800 Bullets Explained

800 Bullets
Native Name:
Nolink:yes
Director:Álex de la Iglesia
Producer:Álex de la Iglesia
Music:Roque Baños
Cinematography:Flavio Martínez Labiano
Editing:Alejandro Lázaro
Distributor:Warner Sogefilms
Runtime:124 minutes
Country:Spain
Studio:Pánico Films

800 Bullets (Spanish; Castilian: '''800 balas'''|links=no) is a 2002 Spanish film directed by Álex de la Iglesia and penned by the former alongside Jorge Guerricaechevarría. The cast features Sancho Gracia, Ángel de Andrés, Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela, Terele Pávez and Luis Castro, among others.[1] The film, a tribute to Spanish stuntmen who worked in Spaghetti Westerns, features similarities to Spielbergian Oedipal melodramas.

Plot

Julián Torralba is a former film stuntman in Almeria, Spain. He and several of his colleagues, who once made a living in American Westerns shot in Spain, now are reduced to doing stunt shows for minuscule audiences on the decaying set built for those old Westerns. Julián wrestles with dark memories of the death of his son, also a stuntman, and with estrangement from his daughter-in-law Laura and her son Carlos.

Carlos, a young boy, becomes intrigued with his late father's life and runs away to join Julián and his band of has-beens. There Carlos is initiated into the rambunctious life of these hard-drinking faux cowboys. But when Laura, a powerful executive looking for a new site for a tourist resort, learns that Carlos has joined the hated Julián, she moves to destroy even this remnant of Julián's once-proud career. Julián and the cowboys decide to fight back the only way they know how.

Production

Produced by Pánico Films, 800 Bullets was shot in the province of Almería. Shooting locations included the Paseo de Almería, the Calle Reina Regente (both in the provincial capital, Almería), Santa María del Águila (El Ejido), Las Salinillas (Gádor-Gérgal-Rioja-Tabernas), Garganta de Alfaro (Rioja) and the Poblado estudio Fort Bravo-Texas Hollywood (Tabernas).[2] The film had a budget of around 5 million.[3]

Release

The film had its world premiere on 11 October 2002 at the Sitges Film Festival (FICC),[4] [5] making its domestic theatrical release a week later, on 18 October. The film performed bad at the box office, becoming one of the economic blunders in 2002 Spanish cinema, grossing less than €2 million.[6]

Awards and nominations

|-| align = "center" rowspan = "4" | 2003 || rowspan = "4" | 17th Goya Awards || Best Actor || Sancho Gracia || || rowspan = "4" | [7] |-| Best Original Score || Roque Baños || |-| Best Editing || Alejandro Lázaro || |-| Best Special Effects || Juan Ramón Molina, Félix Bergés, Rafael Solórzano || |}

See also

References

Citations
  • Bibliography
  • Notes and References

    1. News: Dos revólveres para un Quijote. El País. 18 October 2002. Ángel. Fernández-Santos. Ángel Fernández-Santos.
    2. Web site: Paisajes de Cine. Almería de película. Servicio Provincial de Turismo. Diputación de Almería. 17 December 2021.
    3. News: Álex de la Iglesia rinde homenaje en '800 balas' al 'spaguetti western'. El País. 18 January 2002. Elisa. Silió.
    4. News: Dávila atrapa el alma de '800 balas'. El País. 11 October 2002.
    5. Web site: Alex de la Iglesia dispara sus "800 balas". El Mundo. 12 October 2002.
    6. Web site: Así se ve Álex de la Iglesia. El Mundo. 17 October 2004.
    7. Web site: 800 balas. Premios Goya. 17 December 2021.