2 Movies Like The Hit (1984)

Staff & contributors

, 1996

Films about drug dealing aren't particularly new, but the way Pusher delves into their lives feels different– more realistic than glamorous, somewhat like a guerrilla documentary, with the handheld camera as a silent, unnamed witness. As the camera follows low-level dealer Frank through the course of a week, Kim Bodnia skillfully garners empathy with the way he holds himself through the pressure, and does the opposite when he does the same wrongs that were done to him. The story itself may be simple, but writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn made his mark through this debut, inadvertently creating a franchise and influencing Danish cinema.

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama

Actor: Gordon Kennedy, Gyda Hansen, Jesper Lohmann, Karsten Schrøder, Kim Bodnia, Lars Bom, Laura Drasbæk, Levino Jensen, Lisbeth Rasmussen, Liv Corfixen, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Hasselflug, Nicolas Winding Refn, Peter Andersson, Slavko Labović, Thomas Bo Larsen, Vanja Bajicic, Zlatko Burić

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

In this raw, psychedelic drama, an American drug dealer living in Tokyo with his sister is killed at a night club. His spirit continues to float above the city and past, present, and future are woven together to complete the tale of his life. Taking a page from the Tibetan book of the dead, the film aims to explore one answer to life's most epic question: What happens when we die? Definitely not for the faint of heart, there is drug use, gore, and challenging themes throughout the movie. Its unique cinematography also captures Tokyo quite well.

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Actor: Cyril Roy, Ed Spear, Emiko Takeuchi, Emily Alyn Lind, Janice Béliveau-Sicotte, Jesse Kuhn, Masato Tanno, Nathaniel Brown, Nobu Imai, Olly Alexander, Paz de la Huerta, Sakiko Fukuhara, Sara Stockbridge

Director: Gaspar Noé

Rating: Not Rated