Nicolas Winding Refn’s Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn is infamous for being one of the most provocative filmmakers working today, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that several of his favorite films are some of the most disturbing movies ever made. (Here’s looking at you, “Cannibal Holocaust.”) Over the years, Refn has given wide-ranging interviews that don’t hide the influences that have driven his feature films, from “Pusher” to “Bronson,” “Drive” to “Only God Forgives,” “The Neon Demon” and more.

Born in 1970, Refn made his directorial debut at 26 years old with “Pusher,” a violent crime thriller that introduced the cinematic world to the talents of Mads Mikkelsen. Two sequels followed in 2004 and 2005, and 1999’s “Bleeder” was another Copenhagen-set crime drama starring Mikkelsen. His initial excursions into English-language filmmaking, including the John Turturro-led “Fear X,” the Tom Hardy vehicle “Bronson,” and another Mikkelsen film “Valhalla Rising,” were all moderately well received, although most failed to entirely take off and attract broader attention from the public.

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Then, “Drive” happened. Based off the book by James Sallis and starring a memorably stoic Ryan Gosling, Refn’s 2011 thriller about a stunt driver and criminal getaway driver attempting to protect his neighbor became an unexpected and buzzy success, grossing $81.4 million worldwide on a $15 million. Controversial at the time for its violence, the film still received critical acclaim, became every male college film major’s favorite new flick, and netted Refn a Best Director Award out of Cannes. The movie improbably brought Refn’s singular style — consisting of hyper-violence, existential musings, synth scores, and buckets of neon lighting — into the mainstream.

The director didn’t stay there for long, though. After “Drive,” Refn has largely chosen to stick to his lane rather than parlay the film’s success to broader studio works — even reportedly turning down an offer to direct the James Bond movie, “Spectre.” His follow-up films, “Only God Forgives” and “The Neon Demon,” both proved extremely divisive. Since “The Neon Demon,” his only film project has been directing a segment for Travis Scott’s music film “Cicus Maximus.” Instead, he’s been focusing more TV, releasing streaming series “Too Old to Die Young” and “Copenhagen Cowboy,” the latter of which served as a bit of a return to the auteur’s roots by bringing him back to making crime thrillers in Copenhagen. What’s next for Refn is still unknown, although he’s already hinted that he has a new feature he’s thinking of developing.

As Refn’s career pushes forward, IndieWire looks back at 37 movies the director has singled out over the years as being titles that changed him forever. The below list is organized in alphabetical order.

[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in November 2019, and has since been updated.]

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