Pusher II

"The experience of Pusher had been a bitter one for Nicolas Winding Refn, who went on to make Bleeder and Inside Job, both of which, particularly the latter, were commercial failures. The idea of making a sequel to Pusher was driven by two motivations. On the one hand, the filmmaker wanted to start afresh, revisiting material from his first feature film, and sought to have complete control by setting up his own production company. He explains: ‘The film (Pusher) sold very poorly and I managed to convince myself that I’d be able to do better. At worst, if it didn’t work out, I’d only have myself to blame. It would be a very good lesson. What’s more, I had a hunch that if you want to make films, there are two things you need to learn properly: how to write and how to distribute the film well. And as I’m no expert in either field, I needed to understand the rules of this world.’ (Press kit provided by The Jokers, 2025). On the other hand, the production debt associated with Inside Job spurred him to bounce back. With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II reprises the setting and filming methods of Pusher, but you can sense Refn’s desire to leave a stronger personal mark, notably through a disillusioned view of existence and a violence that reflects the protagonists’ distress; distancing himself from the supposed amateurism of his former co-screenwriter. Mads Mikkelsen plays the lead role in this instalment, portraying Tonny, who had a rough time in Pusher." (Gérard Crespo; avoir-alire.com)