Bullhead

Play trailer

1:44

Bullhead

R

Released Feb 17, 2012

2h 8m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Five Favorite Films with Noomi Rapace

Five Favorite Films with Charlie Hunnam

Critics Consensus: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Hits the Skids

Bullhead: Trailer 1

1:44

View more videos

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now