Watch Bullhead

Bullhead is a dark and powerful Belgian thriller, released in 2011, directed by Michael R. Roskam and stars Matthias Schoenaerts, a talented actor who has since become renowned for his acclaimed performances in movies like Rust and Bone, A Bigger Splash, and The Mustang. In Bullhead, he plays a deeply troubled and complex character at the heart of a story of violence, revenge, and redemption.

The movie is set in the world of Belgian cattle farming and follows the story of Jacky Vanmarsenille, a young man who becomes involved with the criminal underworld of the animal hormone black market. As a child, Jacky suffered a traumatic event that left him emotionally scarred and physically disfigured. As a result, he is constantly battling with his inner demons, trying to come to terms with his past and his physical appearance.

The film opens with a powerful and haunting sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the movie. We see Jacky injecting himself with testosterone, a practice he uses to enhance his physique and to suppress his emotional volatility. This opening scene establishes Jacky's obsessive devotion to his physical strength and his painful vulnerability.

To make matters worse, Jacky's involvement in the black market leads him into conflict with a ruthless gang of criminals who operate in the cattle industry. As Jacky becomes more deeply embroiled in their criminal activities, the violence escalates and he is forced to confront the demons that have haunted him for so long.

Throughout the film, Matthias Schoenaerts delivers a mesmerizing performance, bringing Jacky's complex character to life with an intense and brooding physical presence. His physicality is central to the movie, conveying Jacky's struggles with his body and his attempts to control it. Jacky is a character who exudes both strength and vulnerability, and Schoenaerts manages to capture this duality, giving a performance that is both moving and terrifying.

Despite the dark subject matter, Bullhead is a beautifully crafted film that blurs the line between arthouse and genre, combining elements of crime drama, psychological thriller, and character study. The film is shot with a visual flair that underscores its haunting atmosphere, and Michael R. Roskam's direction is deft and assured, never allowing the film to become too sensationalistic or gratuitous.

While the film is ultimately a character study of Jacky, it is also a meditation on the cycles of violence and the quest for redemption. The characters in Bullhead are all caught up in a web of cause and effect, struggling to break free from the past and to find a way forward. The film is unflinching in its exploration of these themes, and the conclusion is both tragic and cathartic.

In addition to Matthias Schoenaerts' stunning performance, the movie also features excellent supporting performances from Jeroen Perceval as Diederik, Jacky's troubled childhood friend, and Jeanne Dandoy as Lucia, a veterinarian who becomes romantically involved with Jacky.

Overall, Bullhead is a powerful and haunting film that explores themes of violence, trauma, and redemption with a deft hand. Matthias Schoenaerts delivers a career-defining performance as Jacky, and Michael R. Roskam's direction is assured and visually arresting. It is a must-see for fans of arthouse cinema and crime dramas alike.

Bullhead is a 2011 crime movie with a runtime of 2 hours and 8 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3 and a MetaScore of 68.