Bullhead

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1:44

Bullhead

R

2012

2h 8m

Crime

Drama

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87%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

80%

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2,500+ Ratings

A Flemish cattleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is wary of going into business with a notorious dealer (Sam Louwyck) of illegal bovine-growth hormone.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by Matthias Schoenaerts' searing performance, Bullhead is a grim and gripping thriller with the cinematic sinew to match its domineering star's physicality.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Its centre holds, largely because of Schoenaerts's capacity to elicit our sympathy despite everything.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 1, 2013

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

It's compelling, and Schoenaerts is a treat as this taciturn knot of angst and muscle tone, but Michaël R Roskam's film is short on humanity and dash.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 1, 2013

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Henry Barnes

Guardian

This thriller about a steroid-boosting farmer lost in the moral maze of Belgium's mafia underworld is a stylish, meaty treat.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 31, 2013

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Writer/director Michael Roskam avoids falling victim to familiarity by sifting through the grime of his vice-ridden, chemically-charged characters to explore the inseparable link between the passions that drive them and the consequences that await them.

Jul 11, 2025

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

While on the surface you expect this to be another Bronson, Schoenarts performance is the mirror-opposite of Tom Hardy's - everything is pulled in so far you have to lean right into Jacky's oncoming head-butt

Jul 2, 2021

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Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

A story of revenge, of a tormented past, of trying to make sense of things that make no sense.

Rated: B+

Jul 19, 2020

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Audience Member

I'm not even sure I fully understood the plot, but it's AWESOME

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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kimberly s

Almost makes your skin crawl and your stomach upset it is so realistic. The scene that depicts the main character's childhood injury is seriously haunting to me still.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Love it. Very intense movie. Great acting. Remind me a bit to Ryan Gosling's Drive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

Horrifying. Shakespearean, no, even more tragic. I bled for Jackie. Matthias is beyond superb. Dark, brooding, haunting, but well worth the watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I absolutely loved 'The Drop' so I figured I'd give this earlier effort by Roskam a go. In many ways you can see why he went on to make such a great film. He has all the ingredients here but doesn't quite pull them together, whereas in that later film he had a Lehane novel to work with. Many parts of this work really well, but they're mostly in isolation and don't ever quite add up to a cohesive, satisfying whole film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Best Belgian Movie. Stop

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Michaël R. Roskam

Director

Matthias Schoenaerts

Jacky Vanmarsenille

Jeroen Perceval

Diederik Maes

Jeanne Dandoy

Lucia Schepers

Barbara Sarafian

Eva Forrestier

Tibo Vandenborre

Antony De Greef

Bullhead: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A Flemish cattleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is wary of going into business with a notorious dealer (Sam Louwyck) of illegal bovine-growth hormone.

Director: Michaël R. Roskam
Producer: Bart Van Langendonck
Screenwriter: Michaël R. Roskam
Distributor: Drafthouse Films
Production Co: Savage, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Film Kitchen, Eyeworks Film & TV Drama, Waterland Film & TV, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language|Some Strong Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $118.1K
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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