as he attracts all sorts of beautiful women. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell are amazing in their respective roles as Jonathan and Martha Kent as Clark’s adoptive parents who help him find himself after his own trials and tribulations including his own views on his biological parents. The dog Jolene is great as a stand-in model for the dog Krypto who has superpowers where he would help Clark anyway, he can while also being aggressive in his need for attention. Anthony Carrigan is incredible as Rex Mason/Metamorpho as an alien figure who can change his body into anything as he is forced to torture Superman by turning his hand into Kryptonite only for Luthor’s inhumanity to finally push him to the edge where he helps Superman.

In the roles as the members of the Justice Gang, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, and Edi Gathegi are great in their respective roles as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, and Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific. Merced’s performance as the reserved Saunders is low-key in someone who is the youngest person in the group as she often deals with Gardner’s arrogance as well as being someone who will do the kind of things Superman would not do. Fillion’s performance as Gardner is full of wit as someone with a horrible bowl haircut that can create things with a ring while also believing that he is a leader despite his many flaws. Gathegi’s performance as Mr. Terrific is the major standout of the three as he has the funniest lines as an inventor who makes unique tech while is the smartest guy in the room as Gathegi brings a lot of humor to his performance. Rachel Brosnahan is remarkable as Lois Lane as a journalist for the Daily Planet who is also in a relationship with Kent/Superman knowing his true identity as she is not sure if this is a relationship that would work until she makes discoveries about what Luthor is doing with Boravia where Brosnahan brings a no-nonsense approach to Lane while also bringing nuances to a character that who is often cynical yet finds hope in what Superman does.

Nicholas Hoult is phenomenal as Lex Luthor as a wealthy businessman who is seeking to be revered and feared by many as he is also ruthlessly doing whatever he can to defeat Superman through social media and other things to discredit him. Hoult also has this menacing quality that makes Luthor a villain that everyone loves to hate as he is also extreme in what he does while he does not care who gets killed as it is a career-defining performance from Hoult. Finally, there’s David Corenswet in a tremendous breakout performance as the titular character/Clark Kent/Kal-El. Corenswet brings in that sense of humility of an alien trying to do good for the world as he deals with getting his ass kicked in a fight as well as constant criticism about his actions. Corenswet also has this charm to his character as well as knowing that he is flawed where he brings a lot of nuances as both Superman and Clark Kent as there is also an element of Superman being a bit of an asshole though not intentionally. Corenswet’s performance is a major revelation as he understands what makes Superman unique as well as bringing elements that feels fresh while retaining the nuances that makes Superman so beloved.

Superman is an outstanding film by James Gunn that features a great break-out leading performance from David Corenswet as the titular character. Along with its ensemble cast, colorful visuals, an exhilarating music score, sprawling action set pieces, and a riveting story of identity and the need for hope in dark times. It is a film that exudes all the elements expected in a superhero film, but it is also a film that knows when to not take itself too seriously as well as bring something that is hopeful in a hero who represents truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in tumultuous times. In the end, Superman is a magnificent film by James Gunn.

DC Universe: (Supergirl (2026 film)) – (Clayface)

Related: (Superman) – (Superman II) – (Superman III) – (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) – (Superman Returns) – (Superman II: The Richard Donner’s Cut) – Man of Steel - The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - (The Auteurs #76: James Gunn)

James Gunn Films: (Slither) – (Super (2010 film)) – Guardians of the Galaxy - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

© thevoid99 2025

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 II

Written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands is the sequel to the 1996 film Pusher that focuses on the drug culture on Copenhagen. In the second film, the film explores a drug-dealer’s former sidekick as he deals with new challenges in the world of crime and drugs as well as becoming a father for the very first time. The film features two characters from the previous film as its focus is on Tonny who is played by Mads Mikkelsen as the drug lord Milo, played by Zlatko Buric, also returns. Also starring Leif Sylvester, Anne Sorensen, Oyvind Hagen-Traberg, and Kurt Nielsen. Pusher II is a compelling yet visually-hypnotic film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

After being released from prison, Tonny returns to Copenhagen to work at a chop shop run by his criminal father known as the Duke (Leif Sylvester) who isn’t happy to see Tonny. Wanting to prove to himself to his father, Tonny decides to steal a car following a bad night with hookers where he ends up getting a stern lecture from his father. With his friend O (Oyvind Hagen-Traberg) trying to help him out, Tonny learns from O’s girlfriend Gry (Maria Erwolter) that her friend Charlotte (Anne Sorensen) has his baby. Tonny is surprised by the news unsure how to cope as the Duke’s partner Kurt the Cunt (Kurt Nielsen) has Tonny do things where things would often go wrong as Tonny would get the blame.

During a deal with Tonny’s old friend Milo that Kurt wants to do, things go bad as Kurt blames Tonny as he asks Tonny to shoot him in the arm and blame it on Arabs so the Duke wouldn‘t get upset. With the pressure of clearing a debt for his father and Charlotte wanting money for their unnamed child, Tonny gets some devastating news that leaves him becoming more concerned for his child. At a wedding party for O and Gry, Tonny’s concern for his child has him confronting Charlotte for her drug use as he ends up getting into trouble. When Kurt wants Tonny to aid him in something to help make things easy with the Duke. Tonny realizes that something isn’t right while his father wants him to do something that relates to a custody battle he’s having forcing Tonny to make a decision about his life.

The film is about a former drug dealer who returns from prison hoping to do good for his criminal father only to find himself getting into more trouble while learning he has a child that he’s grown to care for. It’s a film that in some ways is about redemption for a man who is an admitted fuck-up but with a good heart despite some of his bad deeds that includes rampant drug use. The film opens with a prologue where Tonny is being lectured by an inmate in prison about conquering his fear that would set up the main narrative as Tonny is a man driven by fear as he’s constantly berated by the people around him.

The screenplay explores Tonny as a man who is very flawed but also one who earns pity due to the fact that he was unloved by his father while having to do deeds where he’s also treated with indifference and little respect in his father’s criminal deeds. Making things worse is the fact that the woman he impregnated is a drug-addled whore who just wants money and really doesn’t care for the baby that he just found out. Though he’s wary at first about the baby, he would eventually come to care for him despite his uncertainty if he can care for the baby. Still, Nicolas Winding Refn would find ways for Tonny to eventually come to his senses where it would take a series of events that would push him to redemption and conquering his fear.

Refn’s direction is definitely entrancing for the way he opens the film with a simple scene of Tonny inside a cell talking to an inmate where it is followed by a scene of Tonny beating up someone and then being chased. It’s part of a setup of what Tonny is doing as Refn does reuse a lot of the techniques he had done with the first film. Yet, it’s more refined due to the fact that Refn wanted to focus on this man’s attempt to earn respect as that word is tattooed on the back of his head. Refn always has the camera in the back of Tonny’s head although the situations that Tonny is in doesn’t give him what he needs.

Since the film is shot on location in Copenhagen with hand-held cameras, it allows Refn to create a world that Tonny is in where he feels completely out of place by the people he’s with. Scenes such has the wedding party shows a world where everyone is celebrating but Tonny, who is berated by his father’s speech for being someone that is never going to amount to anything, has the camera fixed on Tonny who is watching everything around him. It’s a chilling scene where Refn is waiting for the moment for Tonny to snap. Overall, Refn creates a truly haunting film that explores a man’s attempt to gain respect in the world of drugs.

Cinematographer Morten Soborg does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the stylish lighting colors for the scenes in the wedding party and the brothels that Tonny is in to more entrancing grainy camera work for some of the nighttime exteriors in the Copenhagen locations. Editors Anne Osterud and Janus Billeskov Jansen do excellent work with the editing by utilizing a few jump cuts to play out some of the film‘s action while keeping things straightforward for the non-suspenseful moments of the film. Production designer Rasmus Thjellesen does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the Duke’s chop shop as well as the home of Gry and Charlotte to emphasize the world where Tonny is unwanted.

Costume designer Jane Whittaker does terrific work with the costumes from the suits that the Duke wears to the sweat clothes that Tonny wears to contrast the level of respect they have. Sound designer Jens Bonding does brilliant work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the locations such as the sparseness of the chop shop to the raucous wedding party scene. The film’s score by Peter Peter and Keli Hlodversson is superb for its mixture of ambient to pulsating electronic music to play up the world that Tonny is surrounded by as it features music by several underground Danish acts compiled by music supervisor Lol Hammond.

The film’s cast is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it includes memorable small roles from Ilyas Agac as a gun dealer, Maria Erwolter as O’s girlfriend Gry, Karsten Schroder as the Duke’s brother Red, and Zlatko Buric as Tonny’s old friend in Serbian drug lord Milo. Oyvind-Hagen Traberg is very good as Tonny’s sole friend O who reveals to him about the baby while trying to get him not to mess things up. Kurt Nielsen is great as the dangerous Kurt the Cunt who gets Tonny into a lot of trouble and make him do things that are questionable. Anne Sorensen is wonderful as the drug-addled hooker Charlotte who verbally abuses Tonny for what he did to her as she treats him like shit.

Leif Sylvester is great as Tonny’s crime lord father the Duke who berates Tonny for his incompetence while publicly humiliating him as he would force Tonny to do something that is immoral as it’s a very chilling performance. Finally there’s Mads Mikkelsen in a phenomenal performance as Tonny. It’s a role where Mikkelsen displays bits of humor that he had previously played in the first film but has him become a much more confused man who couldn’t seem to do anything right while yearning to win his father’s respect. It’s an entrancing performance from Mikkelsen who makes Tonny a very endearing character despite his flaws and the uncertainty that he has.

Pusher II is a remarkable film from Nicolas Winding Refn that features an amazing performance from Mads Mikkelsen. While it may not have the more enthralling tone of the previous film in terms of its violence and energy. It is still an intriguing sequel for the way Refn explores the life a man who feels on the outs with the world he was once a part of. In the end, Pusher II is an extraordinary film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

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

© thevoid99 2012

Bleeder

Written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Bleeder is the story of a young couple whose life is changed when a man learns his wife is pregnant as she is bewildered by his sudden dark behavior. The film is an exploration into the transition of adulthood told in a dark fashion as it plays to Refn’s interest in the world of detachment. Starring Kim Bodnia, Mads Mikkelsen, Rikke Louise Andersson, Liv Corfixen, Levino Jensen, and Zlatko Buric. Bleeder is a wonderfully stylish drama from Nicolas Winding Refn.

After receiving news that his girlfriend Louise (Rikke Louise Andersson) is pregnant, Leo (Kim Bodnia) is shocked by the news and the arrival of a new baby as he’s unsure if he wants a child. While Louise’s brother Louis (Levino Jensen) is ecstatic about the news and hope Leo will do go, an event where the two were working at a club leaves Leo shaken by the violent incident. While Leo and Louis also spend their time watching movies at a video store with their friends Kitjo (Zlatko Buric) and the shy film buff Lenny (Mads Mikkelsen) who works at the video store with Kitjo. Lenny’s anti-social life starts to change when he meets and falls for a girl named Lea (Liv Corfixen) who works at a diner as he tries to talk to her but couldn’t muster the courage to make a date with her.

During one night where the four guys watch a film, Leo brings a gun to the screening to threaten Louis over a dispute concerning Louise. Leo’s behavior suddenly starts to unravel as he takes it out on Louise prompting Louis to do something. Notably as it would cause a lot of trouble for Leo who becomes consumed with guilt where he would do something that would change everything in his troubled life.

The film is about the life of a man that is about to change due to the fact that he’s going to become a father. Unfortunately, he isn’t ready because of all the anxieties he’s facing about becoming an adult and handle the responsibility to deal with a child. Notably as an incident where he works as a bouncer at a club leaves him shaken about the world he’s about to enter his child in where would eventually unravel and scare his friends including his girlfriend’s brother who is later to be revealed as a more troubling person to deal with.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s screenplay is intriguing for the way he explores the world of young adulthood in Copenhagen as it features five characters who are quite young with another in his 40s. Though the narrative is uneven due to the subplot of a socially-awkward film buff who falls for a book-loving woman who works at a diner which is a bit comical. It does make the film also uneven in its tone though it is still a very engaging story as it fits to the theme that Refn wants to explore.

Refn’s direction is definitely stylish from the opening montage to introduce the characters to the wandering hand-held tracking shots he creates to explore the video store. While the film is presented in a straightforward manner in terms of its drama with some style added in the compositions that Refn creates. The film does have an air of darkness in the main narrative from the club break-in scene to the more chilling moment in the film’s third act when Louis confronts Leo in one of the most disturbing moments in film. Some of the darker moments of the film does have compositions that are quite striking while Refn does maintain the focus on the anxieties men have in the transition to adulthood. Despite the uneven narrative, Refn does create a solid film that is exciting but also unsettling.

Cinematographer Morten Soborg does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful photography to play out the exciting world of late 90s young adult culture while creating some stylish lights for some of the film‘s interiors such as the club, the bookstore Lea hangs out at, and the room where the guys watch the movies. Editor Anne Osterud does incredible work with the editing to play up the rhythm of the some of the film‘s violent scenes with some swift cuts to more stylish cuts such as dissolves and jump-cuts to play with the film‘s transitions.

Production designer Peter De Neergard does wonderful work with some of the places in the such as the video store Lenny and Kitjo work at to the diner‘s kitchen that Lea is often at. Costume designer Loa Miller does very good work with the costumes as a lot of it is quite casual with the exception of some of the stylish suits the men wear during their movie night. Sound designer Svenn Jakobsen is terrific for the some of the intimacy set in some of the interior locations to more tense moments in the club fight that Leo witnesses. The film’s score by Peter Peter is a superb mix of chugging hard rock, metal, dream-pop, electronic music, and ambient as the soundtrack plays to the personalities of these characters as it includes a great dream-pop cover of John Lennon’s Love that is played in the film’s final credits.

The film’s cast is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes some memorable small performances from Ole Abildgaard as a video store customer, Gordana Radosavljevic as a mother Louise befriends, and Clause Flygare as Lea’s diner boss Joe. Zlatko Buric is very funny as the wise and laid-back Kitjo while Liv Corfixen is wonderful as the bookworm Lea who is intrigued by Lenny’s strange behavior. Rikke Louise Andersson is excellent as Leo’s kind girlfriend Louise who is baffled by his sudden behavior as she is trying to help him make changes. Levino Jensen is superb as Louise’s brother Louis who is concerned about Leo’s behavior while proving to be someone who will get serious if things go wrong.

Kim Bodnia is great as the troubled Leo who is dealing with all of the new changes around him as he brings a real intensity to his character that is teetering on the edge. Finally, there’s Mads Mikkelsen in an impressive performance as the shy film buff Lenny who always talks about films just so he can avoid talking about real life. There’s also a wonderful restraint in Mikkelsen in the way he displays the awkwardness of his character as it’s definitely a performance to see.

Bleeder is a stellar drama from Nicolas Winding Refn that features incredible performances from Kim Bodnia and Nicolas Winding Refn. While it’s a very different film of sorts from some of the more violent films that Refn has done. It’s also quite engaging for the way he presents life in transition despite the uneven narrative it presents. In the end, Bleeder is a charming though dark film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Pusher - Fear X - Pusher II - Pusher 3 - 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