With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II

Mads Mikkelsen rocks again. This time he's here as the biggest bum, lackey and fool, and yet he wins you over. Unlike Frank from the first Pusher, who everything depended on, Tonny just sits back passively, trying make some money. Overall, it's a slightly weaker sequel, but the ending is much stronger and really improves the overall impression. (10/31/2010)

The second Pusher stands out for its greater passivity – Mikkelsen's Tonny was already in the flow of events and "patterns" in the first film. This becomes fatal to him in a story imbued with a certain perverted junkie "Oedipism". Mads is fascinating, locked within himself and heading for the final tragic gesture of purity amidst the filth. Tragic because it's a gesture that leads nowhere – there's no escape. In this sense, more radical and closed than the first film, which seemed to be moving away from the hopelessness a little after all. (10/26/2010)

Compared to the first one, there are stronger social themes (whether it's the complicated relationship with the father or the overall complicated "personal rehabilitation" after returning from prison) and the main character is not as easy to read as in the first one. Because of these differences, Refn broaches a much more powerful social drama, with mafia activities playing second fiddle. In fact, it is not the desire for mammon itself that is at the forefront, but rather a deep personal need for recognition from immediate family. (06/26/2019)

Refn's anti-hero is willing to do anything to survive, but he certainly is not a drug dealer. More like a petty criminal, a car thief with a little bit of luck. He's unnecessarily impulsive, unbalanced, weak, and helpless, and without life perspectives and emotional support. Refn's work is mainly associated with the title Drive, which is an atmospheric overseas thriller with a mysterious and invincible hero. This film represents its nonchalant European counterpart, but surprisingly, in my eyes, it is a bit better. It is, so to speak, true to life. This unadorned and unromantic image of the gallery is much more convincing. Additionally, Refn has the virtuoso actor Mads Mikkelsen at his disposal, who is a chameleon in his roles. I have had the opportunity to see him in costume roles, as an elegant gentleman or as a devilish Bond villain. Now I watched him as a tattooed thug with a sense for choosing the worst possible solutions. Overall impression: 70%. (09/01/2015)

In the first Pusher movie, there is an intriguing side character played by Mads Mikkelsen, which the second installment develops in depth. He has a crucial relationship with his father and difficult relationships with women. And the omnipresent cocaine, crime and gangsters. Few other characters from the first part appear here, and only for a moment to connect the stories. The first part was a gangster movie, the second part is a social drama set in the world of gangsters, shocking and psychologically poignant in the best Scandinavian tradition. (06/27/2016)