For director Nicholas Winding Refn, making the "Pusher" trilogy (from 1996's "Pusher," then "Pusher II" and "Pusher III") became almost an addiction that sapped both his money, time and energy. But now that these three films about a set of Danish drug dealers is done and getting distributed internationally, a weight has lifted from his shoulders.

As this chapter in his life closes, these films reveal a director who takes his three interlocking simple stories and, through a gritty indie noir lens, has cast a spotlight on and underworld that is rarely told in such a hard hitting and unglamorous way. Though Rehn has made other films - his 2003 release "Fear-X" starred John Turturro and was written with the late author Hubert Selby Jr. ("Requiem for a Dream") - this set of taut dark films proves that Refn is a European director to keep an eye on.

G21: When you see your own movies, do you feel dirtied by them?

There's no question about the fact that president Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has fallen into the trappings of a lame duck presidency because after two terms he's not legally eligible to stand for presidency in our next election. Every Tom, Dick and Harry feels justified in taking a swipe at him. It reminds me of intsomi, the story of a dying lion our mother used to relate to us when we were growing up.

An extremely weak lion from old age lay dying in the sun when those whom he oppressed in his youthful strength came to revenge their past injuries. The boar ripped the flank of the King of the Beast with his tusk saying; "This is for my two piglets you ate in the summer of 'eighty-four and the winter of 'eighty-six." ... READ MORE