Pusher

In my Mini film reviews #2 post, I wrote that Bleeder was a "really good, hard-hitting Danish movie", and I stand by that evaluation.

Over the weekend, I watched the debut movie by that movie's director. The film was called Pusher, and several of the cast members (including Mads Mikkelsen, pictured) are the same as in Bleeder, albeit playing different characters.

The downlow: Pusher, as you might guess, is about a drug dealer. Specifically, it is about one week in the life of a heroin dealer -- a week where a big deal goes wrong, leaving him owing lots of money to the type of guy you don't want to be in debt to.

The opinion: I liked this film. Sure, it wasn't as good as Bleeder, but then it was made a few years earlier and was a first film. The performances were all strong, and the story seemed pretty credible for the most part. It was violent in places, but then when you're talking about dodgy people owing dodgy people thousands of pounds, it's gonna get violent once in a while. Also, and crucially, it didn't outstay its welcome.

The bit that counts: Pusher gets 68 points. Worth a look.