Nicolas Winding Refn’s art is hot and vibrant, colorful, and meticulously paced. He uses actors in a very deliberate way. His films and series cannot be mistaken for anything but a Nicolas Winding Refn effort (hereafter he will be listed as NWR). Some of his projects work better than others. Occasionally as with Drive it is not just a critical hit but also a viewers favorite. But most, similar to Only God Forgives, become a hit with his followers and go not much further – he is a cult favorite to his ardent fans.

NWR’s works could be described as a long vibrant very spicy meal. Most dinners will likely tap out but for those who can stomach the flavors and the slow pace of the courses – there is nothing else like it.

Now comes NWR;s second series, after Too Old To Die Young on Amazon.

Copenhagen Cowboy

From IMDB: (Copenhagen Cowboy) Follows enigmatic young heroine, Miu. After a lifetime of servitude and on the verge of a new beginning, she traverses the ominous landscape of Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld. Searching for justice and enacting vengeance, she encounters her nemesis, Rakel, as they embark on an odyssey through the natural and the supernatural. The past ultimately transforms and defines their future, as the two women discover they are not alone, they are many.

NWR’s stories are all lacquered genre candy. There are usually corrupt cops, blood-thirsty gangsters, brawlers, and blood. There are sometimes unlucky men and women merely trying to survive the world they have found themselves dropped into.

NWR’s original claim to fame was his PUSHER movie trilogy filmed in his own Copenhagen, Denmak. The first of the PUSHER films also had Mads Mikkelsen in a breakout role similar to Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper.

NWR has kept his original gritty style  and attitude with violence that matches Scorsese or even Takashii Miike. But as MWR’s movie career progressed his works became more vibrant and colorful as he often leans into story structures and editing that feels very akin to the experimental works of David Lynch.

NWR is always a wild experience that carry some long slow areas punctuated by bursts of gristly violence and for his fans it’s always worth the ride.

Copenhagen Cowboy is available to bing via Netflix.