The Pusher Trilogy: Limited Edition – Second Sight Films (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Dates: Denmark, 1996 (Pusher), Denmark, 2004 (Pusher II), Denmark, 2005 (Pusher III)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III)
Cast: Kim Bodnia, Zlatko Buric, Laura Drasbæk, Slavko Labovic, Mads Mikkelsen, Peter Andersson (Pusher), Mads Mikkelsen, Leif Sylvester, Anne Sørensen, Øyvind Hagen-Traberg, Kurt Nielsen, Karsten Schrøder, Maria Erwolter (Pusher II), Zlatko Burić, Marinela Dekić, Slavko Labović, Ilyas Agac (Pusher III)

Release Date: September 15th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 109 Minutes 51 Seconds (Pusher), 100 Minutes 4 Seconds (Pusher II), 107 Minutes 53 Seconds (Pusher III)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: Dolby Atmos Danish (Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III), DTS-HD 5.1 Danish (Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III)
Subtitles: English (Pusher, Pusher II, Pusher III)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £41.99 (UK)

Pusher: "A gang of mid-level criminals navigate Copenhagen’s gritty underworld after a drug deal goes wrong." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Pusher II: "Fresh from jail, a criminal vows to leave his past behind following the birth of his first child, but getting out of the life isn’t so easy when you’re born into it." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Pusher III: "An aging drug dealer and addict struggles to come to terms with his life choices while a new criminal starts making waves in the underworld." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Pusher II, Pusher III), 4.5/5 (Pusher)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "New 4K restorations by Director Nicolas Winding Refn."

Pusher comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 93 GB

Feature: 52.5 GB (Pusher), 40 GB (Mellem Venner)

Pusher II comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.2 GB

Feature: 46.3 GB (Pusher II), 41.8 GB (Call Girl Centralen "Villa Vennely”)

Pusher III comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.4 GB

Feature: 49.8 GB (Pusher III), 41.6 GB (Stenbroens "Helte")

Although the source for each film looks excellent, I would give a slight edge to Pusher II and Pusher III over Pusher. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: (All Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with two audio options, a Dolby Atmos mix in Danish and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Danish. Besides Danish, other languages spoken in these films include Serbian, Polish, Albanian, and English. All of the audio tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. That said, the Dolby Atmos tracks far exceeded my expectations. Included are removable English subtitles for all dialogue spoken in Danish.

Extras:

Extras on the disc with Pusher include an audio commentary with Nicolas Winding Refn and Peter Bradshaw for Pusher and a 4K restoration of Poul Nyrup’s Mellem Venner (91 minutes 10 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Danish with removable English subtitles).

Extras on the disc with Pusher II include an audio commentary with Nicolas Winding Refn and Catherine Shoard for Pusher II; Gambler, a documentary about Nicolas Winding Refn’s career being at a crossroads after Fear X and how that led to Pusher II (81 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital 5.1 Danish with removable English subtitles); and a 4K restoration of Poul Nyrup’s Call Girl Centralen "Villa Vennely” (93 minutes 23 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Danish with removable English subtitles).

Extras on the disc with Pusher III include an audio commentary with Nicolas Winding Refn and Alan Jones for Pusher III and a 4K restoration of Poul Nyrup’s Stenbroens "Helte" (97 minutes 27 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Danish with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a rigid slipcase, 5 collectors' art cards, and a 120-page book with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Between Heaven and Hell, Life and Movies: How Nicolas Winding Refn Located the Pusher Trilogy written by Jamie Graham, an essay titled Postering Under Pressure: Pretence and Playing in Pusher written by Nadine Whitney, an essay titled Blood on Our Hands: The Inherently Violent Masculinity of Pusher II written by Justin LaLiberty, an essay titled Fatherhood in the Pusher Trilogy written by Ariel Power-Schaub, an essay titled A Danish Gangster Film? Don’t You Mean Scandi-Noir?: A Dive into the Danish Underworld Expertly Documented in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Pusher Trilogy written by Janine Pipe, and an excerpt from Scandinavian Blue by Jack Stevenson on the films of Poul Nyrup titled Nymphomania; Call Girls; Heroes.

Mellem Venner: A gang of youths celebrate the recent release from prison of one of their friends. Although they have remained out of the law enforcement crosshairs, their friend's short temper ultimately brings them down.

Call Girl Centralen "Villa Vennely”: A group of delinquent friends convince an old woman to rent them her house, and they use it as a brothel and a gambling house.

Stenbroens "Helte": Looking for the right scheme to enrich themselves, delinquent thieves bring attention to their crimes when they kill a man during a robbery.

Mellem Venner, Call Girl Centralen "Villa Vennely," and Stenbroens "Helte" are Poul Nyrup’s complete output as a director. All three of these are films about delinquent youths who have no regard for law and order, and their only goal is to have a good time. Although all three films fit firmly into exploitation cinema, they do interject some social commentary and well-placed moments of humor. Another thing that binds these three films is how they share a lot of the same cast.

All three films are shot and edited well; the visuals do an excellent job heightening mood, while the editing ensures that things never drag or disrupt momentum. Despite all of their similarities, the weakest of these three films is Call Girl Centralen "Villa Vennely"; it is the least structured of the three films, and it feels like a lot of what occurs was improvised. Of the other two films, I would give the edge to Mellem Venner because its ending hits hardest of these three films. Ultimately, this trio of films from Poul Nyrup gives an unfiltered glimpse into juvenile delinquent crime in 1960s Denmark.

Summary:

Nicolas Winding Refn directed Pusher, Pusher II, and Pusher III. He’s known for Drive, Only God Forgives, and The Neon Demon.

Pusher: A low-level drug dealer finds himself in over his head. When his creditors come to collect, they leave him with few options.

Pusher II: A criminal recently released from prison quickly returns to his old ways, and a drug deal gone wrong forces him to take extreme measures in a world of kill or be killed.

Pusher III: An aging drug lord takes on a product he’s unfamiliar with, and an associate double-crosses him while he tries to navigate things for his daughter’s birthday party.

Pusher, like the two films that follow it, is filled with double crosses and betrayals as each film's protagonist tries to navigate through the world of underworld crime. Although the three films that make up the Pusher trilogy are connected thematically and have characters that link them, stylistically Pusher differs from its two successors. Pusher utilizes natural lighting and handheld cameras, creating a documentary-like atmosphere that enhances the authenticity of the unfolding events. While Pusher, Pusher II, and Pusher III share core elements, the visual style of the latter two films is notably more polished.

The aspect that stands out while watching the Pusher trilogy is its unfiltered portrayal of the world it depicts. These are not likable characters; they are not living glamorous lives, and they are devoid of empathy. All of their narratives revolve around characters who fall into familiar trappings, which ultimately put their lives in danger. Another thing that these films share in spades is their brutal depiction of violence.

All around the acting is outstanding, especially each film's lead: Kim Bodnia (Pusher), in the role of a low-level drug dealer named Frank; Mads Mikkelsen (Pusher II), in the role of Tony, Frank’s right-hand man who's recently been released from prison; and Zlatko Buric (Pusher III), in the role of an aging drug lord named Milo. That said, as amazing as the performances are, the real star of these three films is Nicolas Winding Refn, whose exemplary direction has a kinetic energy that greatly enhances the mood. Although the visuals may lack the stylish flair of his later films, it is important to note that he still manages to create a significant number of striking moments. That said, each film stands extremely well on its own, and it is a rare example of a trilogy where all subsequent films are as impressive as the first film.

The Pusher trilogy gets an exceptional release from Second Sight Films that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation, and it comes with three bonus films and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer