Acclaimed Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn has now executive produced an English speaking remake of his cult classic, “Pusher.” Directed by Luis Prieto, it tells the story again of a drug dealer Frank (Richard Coyle) and his friend Tony (Bronson Webb) and how the former’s life spirals out of control over the course of a week. After borrowing money from his ruthless supplier Milo (Zlatko Buric, same as in the original films) – only to get set up and owing Milo lots of cash he must pay back or else suffer dire consequences.
What follows is a stylish, drug-fueled, sexy, chain smoking, and intense thriller – all which is apparent in the first five minutes. The remake is loyal both in story and even quality with the first film. It is interesting to see the story in a new way, taking place in London with new actors except for Buric. The drug kingpin Milo is such an interesting character in his own way, talking about his favorite food recipes just as easily as putting hits on people he is friends with.
Despite the low rating on iMDB, the film does its job by being gritty, realistic, cinematic and fun. It tells the story through each day of the week, as Frank’s life gets more and more stressful and his unfortunate fate reaching the end of its time limit. By the time it ends, everyone can learn that with the dangerous occupation of dealing hard drugs it is not a worthy investment. It still remains to be seen if Prieto will complete the “Pusher” trilogy with the other two films – but this reviewer would not mind one bit. Fans of movies without subtitles might prefer this one over the original.
“Pusher” is now playing in select theaters.
