Rundskop 2011

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Eventually it reveals itself to be a character drama about the way the past shapes us and our inability to escape it, no matter how convincingly we believe we've transformed ourselves. Read more

James Rocchi, MSN Movies: Bullhead is a fierce slab of filmmaking served sizzling hot, but at the center it's ice-cold and bloody. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Part character study, part crime thriller, "Bullhead" is the impressive but deeply flawed first feature written and directed by Michael R. Roskam. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Every time the narrative's underworld schnooks and low-level lowlifes edge their way out of the periphery, a sense of snorting impatience takes over. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: Bullhead is well-plotted, with a powerful ending, but its most brutal scene comes early, explaining why for Schoenaerts, life has been one long wince. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: [It] has enough strands of story for an epic tale. But Roskam appears more interested in trying to combine genres that don't easily cohere. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Bullhead proves that you can make an underworld movie pumped up with pretension. Read more

William Goss, Film.com: Guided with a sure hand by writer-director Roskam, Bullhead is a tragic character study in the guise of a seedy crime drama. Read more

Natasha Senjanovic, Hollywood Reporter: Michael R. Roskam's feature debut finds a gem in Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts, who leads a strong cast. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Starts out like a thriller and turns into a disturbing tragedy in an unlikely and unexpected key. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: Some of the dialogue is overloaded, but the formidable cinematography, by Nicolas Karakatsanis, envelops us in an ever-darkening world. Read more

Scott Tobias, NPR: A GoodFellas set among the hormone mafia may not sound like a great movie, but Roskam subtly steers it toward intense and agonizing character study, with the bovine-supplement angle raising the stakes and dredging up the past. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Well-made, engrossing and almost unbearably grim. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: Take a chance and you will be rewarded with a work of nightmarish force that is unforgettable. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It's one of those films you have to reconstruct in your mind. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: I hope we'll be getting another chance to watch Matthias Schoenaerts' work in the near future -- as huge as he is in this role, I suspect there's plenty more to see. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Despite the unlikely setup, this Oscar-nominated thriller proves that where illegal substances are concerned, one line of trafficking is as deadly as another. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Even though the crime story winds up overwhelming the proceedings, it's the characters that make Bullhead so powerful and so unique. Read more

Boyd van Hoeij, Variety: 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. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: The sentiment, just like the repeated shots of Jacky lying in the fetal position in a tub, shadowboxing, and erupting into a bestial 'roid rage, typifies the film's habit of flattening an idea rather than developing it. Read more

Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: Many terms applied to action movies - muscular, animalistic, testosterone-fueled - are literally true of Bullhead. Read more