800 Bullets (Spanish: 800 balas) is a 2002 Spanish film directed and produced by Álex de la Iglesia, who jointly penned it alongside Jorge Guerricaechevarría.[1] The cast features Sancho Gracia, Ángel de Andrés, Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela, Terele Pávez and Luis Castro, among others.[2] The film, a tribute to Spanish stuntmen who worked in Spaghetti Westerns, features similarities to Spielbergian Oedipal melodramas.[3]
| 800 Bullets | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Oscar Mariné | |
| Spanish | 800 balas |
| Directed by | Álex de la Iglesia |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Álex de la Iglesia |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Flavio Martínez Labiano |
| Edited by | Alejandro Lázaro |
| Music by | Roque Baños |
Production company | Pánico Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Sogefilms |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | c. €5 million |
Plot
editJulián 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.
Cast
edit- Sancho Gracia as Julián.[4]
- Ángel de Andrés López as Cheyenne.[4]
- Carmen Maura as Laura.[4]
- Eusebio Poncela as Scott.[4]
- Luis Castro as Carlos.[4]
- Terele Pávez as Rocío.[4]
- Enrique Martínez as Arrastrado.[4]
- Luciano Federico as Enterrador.[4]
- Ramón Barea as Don Mariano.[4]
- Manuel Tallafé as Manuel.[4]
- Gracia Olayo as Juli.[4]
- Cesáreo Estébanez as Andrés.[4]
- Eduardo Gómez as Ahorcado.[4]
- Eduardo Antuña as Taxista.[4]
- Berta Ojea as Ángeles.[5]
- Ane Gabarain as Jacinta.[4]
- Yoima Valdés as Sonia.[5]
- Alfonso Torregrosa as Jefe Policía.[4]
- Juan Viadas as Monitor.[4]
- Juanjo Legamiz as Camarero.[5]
Production
editProduced by Pánico Films,[6] 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).[7] The film had a budget of around €5 million.[8]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere on 11 October 2002 at the Sitges Film Festival (FICC),[9][10][11] making its domestic theatrical release a week later, on 18 October.[9][4] The film performed bad at the box office, becoming one of the economic blunders in 2002 Spanish cinema,[12] grossing less than €2 million.[13]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 17th Goya Awards | Best Actor | Sancho Gracia | Nominated | [14] |
| Best Original Score | Roque Baños | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Alejandro Lázaro | Nominated | |||
| Best Special Effects | Juan Ramón Molina, Félix Bergés, Rafael Solórzano | Won |
See also
editReferences
edit- Citations
- ^ Buse, Triana Toribio & Willis 2007, p. 185.
- ^ Fernández-Santos, Ángel (18 October 2002). "Dos revólveres para un Quijote". El País.
- ^ Buse, Triana Toribio & Willis 2007, pp. 8, 143.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Buse, Triana Toribio & Willis 2007, p. 186.
- ^ a b c "Goya 2003". El Mundo. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Peña Sevilla 2009, p. 18.
- ^ "Paisajes de Cine. Almería de película" (PDF). Servicio Provincial de Turismo. Diputación de Almería. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Silió, Elisa (18 January 2002). "Álex de la Iglesia rinde homenaje en '800 balas' al 'spaguetti western'". El País.
- ^ a b Alonso García 2003, p. 179.
- ^ "Dávila atrapa el alma de '800 balas'". El País. 11 October 2002.
- ^ "Alex de la Iglesia dispara sus "800 balas"". El Mundo. 12 October 2002.
- ^ Alonso García 2003, p. 180.
- ^ "Así se ve Álex de la Iglesia". El Mundo. 17 October 2004.
- ^ "800 balas". Premios Goya. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- Bibliography
- Alonso García, Luis (2003). "Los tropecientos agujeros del poncho" (PDF). Ikusgaiak. 6. San Sebastián: 177–236. ISSN 1137-4438.
- Peña Sevilla, Jesús de la (2009). "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto: Ha llegado Álex de la Iglesia" (PDF). Academia. Revista del Cine Español (158). Madrid: Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España: 17–19. ISSN 1136-8144.
- Buse, Peter; Triana Toribio, Núria; Willis, Andy (2007). The cinema of Álex de la Iglesia. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-7136-2.
External links
edit- 800 Bullets at IMDb