Before his prison flick Bronson, before his acid trip viking epic Valhalla Rising, before his neon Ryan Gosling vehicle Drive, and before his Bangkok actioner Only God Forgives, Danish hotshot Nicolas Winding Refn’s smash debut was a calling card for all that followed.
Following his memorable supporting turn in the first Pusher film, Mads Mikkelsen moves center stage for this adrenalized sequel. Refn’s tale of fathers and sons is once again filtered through the fatalistic prism of noir, albeit this time with a nightmarish agenda that borders on the surreal.
Nicolas Winding Refn saves the best for last. Set over a single night, the focus shifts to drug baron Milo—another Pusher antihero up against the clock. Refn keeps multiple plates spinning and anxiety levels off the scale, while foraging for bloodied scraps of humanity among the moral ruins.
