Bullhead (2011) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama

Perhaps the year's most stunning international debut, Michaël R. Roskam's Academy Award nominated Bullhead is a harrowing tale of revenge, redemption and fate. Domineering cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Mattias Schoenaerts in a ferocious breakout performance), constantly pumped on steroids and hormones following a childhood trauma, initiates a shady deal with a notorious mafioso meat trader. When an investigating federal agent is assassinated and a woman from his horrid past resurfaces, Jacky must confront far-reaching consequences and whether the real meaning of manhood is hormonal or emotional. Acclaimed at festivals worldwide, the award-winning Bullhead is visceral saga bursting with rage that TwitchFilm calls "one of the most original crime films in recent memory."

User Comment: stephen-dhondt-968-27576 from Belgium, 4 February 2011 • Matthias Schoenaerts - the actor who plays the lead character Jacky went through a major physical transformation for his role. He gained 27 kilos in pure muscle weight to portray the troubled, testosterone driven cattle farmer who gets dragged into hell when he lets himself in with the wrong people.

This very dark story (spoken in various regional dialects) about the Belgian hormone mafia takes its time to set the scene - but once you understand the reason why Jacky is who he is (expect to get queasy!) the film grips you and doesn't let go until the credits. The cinematography is clean cut and simple but brilliant at the same time. The country side has never looked so menacing. Even the grass blowing in the wind makes you feel uneasy.

It may not be perfect in keeping up its dark tone (some comic relief scenes seem a bit out of place), but it's damn near close to perfection. A tense psychological drama with strong crime/thriller notes - I recommend it!

Summary: dark and unsettling crime-drama.

User Comment: alexandre_dewit from Belgium, 18 August 2011 • You do not have to be Belgian to appreciate and be an admirer of this movie. The way it is told, filmed and performed are Oscar worthy....

This the incredibly sad story of Jacky, a farmer who's whole life will be turned upside down following a dramatic and traumatising event in his youth....making him the man (or what's left of it) he is today!

It handles in a very realistic way the animal (cow-bull) drug and hormone maffia and its traffic. Following the lives of several people who are directly affected by it.

The two stories, one the telling of Jacky's way to deal with his trauma and how he suffers from it, how it affected him and the other about the hormone traffic are brilliantly melt together to a story that will leave no one insensitive!!

AMAZING!!

Summary: More than a movie, a masterpiece, a work of art..!!

User Comment: chrismsawin from United States, 18 February 2012 • Bullhead is the story of Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts) a cattle farmer. He along with his business partners inject their cows with steroids and hormones to achieve the results they desire. The problem is the only thing Jacky injects more than his cows is himself as he's got some sort of chemical compound coursing through his veins at all times. Things begin to go south when Jacky makes a deal to distribute his cows to a well-known yet crooked meat trader. A federal agent is killed amongst their negotiations as Jacky is dragged into the investigation and his disturbing past comes bubbling to the surface.

Matthias Schoenaerts' performance is the first thing that will win you over. The reason why he shoots up so frequently along with what he injects himself with has this really breathtaking explanation. Schoenaerts has a short fuse the entire film and you never know when he's going to explode. That's the beauty of his performance. He's so dangerous yet you can't help but feel sympathy for the guy. Schoenaerts is a ferocious powerhouse that chews you up and spits you out like the most devastating hurricane imaginable.

Bullhead features some incredibly impressive cinematography. Belgium has never looked so beautiful. Those shots of the sky and the clouds that populate every inch of it and those lush moments of taking in the countryside speak volumes. Something as simple as grass blowing in the wind is made to look like this grand accomplishment thanks to how the film was shot. It was interesting to see characters that were out of frame become out of focus and or blurred in some way; whether they were approaching somebody in frame or walking away. It was a masterful touch.

The Belgian drama has a unique sense of perspective, as well. The dizzying staircase sequence near the end of the film is the best example. It kind of goes hand in hand with the cinematography though; a brilliant looking film is even better with distinguishing shots. Speaking of unique, the entire film is one of the more original experiences to grace the silver screen in quite some time. Bullhead does draw comparisons to films like Drive and even Bronson, but the mafia and mobster kind of storyline is presented in this rough, grainy, meaty, and intense package that hasn't been done before. Bronson is actually a really great comparison. Matthias Schoenaerts put on 59 pounds of muscle for Bullhead and Tom Hardy put on 42 pounds of muscle for Bronson. While the two films are almost nothing alike when it comes to their story lines, they're extremely similar at their core.

Bullhead is an extremely intense piece of cinema that includes a fairly bloody and hard hitting elevator sequence that rivals that infamous scene from Drive. With an incredible performance from Matthias Schoenaerts, gorgeous camera work, and a huge injection of originality, Bullhead should not be missed by anyone especially those who are looking for something different when it comes to movies. This comes highly recommended for those who enjoyed Animal Kingdom, A Prophet, Drive, and/or Bronson.

Summary: Intense and powerful.

[CSW] -3.4- It can be summed up as a gritty, tragic drama that explores themes of fate, family, friendship, desire, retribution and loss of innocence. The aforementioned issue is the central theme in the film, yet the real story follows the protagonist, named Jacky, who has a critical addiction to steroids and some serious skeletons hiding in the closet. As the film progresses we find out more and more about the traumatic past of Jacky and this helps to explain why he is so afflicted and torn. Even though his character is ruthless and violent, you are drawn to care for him, after discovering more of his story. The overall character development is solid and lead's acting is superb. He really captures the feeling of a man battling with his inner turmoil. In short if you can put up with it being subtitled and a rather gritty, tragic drama you won't find any other film quite like this one.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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