The Best Indie Crime Trilogy You've Never Heard Of (NO SPOILERS)

Before Drive, before Bronson, and before Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn made his directorial debut with Pusher (1996), a raw, gritty crime thriller that would evolve into a full-fledged trilogy. These Danish crime films (Pusher, Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands, and Pusher III: I’m the Angel of Death) deliver a relentless, anxiety-inducing look into the dark underbelly of Copenhagen’s criminal world.

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In this video essay, I dive deep into the Pusher trilogy’s documentary-style cinematography, its intense, naturalistic performances, and its unflinching portrayal of crime’s harsh realities. Each film takes a different perspective—following Frank (Kim Bodnia), Tonny (Mads Mikkelsen in an early breakout role), and Milo (Zlatko Burić) as they navigate their own spirals of destruction. If you love tense crime dramas like Uncut Gems or The Wire, these films are a must-watch.

0:00 - Introduction
1:41 - Pusher
7:38 - Pusher II
11:28 - Pusher III
14:47 - Final Thoughts