| | |  | GIFT SETS | Home » » Pusher Trilogy | | | | | | | Description: | | Writer and director Nicolas Winding Refn made his 1996 feature film debut, PUSHER. This violent, edgy, yet moving cult classic established Refn as an uncompromising filmmaker of great talent and depth. Following PUSHER, Refn returned to the Copenhagen underworld in 2004 with PUSHER II: WITH BLOOD ON MY HANDS, while 2005 saw the release of PUSHER III: I'M THE ANGEL OF DEATH. All three PUSHER films display Refn effortlessly blending moody atmospherics and frenetic action, portraying his characters with a depth and confidence belying his years. Though each film can be appreciated independently of the other two, Refn subtly interweaves these three tales so that a minor character in one film moves to the fore to become the central character of the next. The resulting trilogy stands as a masterful reinvention of international crime cinema, as poignantly human as it is brutally and viscerally realized. The PUSHER TRILOGY reveals the humanity in even the most violent criminals and how every pusher--no matter what his status--is only one bad deal away from total ruin. | | | Features: | |
• Writer and director Nicolas Winding Refn turned down a place at the prestigious National Danish Film School in order to make his 1996 feature film debut, PUSHER. This violent, edgy, yet moving cultic established Refn as an uncompromising filmmaker of great talent and depth. Following his next two films, Bleeder (1999) and Fear X (2003), Refn returned to the Copenhagen underworld in 2004 with PUSHE
| | | Product Details: | | | Format:
| Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen | | Language:
| Danish | | Subtitle:
| English, Spanish | | Number of Discs:
| 3 | | Studio:
| Magnolia Home Entertainment | | Run Time:
| 318 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| November 07, 2006 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 17 reviews |
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| $17.92 | New | | | $17.93 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $20.26 | New | | | $20.49 | New | | | $20.57 | New | | | $21.03 | New | | | $21.06 | New | | | $21.09 | New | | | $21.49 | New | | | $21.49 | New | | | $21.49 | New | | | $21.64 | New | | | $22.03 | New | | | $22.81 | New | | | $22.84 | New | | | $23.36 | New | | | $23.59 | New | | | $23.73 | New | | | $24.33 | New | | | $24.67 | New | | | $24.84 | New | | | $25.03 | New | | | $25.35 | New | | | $26.54 | New | | | $26.71 | New | | | $27.05 | New | | | $33.70 | New | | | $34.24 | New | | | $45.59 | New | | | $119.99 | New | |
| Used | |
| $14.20 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $14.21 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $14.62 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- Good | | | $14.62 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $14.88 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $16.95 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $17.92 | Used
- Mint | | | $19.49 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $19.95 | Used
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- Mint | | | $23.99 | Used
- Good | | | $27.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $33.70 | Used
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Pusher Is Great, II and III are Oedipal excellenceNov 13, 2006
By Brendan M. Howard
It's true, we've all seen crimes-go-wrong scenarios before. However, writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn does a wonderful job of focusing his camera on single characters in each film and bringing out the drama of crooks and pushers getting in over their head in some of the worst days of their lives.
In Pusher, drug middleman Frank tries to sort out a mess when he winds up owing too much to local drug kingpin Milo.
Pusher II plays like an Oedipal tragedy minus the mom, with Frank's friend Tonny taking center stage. Tonny gets out of jail and tries to ingratiate himself into the crime business of his cruel father with predictably disastrous results.
Pusher III returns to Milo, an important character in each of the previous films, as he ages and is challenged by new blood in the drug business and new challenges as he negotiates his daughter's 25th birthday party, her wanting to get in on the action, bad drug deals, prostitution and murder.
All three films play perfectly together, with recurring characters, similar themes and believable violence. The criminals are humanized in a way that doesn't let audiences off the hook, as with Trainspotting's reluctantly violent druggies. These are the dealers with cool heads who have chosen this line of work and do terrible things. Yet, at the end of the day or week, Winding Refn has let us walk in their shoes enough to see the fallibility and humanity in what 90 minutes before we might have regarded as unconscionable evil. If you want to sympathize with these characters, you'll have to admit you see a little darkness in yourself, too.
P.S. The tale of how Pusher II and III came to be is almost as cool as the films. It's covered in the documentary Gambler here, which follows him and his associates as they struggle to put together funding for the two films, not to get paid, but just to break even and climb out of moviemaking bankruptcy. Also cool are two featurettes explore how Winding Refn picked amateurs or almost-amateurs for most of the gritty roles in the last two films.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Gripping, moving, and well worth your timeDec 30, 2006
By David Chen
The Pusher Trilogy is the anti-gangster film in very much the same way as Unforgiven was the anti-western. Nicholas Winding Refn has stripped down the gangster lifestyle and revealed it for what it really is: brutal, unforgiving, and unglamorous. The gangsters in these films don't live in mansions; they live in dirty apartments. They don't have parties in expensive clubs; they use run down restaurants.
Each film has its own main character who has to deal with what ends up being a catastrophically escalating series of events. The first film follows Frank, a drug dealer who runs into trouble when a deal goes sour. The second film features Mads Mikkelson (the recent "Casino Royale" James Bond villain), who plays an incredibly tragic figure; the film plays on "son tries to win his father's affection" themes, while simultaneously subverting them. The final film follows Milo, a drug kingpin who is propelled into a series of tragic choices when a shipment of cocaine doesn't come in as planned.
The three films are all great; a bit on the short side, but very effective. Many critics seem to think the second one is the strongest and I tend to agree with them, although the third film, "I Am The Angel of Death," has almost the same level of pathos. If you are a fan of films like "Scarface," "City of God," or "The Sopranos" (not a film, I know), then definitely give this one a look! The DVDs are in Danish (mostly) with English subtitles and Nicolas Refn gives great commentaries on films 2 and 3 in English.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Three Great Drug Fueled Films That Combine To Form An Underworld EpicJan 24, 2011
By K. Harris
"Film aficionado"
Brutal, but with a keen sense of irony, Nicolas Winding Refn's "Pusher Trilogy" is a wildly entertaining ride that's far more sophisticated than might appear at first glance. Three films that share certain overlapping characters, the "Pusher Trilogy" also links the stories with thematic similarities--but any of these movies also stand up to independent viewing. Individually, they are gritty and effective looks at the criminal underbelly--but together, they are an undeniable masterwork! Uproariously hilarious, wickedly bloody, and even surprisingly moving at times, I wholeheartedly recommend these to lovers of international film (they are set in Copenhagen) or the action genre.
"Pusher" tells the story of a low-life hood, Frank. As Frank hustles up a drug deal that turns south, he suddenly finds himself in a week long scramble to get on top of a bad situation. When bad goes to worse, he turns on his closest allies and faces the final reckoning alone. But he may just be in too deep! "Pusher" is a solid action picture. Frank's relationship with his cohort Tonny is played extremely well. His desperate machinations are a doomed excursion to the darkside and have a black humor that's uncomfortably appealing. Not the most original story in the "Pusher" arsenal, but it works really well regardless. 4 stars.
"Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands" is easily my favorite film of the trio. Why? It is understated and surprising and, of all the films, the most unique. Tonny (the terrific Mads Mikkelsen) returns from "Pusher." Some time in the future, Tonny is being released from prison and Tonny must reestablish his place in the outside world. A disapproving father, who just happens to be a crime boss, doesn't help matters. Tonny finds it difficult to be taken as a real player and is a doormat for those that surround him, both professionally and personally. Tonny actually starts to prove that perhaps he is the most worthy character amidst a barrel of bad apples and a final act of redemption is oddly heartfelt. 5 stars.
"Pusher III: I'm The Angel of Death" reintroduces Milo--a boss who has played a supporting role until now. Like a mad comic opera, "Pusher III" has Milo making dinner for his daughter's birthday party, juggling rehab meetings (he's 5 days clean), and trying to maintain business as usual with his crew. When a drug deal sours (that happens way too much!), Milo's perfect day loses all sense of balance and Milo is drawn into an unpleasant series of events leading to human trafficking. Milo's bratty daughter is a hoot as are his attempts to shanghai the addict's meetings. But ultimately, it's Milo's drug fueled descent (based on both morality and pride) that is nightmarish and unforgettable. 4 1/2 stars.
Each film works and succeeds on its own merits! But if you get the "Pusher Trilogy" and watch them in conjunction, it is a movie making magic. Together, I easily rate the product at 5 stars as the three different films enhance the others. Perfection. KGHarris, 1/11.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 would love to actually watch this filmAug 22, 2011
By Grundy
The copy I've got refuses to load in three different dvd players. It plays a bit then goes crazy. The disc seems fine but the film itself goes all digital and spotty, as if it is poorly made?
Anyway thought I'd let folks know.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
To The EdgeMay 10, 2011
By AlskerSvenskFilm
I started PUSHER 1. Next thing you know I am finishing number 3 at some odd hour on a work night..
All three Pusher films must be put together to evaluate. Each one has its own stories and unique elements. There is some crossover of characters sans Frank. As a kid I ran on the streets of West Oakland, CA and I am critical of fake street movies. I currently enforce the toughest ghetto kids from the Bay Area's toughest areas. These three films stand up. On IMDB some Danish people criticized these films, but those people live in Denmark's suburbs and the only "Hood" they have seen is on the back of their sweatshirts.
I watched every new episode of The Wire when they came out on HBO, then the box sex STRAIGHT THROUGH when the complete series was released. Things like work got in the way of The Wire.
PUSHER is its own thing. Pusher STANDS TALL!
Episode one kicks hard from about halfway through and in the end we need to catch our breaths. Frank is a powerhouse character ripping through Copenhagen's seedy side. Its serious there. Many hardened immigrants from former worn torn countries have raised the the level of crime in Western Europe.
Episode 2 is slower, but it needs to be. It is STRONG in its own way. Many people were let down because Episode 1 was so intense and there was a long wait between films 1 and 2. The producers kept the feel, look, sound similar. Episode 2 needed to be this way. There are other parts of the underworld that operate differently then the loud wild kids on the streets. The Duke is a cold motherfu----.
Episode 3 comes at us from a completely different angle. The opening scene makes me feel so connected to the decisions by the creators. Then it takes off on its own journey.
The only mistake is that the producers did not make this a TV series and keep giving us new pieces from the Albanians, Danish, Milo's crew, King of Copenhagen, Frank, Tonny, The Cunt, The Duke/his crew and etc. They need to make Pusher 4 and intermingle these stories, but of course take us on one journey.
Everything is not perfect. We can nitpick on some parts.
They took it and made us feel it and want more. Coming from tough streets in America, I would recommend these films to ANYONE! We all have seen these type of stories. This is not reinventing the wheel. The films are gritty and take us there on the journey with them. The acting is world class. I am feeling my trip through Copenhagen, Denmark. Top of the line film making.
They took it to the edge.
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