Pusher (2012) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Thriller

Tagline: Never cross the line.

Based on the edgy and explosive series by visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn, Pusher stars Richard Coyle as a drug dealer who grows increasingly desperate over the course of a week after a botched deal lands him in the merciless clutches of a ruthless crime lord. The more desperate his behavior, the more isolated he becomes until there is nothing left standing between him and the bullet his debtors intend to fire his way.

Storyline: In London, a street dealer's life spins out of control over the course of one week after he borrows money from his supplier on what's supposed to be a sure thing.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on February 19, 2013 -- Luis Prieto's "Pusher" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Momentum Pictures.

Frank (Richard Coyle, Human Traffic, W.E.), the main protagonist in Spanish director Luis Prieto's Pusher, is a man in his early '30s who is constantly on the move. He lives in London and spends most of his time in the city's trendy bars and nightclubs where he sells drugs. Aside from a lonely striptease dancer who occasionally also works as an escort girl (Agyness Deyn), Frank does not have any real friends.

One day, Frank is approached by an old friend who promises to buy a large amount of cocaine from him. Frank borrows the cocaine from Serbian crime boss Milo (Zlatko Buric, Restless Souls, Pusher), whose men control a large area of the city. However, on the day of the delivery a lot of things that could go wrong do and Frank is forced to run for his life.

Prieto's remake of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 film moves the action from Copenhagen to London and abandons the gritty atmosphere. The majority of the film also takes place in posh bars and nightclubs where great looking people with plenty of cash treat Frank as a savior. These changes give the remake a glitzy look that should appeal to viewers who enjoyed Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake.

The quick but not as witty as intended to be one-liners that typically populate Guy Richie's films are completely avoided. There are select parts where dark humor is prominent, but the kitsch from Richie's films is indeed missing. All of this keeps Pusher firmly grounded in reality, making it easy to believe that Frank's life is indeed one very dangerous rollercoaster.

Only two of the secondary characters spend a decent amount of time in front of the camera. Milo leaves a memorable impression with his sudden mood changes, while the beautiful striptease dancer earns the viewer's sympathy with her attempts to restore balance in Frank's life. The latter is especially good during the final third of the film where Frank is forced to make a number of difficult decisions.

Kim Gaster's (Milcho Manchevski's Before the Rain) excellent editing provides the film with a steady tempo. There are a few sudden transitions, but the endless quick cuts and zooms that plague so many recent British gangster films and make them look like unusually long TV commercials are missing.

Pusher was shot with the Red One MX camera. Needless to say, it looks incredibly vibrant and crisp. Some of the nightclub scenes, in particular, look astonishingly good (despite the fact that light is seriously restricted). Most close-ups also boast tremendous depth.

The film is also complemented by a superb soundtrack courtesy of British electronic dance veterans Orbital. Most of the tracks have a terrific rhythm and effectively add a great deal of energy to the film. Additional tracks by Lloyd Perrin, Marcus Marr, and Austra are also included. Austra's "Beat and the Pulse" (Still Going Remix), one of the best and most atmospheric vocal tracks in the film, has the attitude some of John Digweed's great early tunes had.

Note: Last year, Pusher was screened at the Cannes Film Festival (Market section). The film was also screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it was nominated for The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film.

Luis Prieto's Pusher, a remake of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn's gritty 1996 thriller, is a minor surprise. It is a very stylish and very well acted film that manages to avoid the genre cliches most recent British gangster films are plagued with. Unless you are a hardcore fan of the original film and cannot even stand the idea of a remake, despite the fact that Refn executive-produced it, give Pusher a chance. Momentum Pictures' presentation of the film is outstanding. RECOMMENDED.

[CSW] -3.2- The performances are strong in "Pusher" as Richard Coyle does an impeccable job portraying intensity, extreme duress, and a man willing to do whatever it takes just to live another day while Zlatko Buric is just as menacing in English as he is in Danish. Camera tricks and editing techniques aside, "Pusher" is mostly exactly the same as the original film. Remember how "Let Me In" at least had a few extra scenes compared to "Let the Right One In?" This doesn't even have that. "Pusher" isn't exactly a waste of time, but is completely unnecessary when you can just visit the original film and its two sequels. "Pusher" is unnecessary for Refn fans that have followed his work from the beginning, but is more worthwhile for new viewers since they don't know what they're in for. .
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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