Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Bullhead/Rundskop (2011)

11/19/2017

Bullhead/Rundskop (2011) - Roskam's tragic macho crime drama debut

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Belgian Movie of the Year

Matthias Schoenaerts resembles a bull himself, bared here on the poster for Michaël R. Roskam's Bullhead

When a policeman is killed, who was investigating the hormone mafia of Belgium, it has a snowballing effect for an unhealthy muscle-beast of a man, who was disabled in his childhood.

Bullhead is written and directed by feature-debuting Michaël R. Roskam (The Drop (2014)) based on the actual 1995 murder of livestock inspector Karel Van Noppen. The film thematically wrestles with the essence of masculinity in a macho world and does so with technically impressive consistence.
Matthias Schoenaerts (Girl/Meisje (2002)) creeps completely into his self-destructive, traumatized character here. Luckily the film has humor and a lively pace, because the story is very dark and oppressive.
I think Bullhead may be a bit overrated, or perhaps it is just that I can't identify with its blunted protagonist and the film therefore seems somewhat distant for me. Still this is a strong and different kind of film that's recommendable for anyone up for such a treat.

Related post:

2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

Matthias Schoenaerts talks about the film here

Cost: Estimated 2 mil. €, or approximately 2.36 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly approximately 5.4 mil. $
= Some uncertainty, but likely a minor flop
[Bullhead premiered 2 February (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 128 minutes. Shooting took place in Belgium. The film opened #60 to a 32k $ in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked in 34 theaters and grossed 151k $ (2.8 % of the total gross). The film made almost all of its money in its native Belgium, reportedly 4.3 mil. € or approximately 5.07 mil. $ (93.9 %) in rentals. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to the same level as this review. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, which it lost to Asghar Farhadi's great A Separation. It won 2 AFI Fest Awards, was nominated for a César Award (France's Oscar), won 4 out of 9 Magritte Awards (Belgium's Oscar) and several other awards and honors. Roskam returned with American crime drama The Drop (2014). Bullhead is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Bullhead?

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

Louise Fletcher has passed away

Born in Alabama to deaf parents, Fletcher got her first credits in late-1950s TV-series.She took a 10 year-long sabbatical to devote her time to motherhood after the release of A Gathering of Eagles, but then came back and soon saw her career's most important part, as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won her sole Oscar. Later credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Lucky Star (1980), Brainstorm (1983), Two Moon Junction (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999), A Perfect Man (2013) and many more. Fletcher passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

Born in Paris, France, Godard lived much of his life in Switzerland. He wrote for French film criticism magazine Cahiers du Cinema and became foundational for the New French Wave that inspired new waves in scores of other countries across the world with his Breathless (1960). Later credits include A Woman Is A Woman (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Le Petit Soldat (1962), Contempt (1963), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le Fou (1965), 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Weekend (1967), Every Man for Himself (1980), King Lear (1987), Century of Cinema (1995, documentary), Goodbye to Language (2014) and many more. Godard died of assisted suicide at age 91. R.I.P.

Wolfgang Petersen has died

James Caan has died

Caan was born the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany in New York. He got his start on TV in the early 1960s. His credits include El Dorado (1966), The Rain People (1969), Brian's Song (1971, TV movie), The Godfather (1972), - for which he earned his only Oscar nomination, - Slither (1973), The Gambler (1974), Funny Lady (1975), Rollerball (1975), Silent Movie (1976), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), - the only film he also directed, - Thief (1981), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Bottle Rocket (1996), Eraser (1996), Dogville (2003), Elf (2003), Las Vegas (2003-07), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and many more. Caan passed away at age 82. R.I.P.

Jean-Louis Trintignant has died

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Ray Liotta has died

Adopted from an orphenage at a young age, Liotta got hooked on acting in high school. He had various TV credits in the late 1970s and early 80s, with his film debut in The Lonely Lady (1983). Later credits include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997), Hannibal (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), Observe and Report (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Details (2011), Killing THem Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Shades of Blue (2016-18), The Simpsons (2018, TV-series), Marriage Story (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Black Bird (2022, TV-series) and many more. Liotta passed away at age 67 in his sleep while on production in the Dominican Republic. R.I.P.

Philip Baker Hall has died

Born in Ohio, Hall didn't start acting until he was 30. His long list of credits include Zabriskie Point (1970), Miami Vice (1987, TV-series), Midnight Run (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Cheers (1993, TV-series), Hard Eight (1996), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Seinfeld (1991-98), Rush Hour (1998), The Insider (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), The Zodiac (2005), Zodiac (2007), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004-09), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Modern Family (2011-12) and many more. Hall passed away at age 90. R.I.P.

William Hurt has passed away

Born in Washington D.C., Hurt's first film role was the lead in Altered States (1980). Later credits include Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned his only Oscar as Best Actor; Chilrdren of a Lesser God (1986), for which he was also Oscar-nominated; Broadcast News (1987), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; Smoke (1995), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), A History of Violence (2005), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; The Good Shepherd (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010) and many more. Hurt passed away at age 71. R.I.P.

Ivan Reitman has passed away

Born in Chechoslovakia, now Slovakia, Reitman's family fled the Soviet regime to Austria, then Toronto, when he was 4 years old. Reitman broke into movies as a director with Foxy Lady (1971). Later credits include Cannibal Girls (1973), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Junior (1994), Father's Day (1997), Evolution (1998), No Strings Attached (2011), Draft Day (2014) and more. Reitman's son Jason Reitman is also a great filmmaker. Reitman passed away at age 75. R.I.P.

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)

11/19/2017

Bullhead/Rundskop (2011) - Roskam's tragic macho crime drama debut

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