Pusher

"You don't have a chance. Seize it!"

1996 1h 50m DA

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 927🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●72Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 47,759

ActionCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.

“You don't have a chance. Seize it!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kim Bodnia
Frank
Mads Mikkelsen
Tonny
Laura Drasbæk
Vic
Zlatko Burić
Milo
Slavko Labović
Radovan
Peter Andersson
Hasse
Vanja Bajicic
Branko
Lisbeth Rasmussen
Rita

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Writers: Jens Dahl, Nicolas Winding Refn, Louise Trampedach
Languages: Danish, Serbian, Swedish
Countries: Denmark

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Danish, Serbian, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Pusher Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, shot by Morten Søborg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Povl Kristian. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anne Østerud shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen and Laura Drasbæk carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nicolas Winding Refn directs. Morten Søborg behind the camera. Povl Kristian scores. Anne Østerud cuts. Produced in Denmark. Dialogue in Danish, Serbian, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Danish, Serbian, Swedish.
4Part of the "Pusher Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, shot by Morten Søborg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Povl Kristian. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Anne Østerud shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen and Laura Drasbæk carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "You don't have a chance. Seize it!".
10IMDB entry: tt0117407 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Morten Søborg
Original score: Povl Kristian
Editing: Anne Østerud
Production design: Kim Løvetand Julebæk
Makeup / hair: Louise Bruun
Sound: Peter Schultz
Stunt coordinator: Stig Günther
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $965,000
Original language: DA
Certification (US): MA 15+
IMDB: Pusher (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 72/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 47,759 votes
MPAA: Not Rated
US box office: $1,605

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination total

Part of

Pusher Collection

Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn's "Pusher" trilogy illustrates and explores the criminal underworld of Copenhagen by chronicling three different yet ultimately connected criminals' descents into darkness.

Also by

Nicolas Winding Refn

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2023-09-24
★ 7/10
A solid crime thriller. <em>'Pusher'</em> entertained me enough, though the plot did feel a bit repetitive as it felt like it kept 'going around in circles' to me personally. Some of the lighting and editing (as in cuts) choices also made the film feel a little more underwhelming. The cast do well, arguably the film's strongest element. Kim Bodnia makes for a solid lead, though his performance is a tad samey throughout - similar to the aforementioned. Mads Mikkelsen's Tonny sticks out because he is being played by Mads Mikkelsen, the character is OK - underused perhaps, though I may just think that as it's Mads... the whole reason I chose to view this trilogy, to be honest. 6/10 would feel harsh so this 1996 release gets 7/10 from yours truly. I didn't overly enjoy it, though I can't exactly say I disliked it either... probably levels out at watchable.
CinemaSerf2026-01-26
★ 7/10
“Frank” (Kim Bodnia) makes a decent living dealing drugs with his skinhead pal “Tonny” (Mads Mikkelsen) until one deal goes a bit pear shaped. That doesn’t go down so well with his supplier, “Milo” (Zlatlo Buric) but when you’re €45k in the hole, you might as well try to deal your way out of it so he promises to make that cash back from the next deal. That goes even worse when the cops intervene and the cocaine ends up in a lake. He’s released from custody, takes his revenge on his erstwhile pal who was a better runner when they were nicked and then heads to his boss to explain that he’s now even more in debt. He is given a little more time but his options are dwindling, his friends likewise and his already borderline sociopathic behaviour is becoming as much a threat to himself as to the people he turns on in desperation. On the face of it, there’s nothing especially innovative about this but as you get into it there’s a lot from Bodnia’s performance here that works. Subtle seems an odd word to use given the activities that goes on, but there is some subtlety here as his character shows signs of “Jekyll and Hyde” syndrome - especially when galvanised by the impressively odious Buric who brings something of the psychotically sleazy to his portrayal. Why is it the kingpin’s in these sort of dramas are always just more toxic versions of “Ratso” from “Midnight Cowboy” (1969)? There’s plenty of action, but precious little graphic violence portrayed as this man’s spiral of misfortune and bad judgement risks the lives of himself and those close. This is a grim indictment of an underground industry that prays on the addicted remorselessly, and personally I consider this as authentic and compelling as anything made on the other side of the Atlantic.