Pusher II
Encyclopedia
Pusher II is a 2004 Danish crime film written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film is the second film in the Pusher trilogy
, portraying the lives of criminals in Copenhagen
.
seeking employment. The Duke has a younger son from a different mother now, and receives Tonny coldly, but he ultimately allows Tonny to work for him on a trial basis. Tonny steals a Ferrari
in an effort to impress his father, but the car is too dangerous to keep and the Duke berates Tonny mercilessly for his lack of responsibility.
While hanging out with his friend Ø, Tonny learns that he has a child with a local prostitute, Charlotte. Charlotte has raised the child by herself so far and demands that Tonny start paying her child support. Tonny makes empty promises to pay, but soon comes to care for the child. Meanwhile, Tonny successfully participates in a car heist, but is forced to ride in the trunk of the escape car because there are no seats left.
On the side, Tonny helps a local pimp and hoodlum, "Kurt the Cunt", make a heroin deal with Milo, the drug lord
from the first movie. When one of Milo's thugs arrives late, a spooked Kurt flushes the heroin down the toilet
and blows the deal. Kurt convinces Tonny to help buy him a gun and shoot him in the arm to convince Kurt's backers that he was robbed. While visiting with Charlotte and his son, Tonny learns how to change his son's diaper. Ø watches and reveals that he is about to marry his girlfriend Gry and have a child of his own.
At Ø's wedding reception, the Duke delivers a toast telling Ø that he thinks of him as a son, and then chides Tonny. Tonny gets drunk and becomes angry as he watches Charlotte snort cocaine with Gry in the club's kitchen and neglect their child. He insists that she take the baby home, but she refuses by berating and humiliating Tonny. Enraged, Tonny strangles
Charlotte before several men pull him away. Realizing that he has once again made a fool of himself, Tonny leaves the party and meets Kurt, who is lingering outside. Kurt convinces Tonny to help him smash up his apartment to further support their story. In return Kurt promises to put in a good word for Tonny with the Duke. After Kurt kills a prostitute that emerges from his bedroom, Tonny tries to leave. Kurt reveals that his financial backer is the Duke and that he has lied so that Tonny will share in Kurt's debt.
Tonny visits his father to find a way to reconcile and pay off his debt. After learning that the Duke's ex-wife Jeanette is trying to take custody of his young son, Tonny volunteers to intimidate her into dropping the suit. The Duke insists that Tonny kill her, and he agrees. Tonny visits Jeanette at Kurt's brothel, where she works, but he cannot go through with the murder. After returning and admitting his failure, the Duke berates him savagely. Tonny snaps and stabs the Duke to death. He flees and goes looking for Ø, but instead finds Gry and Charlotte getting high. They deride Tonny and then leave the baby unattended. Tonny steals the child along with some money from Gry's purse and gets on a bus, fleeing the city. The film ends with a shot of the tattoo on the back of Tonny's head reading: Respect.
was a smash success and Refn did not plan on making a sequel. However, after releasing several films, Refn's company acquired a debt of $1 million. Though he feared repeating himself or tarnishing his greatest success to date, Refn decided to make two sequels and form a Pusher trilogy
. While the character of Tonny was presumed dead or critically injured in the original film, Refn decided to "resurrect" him to star in the first sequel. Mads Mikkelsen
had become Denmark's biggest star by this point, but he agreed to star in the film. As he did in the original film, Refn consulted with real hoodlums and cast many non-actors to portray the underworld of Copenhagen
as authentically and unglamorous as possible. The character of Kurt the Cunt was created for Kurt Nielsen, who was a true gangster nicknamed "the Cunt" that Refn met while attending a Narcotic's Anonymous meeting to do research for Pusher 3.
While writing the screenplay, Refn drew from his own insecurities from his relationship with his filmmaker father and as a new father himself. The character of Tonny desperately wants to be respected and loved by his father, but he is constantly humiliated. Refn described the screenplay as having a nontraditional, episodic structure. Almost every "episode" of the story ends with Tonny being humiliated.
s in a documentary style. The hand-held camera work is used to allow the camera freedom of movement, and is not intended to call attention to itself by being overly shaky. Refn kept with the theme of prominent darkness and shadow, though this film has fewer incidents of characters being underexposed or backlit. Due to Refn's color blindness
, he shot some scenes in vivid monochrome
. Many scenes are almost completely red, as Refn believed red to be the most organic and emotional color. Tonny's ironic tattoo spelling out "RESPECT" on the back of his head is prominently displayed throughout the film and is its final image.
During the filming of the car heist sequence, Refn consulted several professional car thieves
to write the procedure of the heist and brought them on set during shooting to further advise. Refn later claimed that the thieves tended to be overly committed to the realism of the scene. He also suspected that they were using the opportunity to plan a real robbery of the dealership after filming had completed. While filming the marriage reception scene, Refn consulted locals and cast members on what a wedding reception
would look like in their world, then redecorated the set accordingly. Refn used many real locations in and around Copenhagen, selecting many due to their proximity to each other to accommodate his chronological shooting schedule. Several residences belonging to crew members were modified only slightly from their natural state to become sets. Refn made the sets intentionally squalid and humble to further unglamorize the criminal lifestyle.
Refn also took great care in the selection of music for the film. Rather than fill the soundtrack with typical rock, hip hop, or techno, Refn wanted to emulate the self-made, electronic film scores of John Carpenter
. He also selected atypical music to stand for the music that the characters themselves listened to. Refn held a contest asking for suggestions on music to use in the film, then selected the most "eurotrashy
" music, believing that real gangsters and criminals listen to music such as Phil Collins
.
follows Tonny's original partner Frank (Kim Bodnia
), and his desperate attempt to raise money after a drug deal gone wrong. Pusher II references the events of this film several times. Charlotte comments on the scars on Tonny's head, which resulted in the beating he received from Frank. Milo later asks Tonny if he has seen Frank lately, as Milo wanted to kill Frank at the end of Pusher. This comment reveals that Frank disappeared after the events of that film.
The third film in the trilogy is Pusher 3, which follows the Serbian drug lord Milo as he struggles with his drug addiction, several bad drug deals, and his daughter's birthday celebration.
Pusher trilogy
The Pusher trilogy is a series of films by Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn. They illustrate and explore the criminal underworld of Copenhagen. The trilogy is composed of Pusher , Pusher II and Pusher 3 ....
, portraying the lives of criminals in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
Plot
The film opens some time after the original film with Tonny serving out his last day of a prison sentence. His cell-mate delivers a monologue advising Tonny to conquer his fear. He then reminds Tonny that he owes him money, but has chosen to give him more time out of respect for Tonny's father, the Duke, a vicious gangster. Upon his release, Tonny visits his father's chop shopChop shop
In motor vehicle theft, a chop shop is a location or business which disassembles stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts. It may also be used to refer to a location or business that is involved with the selling of stolen or fraudulent goods in general, an example of the latter...
seeking employment. The Duke has a younger son from a different mother now, and receives Tonny coldly, but he ultimately allows Tonny to work for him on a trial basis. Tonny steals a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
in an effort to impress his father, but the car is too dangerous to keep and the Duke berates Tonny mercilessly for his lack of responsibility.
While hanging out with his friend Ø, Tonny learns that he has a child with a local prostitute, Charlotte. Charlotte has raised the child by herself so far and demands that Tonny start paying her child support. Tonny makes empty promises to pay, but soon comes to care for the child. Meanwhile, Tonny successfully participates in a car heist, but is forced to ride in the trunk of the escape car because there are no seats left.
On the side, Tonny helps a local pimp and hoodlum, "Kurt the Cunt", make a heroin deal with Milo, the drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
from the first movie. When one of Milo's thugs arrives late, a spooked Kurt flushes the heroin down the toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
and blows the deal. Kurt convinces Tonny to help buy him a gun and shoot him in the arm to convince Kurt's backers that he was robbed. While visiting with Charlotte and his son, Tonny learns how to change his son's diaper. Ø watches and reveals that he is about to marry his girlfriend Gry and have a child of his own.
At Ø's wedding reception, the Duke delivers a toast telling Ø that he thinks of him as a son, and then chides Tonny. Tonny gets drunk and becomes angry as he watches Charlotte snort cocaine with Gry in the club's kitchen and neglect their child. He insists that she take the baby home, but she refuses by berating and humiliating Tonny. Enraged, Tonny strangles
Strangling
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the auxiliary lethal mechanism in hangings in the event the neck does not break...
Charlotte before several men pull him away. Realizing that he has once again made a fool of himself, Tonny leaves the party and meets Kurt, who is lingering outside. Kurt convinces Tonny to help him smash up his apartment to further support their story. In return Kurt promises to put in a good word for Tonny with the Duke. After Kurt kills a prostitute that emerges from his bedroom, Tonny tries to leave. Kurt reveals that his financial backer is the Duke and that he has lied so that Tonny will share in Kurt's debt.
Tonny visits his father to find a way to reconcile and pay off his debt. After learning that the Duke's ex-wife Jeanette is trying to take custody of his young son, Tonny volunteers to intimidate her into dropping the suit. The Duke insists that Tonny kill her, and he agrees. Tonny visits Jeanette at Kurt's brothel, where she works, but he cannot go through with the murder. After returning and admitting his failure, the Duke berates him savagely. Tonny snaps and stabs the Duke to death. He flees and goes looking for Ø, but instead finds Gry and Charlotte getting high. They deride Tonny and then leave the baby unattended. Tonny steals the child along with some money from Gry's purse and gets on a bus, fleeing the city. The film ends with a shot of the tattoo on the back of Tonny's head reading: Respect.
Cast
- Mads MikkelsenMads Mikkelsen' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
as Tonny: A troubled hoodlum. - Leif Sylvester as Smeden: A notorious gangster and Tonny's estranged father.
- Anne Sørensen as Charlotte: A prostitute and the mother of Tonny's child.
- Øyvind Hagen-Traberg as Ø: Tonny's friend and the Duke's trusted employee.
- Kurt Nielsen as Kurt the Cunt: An untrustworthy pimp and drug dealer .
- Karsten Schrøder as Red: The Duke's brother and partner.
- Maria Erwolter as Gry: Ø's girlfriend.
- Zlatko BurićZlatko buricZlatko Burić is a Croat-Danish actor. He was born in Osijek, Croatia , and educated at Dramski Studio in Osijek...
as Milo: A Serb drug lord. - Ilyas Agac as Muhammed: An immigrant criminal and gun dealer.
- Linse Kessler as Jeanette: A prostitute and the Duke's ex-wife.
- Sven Erik Eskeland Larsen as Svend
- Maya Ababadjani as Luder #1
Development
The original PusherPusher (film)
Pusher is a 1996 Danish crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film was not only a huge success in Denmark, but also in many other European countries. It was the film that launched Winding Refn's career. It became the first of a trilogy...
was a smash success and Refn did not plan on making a sequel. However, after releasing several films, Refn's company acquired a debt of $1 million. Though he feared repeating himself or tarnishing his greatest success to date, Refn decided to make two sequels and form a Pusher trilogy
Pusher trilogy
The Pusher trilogy is a series of films by Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn. They illustrate and explore the criminal underworld of Copenhagen. The trilogy is composed of Pusher , Pusher II and Pusher 3 ....
. While the character of Tonny was presumed dead or critically injured in the original film, Refn decided to "resurrect" him to star in the first sequel. Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen
' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
had become Denmark's biggest star by this point, but he agreed to star in the film. As he did in the original film, Refn consulted with real hoodlums and cast many non-actors to portray the underworld of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
as authentically and unglamorous as possible. The character of Kurt the Cunt was created for Kurt Nielsen, who was a true gangster nicknamed "the Cunt" that Refn met while attending a Narcotic's Anonymous meeting to do research for Pusher 3.
While writing the screenplay, Refn drew from his own insecurities from his relationship with his filmmaker father and as a new father himself. The character of Tonny desperately wants to be respected and loved by his father, but he is constantly humiliated. Refn described the screenplay as having a nontraditional, episodic structure. Almost every "episode" of the story ends with Tonny being humiliated.
Filming
Refn reused many of his stylistic and shooting techniques from his other movies. He shot the scenes almost completely in chronological order using hand-held cameraHand-held camera
Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held cameras are used because they are conveniently sized for travel and because they allow...
s in a documentary style. The hand-held camera work is used to allow the camera freedom of movement, and is not intended to call attention to itself by being overly shaky. Refn kept with the theme of prominent darkness and shadow, though this film has fewer incidents of characters being underexposed or backlit. Due to Refn's color blindness
Color blindness
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired...
, he shot some scenes in vivid monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
. Many scenes are almost completely red, as Refn believed red to be the most organic and emotional color. Tonny's ironic tattoo spelling out "RESPECT" on the back of his head is prominently displayed throughout the film and is its final image.
During the filming of the car heist sequence, Refn consulted several professional car thieves
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
to write the procedure of the heist and brought them on set during shooting to further advise. Refn later claimed that the thieves tended to be overly committed to the realism of the scene. He also suspected that they were using the opportunity to plan a real robbery of the dealership after filming had completed. While filming the marriage reception scene, Refn consulted locals and cast members on what a wedding reception
Wedding reception
A wedding reception is a party held after the completion of a marriage ceremony. It is held usually as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple receives society, in the form of family and friends, for the first time as a married couple. Hosts...
would look like in their world, then redecorated the set accordingly. Refn used many real locations in and around Copenhagen, selecting many due to their proximity to each other to accommodate his chronological shooting schedule. Several residences belonging to crew members were modified only slightly from their natural state to become sets. Refn made the sets intentionally squalid and humble to further unglamorize the criminal lifestyle.
Refn also took great care in the selection of music for the film. Rather than fill the soundtrack with typical rock, hip hop, or techno, Refn wanted to emulate the self-made, electronic film scores of John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
. He also selected atypical music to stand for the music that the characters themselves listened to. Refn held a contest asking for suggestions on music to use in the film, then selected the most "eurotrashy
Eurotrash (term)
Eurotrash is a derogatory term used in North America for Europeans, particularly those perceived to be arrogant, affluent, and expatriates in the United States....
" music, believing that real gangsters and criminals listen to music such as Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
.
Trilogy
This movie is the second film in a trilogy of Pusher films written and directed by Refn. Each film takes place in the same fictional Copenhagen underworld. The original PusherPusher (film)
Pusher is a 1996 Danish crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The film was not only a huge success in Denmark, but also in many other European countries. It was the film that launched Winding Refn's career. It became the first of a trilogy...
follows Tonny's original partner Frank (Kim Bodnia
Kim Bodnia
-Movie career:He has appeared in several of the successful Danish films from the 1990s and 2000s, e.g. Nattevagten , Pusher, and Bleeder, the latter two directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, and the two Lasse Spang Olsen films In China They Eat Dogs, Old Men in New Cars and Terribly Happy.Bodnia has...
), and his desperate attempt to raise money after a drug deal gone wrong. Pusher II references the events of this film several times. Charlotte comments on the scars on Tonny's head, which resulted in the beating he received from Frank. Milo later asks Tonny if he has seen Frank lately, as Milo wanted to kill Frank at the end of Pusher. This comment reveals that Frank disappeared after the events of that film.
The third film in the trilogy is Pusher 3, which follows the Serbian drug lord Milo as he struggles with his drug addiction, several bad drug deals, and his daughter's birthday celebration.