Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands, directed by Nicholas Winding Refn 2004.
If you read my earlier review of Pusher I you know that I was a big fan of the first movie. So much so that I made it a point to squeeze in Pusher II even though I had not originally intended to see the film. My only regret now is that my schedule for the festival worked out in such a way that I was not able to see the latest in the series Pusher III.
After going bankrupt making two films after Pusher I, Nicholas Refn decided to go back to the movie that had garnered him so much success in the first place. It turned out to be good choice as each successive Pusher film has been highly successful.
I believe this is in part because Refn made the smart choice of making each film stand on its own rather than make each film a continous linear storyline (which, if you've seen the first film was completely possible due to the manner in which it ended). Instead, Refn decided to make Pusher II about one of the secondary characters from Pusher I, Tonny.
It also helps that Tonny is played by Mads Mikkelsen, who in my estimation is a truly brilliant actor with an incredible range. If you are so inclined, take a look at the picture I posted with this review and then take a look at the photo I included with my review of Adam's Apples. Mikkelsen is the priest in the latter photo, and the actor featured above.
Going into the first Pusher film I knew that there was an actor that had appeared in both features but after watching the movie I had to go back and check with actor it was, so drastically different are the roles that Mikkelsen has played. So going into Pusher II, I was really excited to see what type of performance Mikkelsen would turn in, now that he was the featured character in the film. Needless to say I was not disappointed.
The storyline of Pusher II occurs sometime after the events of the first film. The film starts off with Tonny being released from prison for some unmentioned offense. From this point Tonny goes back to his father, a criminal in his own right, and tries to reintegrate back into daily life. It quickly becomes evident that despite Tonny's large tatoo on his head that says 'RESPECT' he receives little to none from everyone in the film.
The film develops into a something that is less about pushing drugs and more about coming to terms with one's identity and how that might fit into the world around you.
There were particular moments that I found completely devestating, and I appreciated the fact that despite how pathetic the character of Tonny can be, you can't help but like him in the end.
It's hard to say whether or not Pusher II surpasses the original film in quality but I can say without a doubt that it is equally as good. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Refn has proven a movie about criminals and drugs can be much, much more than the some of its parts.
***Three and half stars
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