Bleeder

So I travel from Sweden to Copenhagen to see a movie, paying about 15 bucks for the trip, and another 10 for the movie. 25 bucks for a movie???? Was it worth it????

Damn right it was, this is Nicholas Winding Refn´s second feature, and after his masterful debut: Pusher I really had my hopes up. And boy was it good.

The tempo is a little slower than Pusher, but it really suits the movie. It´s got great dialogue that kinda reminded me of Clerks in some places, especially the scenes in the videostore. The theme of the movie in my mind is about men, and our problems with talking to each other and to women. Sure there are scenes with really disturbing and realistic violence. But I feel it has more in common with John Cassavettes, than Abel Ferrara and Martin Scorsese that I think were refn inspirations for Pusher.

The actors are brilliant all around, especially Mads Mikkelsen who does a fantastic performance as a filmgeek, with major problems when it comes to talking and being around girls. And Kim Bodnia gives a really introspective performance that proves his status as one of europe´s if not the whole worlds best actors.

All in all a very powerful, and intense movie that is a must see

As much as I enjoyed the super-hyped Dogma movies 'Festen', and 'Mifune', going by 'Bleeder' the real Danish director to watch is Nicolas Refn. He's an exciting talent, and will probably give Lars Von Trier a run for his money in a few films time. 'Bleeder' features a superb performance from Kim Bodnia ('Nattevagten'). He plays Leo, a guy who on the surface seems pretty normal, but who begins to crack up after his girlfriend Louise (Rikke Louise Andersson) unexpectedly announces her pregnancy, and he witnesses a shooting. This begins a descent into a living hell. The movie's bleak and depressing world view is balanced by the bittersweet sub-plot concerning video nerd Lenny (Mads Mikkelsen), and his attempt to "get a life". The scenes showing Lenny working in a to-die-for video store will make most film buffs drool! Lenny rattles off the stores inventory in a funny scene, and the movie is full of film talk from Lindsay Anderson to Fred Williamson, and even includes clips from William Lustig's exploitation classics 'Maniac' and 'Vigilante'. Refn definitely knows his stuff! 'Bleeder' is a powerful and unforgettable movie comparable to the films of Gaspar Noe ('I Stand Alone', 'Irreversible') and Gary Oldman's 'Nil by Mouth'. Depressing yes, but highly recommended viewing.

This movie is dark and real.Its about a man who has nothing to live for.And it only gets worse.This is the movie that makes you think about how good your life actually is and that there is a lot of people who have it worse.Thanks to another great performance by Kim Bodnia this movie will stick with you for days.

When Nicolas Winding Refn gets Zlatko Buric, Mads Mikkelsen and Kim Bodnia together a good movie is a must. Please, disregard narrow IMDb genre classification of the film as "Horror" or "Thriller" as it is the way the movie looks to some five year old child who has not understood anything seen. This art work is a modern life drama colored by David Lynch camera and portrayed by spirit of Bunuel. Excellent art work by well known Danish film school. I said "modern" drama since the movie is getting into the core of the present social structure of the modern world. It shows a depressive slice of our little lives that are being cultivated in silence of violence, loneliness, alienation and lost life course, leading to self-destruction. Dark as our presence. One more good job for Nicolas Winding Refn.

A complete surprise. Had no idea what I was getting into. As fine as anything by Scorcese, with some similarities to Taxi Driver. An enormous breath of fresh air compared to the awful Hollywood machine. The scenes are real, intense, sometimes violent, always moving. Geniune. This film maker is the real thing. The acting is impeccable. I personally don't care much for symbolism, meta-cinema or the like, but instead prefer a real and dramatic experience. This movie provides all of the above--and that is a rare treat. Someone compared this to Kubrick--there is some of that but what is really different here is the emotion. Kubrick is always (or almost always) dry, sterile, unemotional, stiff. Bleeder is moving--it even at times has some of the emotionalism of a melodrama, but it always remains a drama.