PUSHER

Drug dealer Frank experiences the worst week of his life when a heroin deal falls through and he is left with a hefty debt with Balkan drug baron Milo. Frank struggles to pay back the money as the pressure from the ruthless drug lord only intensifies. His growing desperation spirals out of control when nothing goes according to plan and Frank has to face the dire consequences of his self-inflicted plight. When Pusher was released in 1996, the film's portrayal of the Copenhagen underworld was so raw and realistic that there were persistent rumours that the then largely unknown cast had actually taken drugs on set. Everything has changed now: lead actor Mads Mikkelsen, who made his debut with Pusher, is now one of the greatest European actors of his generation. Director Nicolas Winding Refn was only 25 years old and a self-taught filmmaker when he made his reputation overnight with Pusher in 1996.