The London-Based "Pusher" Remake Wants To Recapture The Original's Charm And "Drive"'s Stylishness.

Pusher (2012)

I was intrigued by this remake of Pusher. Admittedly I'm a big fan of the Pusher series. It has a strong appeal for me, even if I didn't feel inclined to give any of the entries an A+ score. However, the first movie in the trilogy is definitely not the best. It's not until the sequels, each of which has a different protagonist, that the world of those films expanded with side-characters often returning and the audience becoming more familiar with how the characters relate to one another.


Screencap from the original 1996 movie. The guy on the left?
Mads Mikkelsen! (From "A Royal Affair", "Casino Royale" and
the recent "Hannibal" tv series.)

The original Pusher is a pretty simple story. A drug dealer in Denmark has retirement plans and is look forward to pulling off a big score and possibly finishing with drug dealing for good. He wants a better life for both him and his girlfriend who currently works as a dancer in a club. He thinks of himself as a more sensible drug dealer and a good businessman. Unfortunately, he's not immune from hiccups and so when things start to go wrong he's left unsure as to what to do next. The remake is basically the exact same movie only set in London.

( Read more... )