Bullhead

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Bullhead

R

2012

2h 8m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

76 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.

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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

Feb 1, 2013

4/5

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

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Feb 1, 2013

3/5

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.

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Henry Barnes

Guardian

Jan 31, 2013

4/5

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

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Jul 11, 2025

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.

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

Jul 2, 2021

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

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Brent McKnight

The Last Thing I See

Jul 19, 2020

B+

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

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Nicolas T

@Nikeo Mar 3, 2026

Masterpiece that crawls under your skin, with excellent Belgian politics and sociology references and jokes, that may get lost for people not familiar with that country. But even if you miss on those the plot, the music and the superb acting will keep you hooked. You don't leave the film unscathed, it will haunt you for some times afterwards. This is a must watch for anyone looking for a great thriller.

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Aug 18, 2021

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

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kimberly s

@RT84884722 Jul 7, 2021

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.

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Feb 24, 2020

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

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Nov 28, 2019

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

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Sep 18, 2018

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.

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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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