Frank – who looks like a German Tom Sizemore – is a small time drug dealer juggling suppliers, buyers, girlfriends and his peers, all while staying off the police radar. None of this is helped by Tonny, Frank’s right hand man and best buddy, but a complete degenerate and loose cannon.
Frank treats dealing like a small business owner, Tonny treats it like the dull bits between getting high and menacingly forcing women into unpleasant experiences.
The already perilous fine line that Frank walks in his day to day is narrowed instantly when a simple buy/sell transaction goes wrong, leaving Frank owing the wrong guy money. Every earnest attempt to solve the issue leaves Frank deeper in the hole, leading to assistance from individuals infinitely more dangerous than he, and the pressure and stress created by hard deadlines with direct implications upon Frank’s wellbeing.
Were it not for the fact that it is director Nicolas Winding Refn’s first feature to garner acclaim and attention, I might never have bothered with Pusher. I’m not disappointed that I did, but I’m certainly not gushing with praise either.
I don’t know what to say about Pusher beyond that it is quite good, but no better than any single episode of The Wire. The action is well paced and the tone gritty with bursts of sudden violence, but it’s definitely been done before and since. Maybe not in German…
Final Rating – 7 / 10. Another scungy drama set in the world of drug users and suppliers.
