Bleeder (Wide Screen) [DVD] [2000]

I really liked previous reviewer Endless Mike's thought about "Pusher" being Danish "Mean Streets" and "Bleeder" being Danish "Taxi Driver". Although I haven't seen "Pusher" yet, now I guess I can make up my mind about it, well sort of. And now I'm definately after this film because "Bleeder" proved to be rather solid, thoughtful and mind-blowing experience. De Niro's Travis Bickle was a war vet, and character of Leo in "Bleeder" is deforming mentally in our peaceful times which is more terrible as I think.

First thing you notice when watching is that all the main characters' names begin with L: Leo, Lenni, Lea, Louis, Louise... Haven't figured out yet what Nicolas Refn was alluding to, but maybe I will.

"Bleeder" is one of those recent European movies telling everything is not quite OK in cozy and trouble-free Europe. Actually everything is very-very wrong. "Man Bites Dog", "Funny Games", "Trouble Every Day", "In My Skin" and Lars von Trier's (also Danish) "The Idiots" demonstrate a dangerous tendency - in the epoch of a total progress people don't need each other anymore. They all exist in their small strange worlds by themselves hence alienation and all sorts of derangements. When I said that thay don't need each other I meant all the external factors. Actually people crave communication, friendship and love, but as they unlearned to communicate they are bound to be lonely mostly. And loneliness gives birth to various kinds of perversions and mental illnesses within a man. People don't know how to get acquainted anymore, they don't understand each other at all, everyone seems to be all alone in this world. There's a brilliant scene in "Bleeder" when Lenni tries to talk to a girl he likes. Their dialog is extremely funny and at the same time very sad, because you realise it's all true. Lenni doesn't know what to talk about to a girl, seems like he sees a female for the first time in his life. Leo also has trouble with his wife who's pregnant. His life is sh*t as he says himself, he doesn't want his baby to live in such a shi*ty world. The only person close to him who could comfort him and just listen to him is his wife, but she doesn't understand him. Well, neither does he understand her. So they have to live together in an atmosphere of total estrangement. It's a contemporary tragedy - no passions a la Shakespear, just simple, quiet life which is utterly tragic, because people are isolate. In spite of the fact that "Bleeder" is pretty sad and has some disturbing scenes, Refn managed to make it rather funny at the same time. I already mentioned some dialogs - well, they all are so hilarious! There's a scene where Lenni who works in a video-store recites names of directors whom you can find there. And it's a non-stop list of about fifty, sixty or maybe even more directors! It's just awesome, you got to see it. I'd include this scene in a top-something list of best scenes in movie history.

Anyway if you watch films not just for fun, you are going to like this one. Especially if you like good-quality European cinema.

If 'Pusher' can be seen as a Danish 'Mean Streets' then 'Bleeder' is without doubt Refn's 'Taxi Driver'. Set in the downtrodden suburbs of Copenhagen the film follows the nightmarish demise of Leo (Kim Bodnia) after his girlfriend becomes unexpectedly pregnant; already highly frustrated and resentful with life he tips over into violent psychosis. He simultaneously styles himself on his skinhead brother-in-law whilst comlpetely despising him; after an incident at a nightclub he becomes fixated on guns (a la bickle) and begins violently abusing his wife; causing the brother in law to extract terrible revenge. The incredibly harsh narrative is offset by the touching and humourous relationship between Leo's friends; video-store nerd Lenny (Mads Mikkelson) his sleazy boss Kitjo (the always excellent Zlatko Buric) and the girl Lenny loves but is too withdrawn to ask out...will he find love and aviod the same mistakes as Leo?

Bleeder is a phenomenally powerful and touching film that explores the fragilities and complexities of relationships in today's fractured society, whilst simultanously providing a meditation (via lenny) on the relationship between cinema and escapism really touches a nerve. The cast are uniformly excellent but Mikkleson and Bodnia really stand out. Refn can probably be accused of punching above his weight in a few instances (some of the dissolves are heavy handed and unneccessary) but the fact is he has pulled off an astonishing film.

Yoiu liked Kim Bodnia, Mads Mikkelsen and Zlatko Buric in Pusher I? You will love them in BLEEDER, Nicolas Winding Refn's second film which is an important step in his career. The inspired director of Valhalla Rising is already recognizable here. BLEEDER is also a brilliant allegory about cinema with these four characters living for, living through and living according to movies. Masterpiece.