What Bullhead ultimately lacks isn't balls but insight and empathy.
Bullhead(Rundskop)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Belgium, Netherlands · 2011
Rated R · 2h 9m
Director Michaël R. Roskam
Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeroen Perceval, Jeanne Dandoy, Barbara Sarafian
Genre Crime, Drama
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A young cattle farmer enters a shady business arrangement with a veterinarian and an illegal beef trader, but issues from the farmer's past and the assassination of a federal agent threaten to bring too much heat on their operation, and the consequences could be deadly.
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What are critics saying?
Every time the narrative's underworld schnooks and low-level lowlifes edge their way out of the periphery, a sense of snorting impatience takes over. This is Jacky's story, and when he's grabbing Bullhead by the horns, you don't want him to let go.
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Schoenaerts capably handles a difficult role that's equal parts pathetic, repulsive and heartbreaking. But you'll need a strong will to spend your time with such a tragically hopeless character.
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
A persistent narrative thread that pits Flemish-speaking Belgians against French-speaking Belgians will whiz past most American viewers, but hopefully not distract from its overall impact because this movie grabs the bull by the horns and takes viewers on a surprising ride.
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
The sentiment, just like the repeated shots of Jacky lying in the fetal position in a tub, shadowboxing, and erupting into a bestial 'roid rage, typifies the film's habit of flattening an idea rather than developing it.
The Hollywood Reporter by Natasha Senjanovic
The actor literally takes the metaphors of his bull-headed character to the limits and is never less than believable or mesmerizing.
Bullhead is well-plotted, with a powerful ending, but its most brutal scene comes early, explaining why for Schoenaerts, life has been one long wince.
I can tell you only that this is a film unlike anything I've seen before-harrowing, haunting and sordid. Be forewarned, it is not for the squeamish. But take a chance and you will be rewarded with a work of nightmarish force that is unforgettable.
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