Review of Bullhead

Bullhead (2011)
8/10
A Dark Tour-de-Force
12 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Welcome to the world of Bullhead, a brolick Belgian bodybuilder who is a mess of musculature, 'roid rage, and regret. Castrated in youth by a bully, his farmer parents followed medical advice to put him on bovine growth hormones--a type of steroid. As an adult, he is a caricature of a life, amidst the underground world of the black market steroid trade in Belgium. This is a foreign language film in the crime drama genre, with English subtitles.

Bullhead's Belgium is a place of secrets and shadows. The byzantine plot twists and turns with pain and angst, as law enforcement surveils drug dealers through the use of informants and technology. There is a romantic subplot as we see his adult development choked by his paradoxical being. It's a portrait of a man in a struggle to live within a toxic environment. The protagonist is an anti-hero.

I really liked this one. It's different from standard fare. It shows crime in an unglamorous light. It takes you into a strange world, hidden from the mainstream. It's dramatic and poignant, with a well-constructed plot. It's Friends of Eddie Coyle meets The Incredible Hulk meets The Nothing Man. This one is for Refn fans. Bullhead is recommended viewing.
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