Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
PUSHER (2012)Movie Reviews
Thriller about a drug dealer who grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal lands him in the merciless clutches of a ruthless crime lord. Cast:Richard Coyle, Bronson Webb, Agyness Deyn, Mem Ferda, Zlatko Buric, Paul Kaye, Bill Thomas, Neil Maskell, Daisy Lewis, Ray Callaghan, Badria Timimi, Adam Foster, Richard Shanks, Shend, Joanna HoleDirector:Luis PrietoRelease Date:October 26, 2012DVD Release:June 25, 2013From:Radius-TWCRating:RLength:1 hr 27 min
Pusher (2012), Good (Not Great) Reviews Key Cities
Pusher (2012) played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...reasonably entertaining... embraces two cliches without examining them or making the case for them... it becomes a moral exercise, not a drama." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...much glossier, more bright-lights-big-city, and less jolting than the gritty 1996 original.... Best part: Colorful Croatian-Danish actor Zlatko Buri´ reprises his role..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 10/26/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if we haven't caught on from earlier films that drug pushing is a thankless persuasion, maybe this is the movie that will pound in the lesson."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 10/26/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "...all of the shooting and depravity and beatings and murders feel a little hollow.... the product itself is a bright, brittle package of nothing."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 10/23/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "There's an ugly, jittery beauty to 'Pusher'... One of its satisfactions is how Mr. Prieto deploys Frank to play gently with our love of on-screen criminality."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 10/26/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "There's only one reason to see Luis Prieto's slick but mostly pointless remake of the drug thriller... to discover intensely charismatic British actor Richard Coyle."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 10/26/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...undercuts most everything that made the original distinctive, its tangy, pungent sense of low-lifes and their environment swept away for a glam, stylized world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 10/26/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "Luis Prieto does what he can to keep things roaring along, but the overall effect is not a lot more stimulating than your average diet cola."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 186 words, 10/26/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if we haven't caught on from earlier films that drug pushing is a thankless persuasion, maybe this is the movie that will pound in the lesson."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 10/26/12
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a watered-down and superfluous redo... faithfully mimics Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 Danish crime saga while missing its nasty, grungy spirit."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 10/24/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Prieto has watched a bit too much Guy Ritchie, and favours flash over substance when it comes to plot and character development."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 11/09/12
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Refn's original worked because it treated careworn crime-movie cliché from the inside out.... Prieto's is peddling old product in a new baggie."(See all of Geoff Pevere's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 11/09/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...all handheld cameras, crisp editing and pounding music.... as slick as Prieto makes the production, he never quite pulls it out from under Winding Refn's shadow."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 11/08/12
KEY CITIES (4 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...watchable, if cliched... Luis Prieto tells the tale well enough... we're pushed into a corner, too, left to cheer someone simply because there's really no one else to root for."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 10/26/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Fast-moving, stylish and gritty, but also predictable... it boasts an intriguing protagonist in Frank, played by Richard Coyle with a grim determination..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 10/26/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...reasonably entertaining... embraces two cliches without examining them or making the case for them... it becomes a moral exercise, not a drama."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 10/26/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: MODERATE(cg) "...dirty, dangerous and downright stupid.... The problem here is that Frank is neither likable nor very bright. For the most part, you're thinking, go ahead, bust his kneecaps."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 10/26/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...a watered-down and superfluous redo... faithfully mimics Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 Danish crime saga while missing its nasty, grungy spirit."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 184 words, 10/24/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The eponymous character's dilemma still plays, packaged in a drum-tight 90 minutes, but only the subtitle-averse have any reason to see it."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 10/25/12
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant: WEAK(cg) "...thoughtless and hollow.... a completely formulaic effort that hinges on the liberal borrowing of tropes and scenarios from better genre films."(See all of Glenn Heath Jr.'s reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 10/22/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...all handheld cameras, crisp editing and pounding music.... as slick as Prieto makes the production, he never quite pulls it out from under Winding Refn's shadow."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 11/08/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "There's an ugly, jittery beauty to 'Pusher'... One of its satisfactions is how Mr. Prieto deploys Frank to play gently with our love of on-screen criminality."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 10/26/12
Joel Arnold, NPR: FAIR "...a heavy and moralistic throwback... the rushed and incoherent ending that the film forces on its protagonist doesn't line up with any of his previous actions."(See all of Joel Arnold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 10/25/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...undercuts most everything that made the original distinctive, its tangy, pungent sense of low-lifes and their environment swept away for a glam, stylized world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 10/26/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...the exploits of a coke-slinging low-life get a flashy English-lingo facelift... a case of 'pimp my pic' that does little to boost what's under the hood."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 06/22/12
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...struggles to rise above standard drug dealer/gangster fare and succeeds, but only in part, thanks to its strong cast lead by Richard Coyle."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 03/20/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...undercuts most everything that made the original distinctive, its tangy, pungent sense of low-lifes and their environment swept away for a glam, stylized world."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 198 words, 10/26/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "There's an ugly, jittery beauty to 'Pusher'... One of its satisfactions is how Mr. Prieto deploys Frank to play gently with our love of on-screen criminality."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 10/26/12
12.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Pusher (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 12.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Pusher (2012) (21 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Pusher (2012)'s reviews cover 30.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,522 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 406 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Pusher (2012)'s reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Pusher (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Pusher (2012) (21 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
