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BULLHEAD (RUNDSKOP)Movie Reviews
Dutch Flemish language drama about a cattle farmer whose involvement in an illegal deal with a mafioso meat trader has far-reaching consequences. Cast:Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeroen Perceval, Jeanne Dandoy, Barbara SarafianDirector:Michael R. RoskamRelease Date:February 17, 2012DVD Release:June 26, 2012From:Drafthouse FilmsRating:RLength:2 hr. 4 min.
Bullhead (Rundskop) played in key cities to very good reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Here's a mafia story you won't get from Scorsese.... an intriguing rural Euro noir, with its rival camps of French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish." • And Scott Tobias wrote for NPR, "...quietly subverts expectation..." More Reviews Below...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a dark, haunting and wholly original exploration of what it means to be a man.... a character drama about the way the past shapes us and our inability to escape it..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 500 words, 02/16/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR(cg) "...an overheated yet bizarrely opaque criminal character study from Belgium... proves that you can make an underworld movie pumped up with pretension."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 93 words, 02/24/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the story of a man being eaten from within by chemicals. That alone would have been more than enough. I'm damned if I could follow the scheming..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 03/02/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a stunning debut that finds gripping tragedy and bleak humor in a story of crime and punishment... pulls us into a world of crime that's unlike any we've seen before."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 02/25/12
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...well-made, engrossing and almost unbearably grim.... Michael Schoenaerts capably handles a difficult role that's equal parts pathetic, repulsive and heartbreaking."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 112 words, 02/17/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...confident and accomplished, punch-in-the-gut debut by Michael R. Roskam... gets much of its ferocity from the compelling performance of Matthias Schoenaerts..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 02/17/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...set among ruthless individuals in the Flemish bovine hormone mafia underworld. Pungent milieu; moderately compelling results."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 03/02/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the story of a man being eaten from within by chemicals. That alone would have been more than enough. I'm damned if I could follow the scheming..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 03/02/12
Ernest Hardy, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "What elevates the film into the realm of artful is the way writer/director Michaël Roskam unpeels the backstory of Jacky, the ostensibly dim-witted muscle of his criminal team."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 11/03/11
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "Jacky's not exactly an Everyman, but there's a bit of him in every guy who has found himself pushed too far and unable to pull back."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 02/24/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Here's a mafia story you won't get from Scorsese.... an intriguing rural Euro noir, with its rival camps of French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 02/24/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Roskam is talented, but in wanting to impress us, he forces the issue. He should just trust his shot-making and his skill with actors."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 666 words, 02/24/12
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "There seems to be a pretty good film lurking around inside 'Bullhead,' which makes what we actually see on the screen all the more frustrating."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 370 words, 02/24/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a grim and dense picture of a life defined by a senseless act of violence.... a harrowing and deflating portrait of a man -- and, indeed, a world -- with no hope."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 02/10/12
Ernest Hardy, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "What elevates the film into the realm of artful is the way writer/director Michaël Roskam unpeels the backstory of Jacky, the ostensibly dim-witted muscle of his criminal team."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 177 words, 11/03/11
Noel Murray, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...well-plotted, with a powerful ending, but its most brutal scene comes early, explaining why for Matthias Schoenaerts, life has been one long wince."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 02/16/12
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: VERY GOOD "...the constant, inescapable shove of the past leaves 'Bullhead' feeling less like muscular melodrama and more like a sad saga of distress and loss."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 623 words, 02/20/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...confident and accomplished, punch-in-the-gut debut by Michael R. Roskam... gets much of its ferocity from the compelling performance of Matthias Schoenaerts..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 02/17/12
Boyd Van Hoeij, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a crossbreed of hormone-mafia thriller and intense character study... unusually ambitious for a first film... Schoenaerts delivers a mesmerizing perf..."(See all of Boyd Van Hoeij's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 02/14/11
Natasha Senjanovic, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...a showcase for the exceptionally talented Matthias Schoenaerts... begins as a mafia movie, but soon becomes a search for emotional catharsis..."(See all of Natasha Senjanovic's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 02/14/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...confident and accomplished, punch-in-the-gut debut by Michael R. Roskam... gets much of its ferocity from the compelling performance of Matthias Schoenaerts..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 02/17/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "Michaël R. Roskam makes an impressive feature debut as writer and director... an emotionally driven tale of revenge, redemption and fate..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 03/02/12
18.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Bullhead (Rundskop)'s reviews are separated by an average 18.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Bullhead (Rundskop) (24 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Bullhead (Rundskop)'s reviews cover 41.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,170 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 465 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 7 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Bullhead (Rundskop)'s reviews on average broke 7 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Bullhead (Rundskop)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Bullhead (Rundskop) (24 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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