Pusher 2012

Milo, an aging Serbian drug lord, attends a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. The five-days-clean Milo admits that the stress of preparing for his daughter’s 25th birthday party could push him back toward old habits. He leaves the meeting with his henchman Branko to collect a drug shipment, only to discover the cargo is 10,000 ecstasy pills instead of heroin. Seeking an explanation, Milo meets with his Albanian supplier Luan, who agrees to send a new heroin shipment and also allows Milo to try selling the ecstasy.

After a tense conversation with his demanding daughter Milena, Milo returns to the club kitchen to cook for the party. He forces his henchmen to sample his cooking, and meets his associate Little Muhammed, who drops off the daily haul. Muhammed is blunt about respecting younger hoods like himself, and proclaims himself the:

“King of Copenhagen”

Milo’s lack of knowledge about ecstasy means he needs Muhammed to set up a buyer, but when all of his men fall ill from the feast’s cooking, Milo must rely on Muhammed to seal a sale and return within an hour.

During the party, Milo balances multiple duties—mingling with guests, tending to the food, and trying to reach Muhammed. While buying wine at an underground shop, he learns Milena’s boyfriend, Mike, is really a drug dealer. Milo forces Mike to accept him as his sole supplier, and he haggles with Milena over price. Waiting for an emergency fish delivery, Milo runs into Kurt the Cunt, a low-level dealer who hands him some heroin. A fleeting rush follows as Milo smokes it, and with four hours passing without word from Muhammed, he reaches out to a corrupt cop who promises to locate him.

When Milo meets with Luan to explain that he has lost the ecstasy and needs more time, the Albanians press him into a partnership. Rexho, an Albanian criminal, and a Polish pimp arrive to push a young girl into prostitution. Milo tries to distance himself, but Rexho treats him as a subordinate, demanding that he serve their guests with food and drink, and the pimp tricks Milo into snorting speed as a prank.

The plan to sell the girl to Jeanette, a local brothel operator, falls through when Jeanette refuses, sensing the girl may be underage. Milo gives the girl a piece of his daughter’s birthday cake after she reveals that it is her birthday as well. When Rexho leaves, the girl tries to flee, and Milo helps corner her. The pimp responds with boiling water on the girl’s hand, sparking Milo’s fury. He pummels the pimp to death with a hammer, and then kills Rexho when the Albanian returns.

A corrupt cop delivers Muhammed to Milo in the trunk of his car, warning him not to hurt Muhammed. With few options left, Milo turns to his old ally Radovan, who has left the underworld to run a successful kebab restaurant. Radovan agrees to help one last time, guiding Milo through Muhammed’s torture. Muhammed reveals that the ecstasy Milo received were fake pills. Milo and Radovan place Muhammed in a freezer and begin to dismantle the two corpses for disposal.

As dawn breaks, Milo returns home and speaks with Milena. She wonders why he vanished during the party, then goes to bed. Milo steps into the backyard, lights a cigarette, and gazes at the empty swimming pool, facing his fractured world and the consequences of the night’s violence.