Bullhead (2011) | agoodmovietowatch

Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans

Bullhead 7.2 2011 Movie

Bullhead

Dir. Michael R. Roskam · Belgium, Netherlands · Dutch, French

A farmer seeks revenge in this vicious countryside gangster thriller

Our take by Isabella Endrinal

Gangsters usually deal in guns and drugs, but occasionally they branch out into other paraphernalia. Bullhead depicts one such gang. Nicknamed by the media as the Hormone Mafia, the crime thriller captures an organized crime network that threatens local cattle farmers to buy their stock of illegal growth hormones. Of course, the setting makes for a distinctly pastoral twist to the usually urban-set gangster thriller. The protagonist’s traumatic incident and the way he attempts to resolve it could only happen in a farm like this. However, fans of the genre will still enjoy the familiar themes of masculinity, revenge, and betrayal, especially with the intense breakthrough performance of Matthias Schoenaerts.

What happens

A young cattle farmer is approached by an unscrupulous veterinarian to make a shady deal with a notorious beef trader.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"Some of the dialogue is overloaded, but the formidable cinematography, by Nicolas Karakatsanis, envelops us in an ever-darkening world."

— Anthony Lane

"Though the story is told and edited in a way that too often obscures rather than enhances its central tragedy, much is compensated by a career-defining, powerfully physical lead perf by Matthias Schoenaerts."

— Boyd van Hoeij

More about it

What happens

A young cattle farmer is approached by an unscrupulous veterinarian to make a shady deal with a notorious beef trader.

Awards

Oscars

1 nom

Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film

César Awards

1 nom

Nominated: Best Foreign Film

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About the author

Isabella Endrinal

Isabella Endrinal

Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.