Director: Luis Prieto
Cast: Richard Coyle, Agyness Deyn, Bronson Webb, Zlato Buric, Paul Kaye
Running time: 89 minutes
Synopsis: Drug pusher Frank (Coyle) lives his dream lifestyle in the heart of London. But things quickly spiral out of control as he comes under pressure to round-up a sum of cash for an unforgiving mob boss…
Following the cult following of filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, surely you’d have to be mad to tackle remaking his Danish directorial debut, PUSHER, from 1996?
Enter Luis Prieto. The Spanish director, previously known for numerous world cinema pieces, makes his English film debut, with a haunting insight into the drug-peddling underworld of London. Largely shot in Stoke Newington, the film blends recognisable London landmarks with generic suburban spaces that epitomises the belief that the issue of drugs is not exclusive to urban city centres.
Initially a light-hearted film with comedic focus on Frank’s chirpy best friend Tony, impressively played by newcomer Bronson Webb, the film intermittently diverts away from any humour to represent the haunting reality and severity of criminal life.
Far from an endorsement of drug dealing, the film is undoubtedly critical of the crime lifestyle, with Frank sacrificing friendships, family and his own safety for the comfort of another ‘hit’ in the near future. With captions to mark each day of the week and breaking up the narrative, it’s easy to become embroiled in Frank’s life. Relatively unknown actor Richard Coyle doesn’t look at all out of place, and audiences will be able to laugh at his interactions with Tony, fear for his fate at the hands of a Serbian drug mob and sympathise with his dwindling romance with Flo (Deyn).
Prior to seeing the film, the knowledge that model Agyness Deyn was appearing as Frank’s strong-willed stripper girlfriend, gave me some doubts, and I probably wasn’t alone. However, Deyn excellently diverted from these preconceptions, as she is certainly a real scene-stealer on numerous occasions with a powerful, emotional performance.
One actor to reprise his role from Winding Refn’s 1996 original is Zlatko Buric, who plays the Serbian drug lord Milo, a strange character to work out. Moments of pure comedy are contrasted with genuine moments of haunting evil and disgust. Buric is outstanding in this role, as his character’s dialogue contrats with his bubbly expression and cheerful voice, which has Frank as confused as to whether he can trust this powerful, yet slightly deranged mob boss.
PUSHER is also is one of the most intense cinematic experiences in recent years, helped along by the film’s bass heavy soundtrack (provided by electronic duo Orbital). Numerous nightclub scenes will leave viewers’ heads ringing as if they’re actually submerged in a dingy London club with the drug mule characters.
Overall, PUSHER is one of the surprise packages of 2012. Prieto took on a tough task, aiming to remake a cult classic in Winding Refn’s original. However, this English-language remake is certainly a captivating piece of British cinema about the importance of paying for drugs up front.
Oh, and not doing drugs.
PUSHER arrives in UK cinemas 12th October.
Tom Fordy is a writer and journalist. Originally from Bristol, he now lives in London. He is a former editor of The Hollywood News and Loaded magazine. He also contributes regularly to The Telegraph, Esquire Weekly and numerous others. Follow him @thetomfordy.
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