4. “I’m the Angel of Death: Pusher III” (2005)
“I’m not a crime buff in any way, but I am interested in people, the sociological aspect. With gangsters, it’s life or death which intensifies the drama.” Refn says in the documentary “Gambler.” And that just may be the secret to the “Pusher” films: he’s not interested in checking off the same tropes that many filmmakers employ in this genre. And partially because of that, each chapter works as a satisfying standalone picture while also adding to the greater whole. In the final entry in the series, Refn focuses on Milo (Zlatko Buric), the drug lord who is the only character to show up in all three films, in what is basically a feature-length version of the famous coke-and-helicopters sequence in “Goodfellas.” And if your palms are getting sweaty with anxiety just thinking about that notion, then the film may not be your cup of tea, but those willing to stick with it to the brutal, gory end (though the filmmaker shows a knack for the subliminal here and the viewer thinks they see more than they actually do) are in for a treat, as it builds to a pitch-perfect climax. The film takes place over a 24-hour period as Milo prepares a birthday party for his daughter (she’s turning 25, but gives new meaning to the term princess complex). He is also trying to stay clean (he attends several Narcotics Anonymous meetings) and to navigate the ever-changing drug business. As much as Milo has to juggle, Refn has more and yet keeps it all in balance; while things get seriously bleak, we abound in reasons to empathize with Milo, yet the character is never let off this hook, making “Pusher 3” a more complex and characterful film than Refn has been wont to make of late.
3. “Bronson” (2008)
At some point, Michael Gordon Peterson (played by a magnetic, frequently nude Tom Hardy), notoriously known as the most violent and expensive (due to his part in a massive prison riot) prisoner in the history of the English penal system, decided to adopt his “fighting name” of Charles Bronson, after the American action-film star; the movie about his life is similarly assaultive. This is Refn at his most operatically full-tilt, unerringly violent, gorgeously photographed, laugh-out-loud funny and embroidered with animation, slow motion that’s so slow it borders on still photography, and an attempted murder sequence scored to the Pet Shop Boys‘ giddy “It’s a Sin.” At a crackling 92 minutes, the film whizzes by on the bravado of the gonzo performance by Hardy, exceptional on every level, and the equally bravura direction by Refn. In England, where the movie was first released, the critics were both more up in arms at the film’s content and more enthusiastic about the final product (one critic, quoted on the poster, called it this generation’s “A Clockwork Orange”). When the film finally came to America, it had a small theatrical release and most reviewers simply shrugged, unsure of what to make of its muscular strangeness. This reception will probably be revised as the film is discovered by a wider audience for being the movie that launched Tom Hardy’s career as though out of a cannon, and marked the opening salvo in a new, higher-profile phase of Refn’s. It seems destined for cult appreciation and, for once, completely deserving of every new fan it wins.
2. “With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II” (2004)
The middle chapter in “The Pusher Trilogy” follows its most pathetic character, yet it’s the strongest film of the series, and the darkest in tone and consequences. It’s Mads Mikkelsen‘s impeccable performance that nudges this entry ahead of the other instalments — he’s back as Tonny, the wannabe big-timer junkie and all-around social misfit with RESPECT tattooed on the back of his shaved head, who is treated with anything but. Last time we saw him in the first film, he was taking the beating of a lifetime from ex-buddy and partner. Frank (Kim Bodnia). In ‘With Blood on My Hands‘, we pick up with him leaving prison and attempting to get back in the game, but his unloving Pops ain’t too keen on having Tonny around, even before he discovers that he has a baby son. The birth of the director’s first child no doubt played a big part in shaping the narrative and themes of this middle chapter, as well as his debts from the failure of “Fear X” and it makes ‘Pusher 2′ a great example of a genre film made personal, stamped with the director’s DNA and life experience, but never letting that overwhelm the characters. And again, we have to give it up to Mikkelsen, a fantastic performer (unlike Tonny, who has one of the most embarrassing sex scenes ever put on film) with a kind of scorching charisma and intensity that means you can’t stop watching even when you want to. And being as the ‘Pusher’ films are all about mounting anxiety over a short period of time, and the tension can become so nearly unbearable that you might very well want to, it’s mark of just how confident Mikkelsen and Refn are here, that together they ensure that you cannot.
1. “Drive” (2011)
It happens only rarely, even in the careers of top-tier auteur directors, that a film feels not just masterful but actually definitive. Somehow, giving the hardboiled crime drama a comprehensive retooling as synth-pop, neon-drenched ’70s and ’80s-indebted noir, Refn managed to do just that with “Drive” which is very much his most fully realized film to date, and his most effortlessly cool. The slim story follows unchatty getaway driver, Ryan Gosling, who becomes unexpectedly involved in the life of his beautiful neighbor, Carey Mulligan and her jailbird husband, played by pre-megastardom Oscar Isaac. The simplicity of the lean premise feels more evocative than empty, and the broken romanticism of the slick, hot-pink and electric blue aesthetic along with the fetishizable cars and costumes (scorpion jacket!), as well as the understated but touching love story, somehow compensate for the lack of narrative complexity. It’s not exactly original in its separate elements: virtually every plot beat has been deployed somewhere before in the oeuvres of Michael Mann, Walter Hill and William Friedkin. But somehow, Refn repackages those elements to feel fresh, with the fine performances (Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks proving particular highlights), grotesque violence and glorious style melding into a film that looks, feels and sounds — here it is on our Best Soundtracks of the 21st Century list — startlingly different, and yes, definitive. Which in turn makes “Drive,” itself a loving homage to films gone before, likely to be one of the most frequently ripped off and stylistically influentials films in recent memory.
It being Refn, it wouldn’t be right if you wholly agreed with our rankings — he would certainly be disappointed if he didn’t inspire some argument, so shout out your own in the comments below.
–With contributions from Christopher Bell, Kimber Myers, Drew Taylor & Matthew Newlin
