Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands

Name: Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: August 18, 2006
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 78

2006

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Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: August 18, 2006 | Not Rated

Summary: Pusher II tells the story of Tonny, a crook from the Copenhagen underworld whose previous run-in with a baseball bat has left his mind addled and unreliable. Having just been released from prison, Tonny tries to bring order to his life and gain the respect of his father, the Duke, a notorious gangster who appears to have nothing butPusher II tells the story of Tonny, a crook from the Copenhagen underworld whose previous run-in with a baseball bat has left his mind addled and unreliable. Having just been released from prison, Tonny tries to bring order to his life and gain the respect of his father, the Duke, a notorious gangster who appears to have nothing but contempt for his son. Tonny soon learns that nothing in this new life comes easy. Trying to repay a debt held over from prison, he makes misstep after misstep, running further afoul of the Duke. On top of it all, Tonny must contribute to the upbringing of a baby boy which may or may not be his own. Battling the scorn of all around him as well as his own drug-fueled delirium, Tonny must forge a path toward some form of redemption, or perish in the attempt. [Magnolia Pictures]… Expand

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

Robert Abele

The introduction of a baby that Tonny supposedly fathered feels worrisome initially...but in Refn's skilled street-realist hands, the child becomes a potent, wailing metaphor for Tonny's own dilemma of rudderless need. Read full review

Nathan Lee

Where "Pusher" worked fresh texture and authenticity into a classic noir template, Pusher II reaches toward the mode of hyperrealist allegory perfected by the Dardenne brothers. Read full review

David Edelstein

Each film in Nicolas Winding Refn's mesmerizingly brutal Pusher trilogy can stand on its own, but it's fun to see all three and observe the way the bad guys in one become the sympathetic heroes (or anti-heroes) in another. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

There’s some shocking violence in Pusher II, but it’s a more expressive cinematic work, verging here and there on dreamlike surrealism. Read full review

Noel Murray

Pusher II works best when it's dwelling on the disconnect between Mikkelsen's lurid imagination and his disappointing reality, though it starts to fade when it becomes about the strained relationships of fathers and sons. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

[Refn] mixes jittery hand-held camerawork, improvised dialogue and available light to create a nightmarish world of sex, drugs and horrific brutality that will turn off many viewers while delighting others. Read full review

Deborah Young

Along with the continual build-up of tension and threatened (more than shown) violence, pic is notable for its brutal depiction of the sex industry. Read full review

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Nesbitt10

Nov 9, 2014

After Refn made an unsuccessful English-language debut with 2003's "Fear X," he returned to Denmark to shoot parts two and three of "The Pusher Trilogy." But the new films aren't a continuation, and the layoff didn't dull Refn's ability to tell an engaging crime story. In "Pusher 2: WithAfter Refn made an unsuccessful English-language debut with 2003's "Fear X," he returned to Denmark to shoot parts two and three of "The Pusher Trilogy." But the new films aren't a continuation, and the layoff didn't dull Refn's ability to tell an engaging crime story. In "Pusher 2: With Blood On My Hands," the film explores a drug-dealer’s former sidekick as he deals with new challenges in the world of crime, drugs, and becoming a father.

Frank's ex-sidekick from the first film, Tonny, wonderfully played by Mads Mikkelsen is fresh out of prison. Tonny is eager to prove his worth as earner and son to his crime boss father (Leif Sylvester Petersen), known as the Duke. Routinely called a loser by everyone he knows -- he practically invites abuse by sporting a tattooed "respect" on the back of his bald head. Tonny also tries to ingratiate himself with his recalcitrant father (Leif Sylvester Petersen), who can hardly trust him with anything. The back-breaking straw is the appearance of a baby that Tonny's old non-girlfriend (Anne Sorensen) claims is his. The bitterness and betrayal mounts as Tonny begins to wonder if he should rewrite his life, and the fate of the neglected infant.

At its core, the film about is about broken families and serves as a stark reminder of the lasting effects on our actions can have on future generations. Tonny's entire life has been spent on only one thing: trying to gain the approval of his father. And not only that he learns on his release that he is very likely the father of a baby boy, one so neglected by his junkie mother that he hasn't even been given a name yet. Refn is painting a bleak picture of a child without a chance. He is in complete control behind the camera, but this film belongs purely and simply to Mikkelsen. He is absolutely stunning, flawlessly embodying the insecurities and desire that drives Tonny. Against all odds, Tonny becomes a sympathetic hero in an increasingly tragic tale. It's not hard to spot the need that drives his self-destructive behaviour: it's practically written all over his face - or at least the back of his head.… Expand

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