Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Lee Eisenberg One of the motifs in thrillers is that a person's past comes back to haunt him. Michaël R. Roskam's Academy Award-nominated "Rundskop" ("Bullhead" in English) follows this motif but adds a new dimension. Matthias Schoenaerts's Jacky is a steroid-fueled cattle farmer. Making a deal with a beef trader, he soon comes across a friend from his younger years, which brings up several unpleasant memories.I read that this movie is based on the murder of Karel van Noppen, a government livestock inspector who was investigating illegal practices. Basically, it's a look at the ugly things that take place behind the idealistic image of Belgium that we usually get. To be certain, there's a scene from Jacky's past that will really make your blood freeze. But unlike the Hollywood movies focusing on crime, this movie isn't about high action; it's all about the characters and how they deal with events from the past. I recommend it, and I hope to see more of Roskam's movies.

paul2001sw-1 There's a clever idea at the heart of 'Bullhead': in a story about the trade in illegal cattle hormones, the central character is, as a result of a painful childhood incident, himself dependent on exogenous testosterone. This is one of a number of Belgian films that paint a very harsh picture of the country: grey, gloomy, run-down, divided and rotten to the core: the focus of agribusiness (and its mechanical approach to life, and death) is unusual and makes for a distinctive subject. However, it's hard to warm to the pumped-up protagonist, and if there is a message here it's all negative: stay away from other people, don't live in Belgium, and perhaps even don't eat meat.

dekspam A great film to watch if you're used to watch films accepting the director's choices and criticizing only their effectiveness.Yes, the almost two and a half hours are filled with a lot of story and back-story that are at times difficult to follow; yes, some of the symbolism seems to have been thrown in just for the sake of it, and you'll have to wait for the very last scene for it to pay off; yes, a beef hormones mafia may sound an unappealing (even ridiculous? Well, think again…) topic to someone; yes, inevitably there are some misses among the hits.But this is all about losing something (your innocence, your future, your self…) and trying (or not) to regain it: in fact, the advantage of having such a wide amount of narrative is that you can make sense of the movie from different (and equally valid) points of view.Give it a try. In its sophistication, Rundskop has what it takes to appeal any kind of viewer, as long as he is willing to get hooked.

Robyn Nesbitt (nesfilmreviews) "Bullhead" is a dark, convoluted Belgian drama, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011, which succeeds almost entirely on the rugged shoulders of Matthias Schoenaerts. His fantastic performance creates a memorable character named Jacky, a muscled loner filled with amorphous rage that spills over in unexpected moments. Jacky is a steroid using cattle rancher who works out an arrangement with some meat-trading Dutch mobsters, only to try and back out when an investigating federal agent is gunned down.It is this sequence of events forces him to revisit a horrific incident from his childhood 20 years ago, as well as the people who were involved in that pivotal moment of his life. The back-story of Vanmarsenille's anger is revealed in flashbacks to his adolescence, when his life is forever altered. Most films feature a character that must face and overcome, and it is just the opposite in "Bullhead."Jacky has become expert in the use of hormones over the course of his life. He gobbles pills, stabs himself with needles, and throws punches in the air like De Niro in "Raging Bull" (1980). The sight of Jacky curled in the fetal position in his bathroom, or shadow boxing in front of a window after he has just injected himself with hormones gets a little repetitive, but it's always dramatically shot. These moments also serve as a window to Jacky's true self. His jittery attempts to reconnect with his childhood crush--a vibrant woman named Lucia (Jeanne Dandoy), who now runs a perfume store in the French-speaking part of the country, are truly heartbreaking because he is so clearly uncomfortable in his own skin. Jacky constantly has some type of chemical rushing through his veins, so you never know when he's going to explode. He's dangerous, unstable, and intimidating- yet you can't help but feel sympathy for the guy. "Bullhead" contains the elements for a simple story of personal tragedy, and yet at times it becomes messy and overbearing. A hazily sketched-out story line involving a dead cop, beef traders, and "the hormone Mafia underworld," with Jacky loosely connected to them all. At the heart of this story is a man and his obsession, and his destructive inner demons, which he has never been able to control. With Schoenaerts' impressive performance, you get the feeling that would be more than enough for this film. Roskam's habit of elliptical storytelling abandons motivational explanations, and the narrative makes the viewer work harder than usual to understand contextual issues. That being said, it is a fine directorial debut for Michaël Roskam, and Matthias Schoenaerts is now no longer under the radar.