A remake of Nicolas Winding Refn’s 1996 film, Pusher follows a week in the life of big time drug dealer Frank (Richard Coyle), who finds himself stuck for cash when a deal goes wrong.
His inability to pay back Serbian drug lord Milo (Zlatko Burić) sets of a chain reaction of events that lead to his world collapsing and threaten his life.
Director Luis Prieto serves up one of the grittiest and uncompromising British crime thrillers of recent years, ratcheting up the tension as the days go by and laying bare Frank’s increasingly desperate state.
Starting the film with a hefty wad of cash and the world at his beck and call, Frank’s misfortune sees him scrabbling around for loose change in a desperate bid to pay off Milo and save himself.
Frank is a part of the system that he’s now suffering at the hands of, previously willing to benefit from its upside he’s now desperately trying to outrun the inevitable consequences of failure.
Pusher is a dark, brutally unforgiving and violent film which leads the audience through the decline and desperation of a man and bravely invites them not to care.
The film never allows you to forget that Frank’s own trade is the addiction and possible death of others. While his circumstances may evoke feelings of pity, Prieto ensures this never spills over into compassion or sympathy.
Our verdict: 4/5
Pusher is released across the UK on October 12th.
