800 Bullets

{{Infobox film

| name = 800 Bullets

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|es|800 balas|nolink=yes}}

| image = 800balas.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster by Oscar Mariné

| director = Álex de la Iglesia

| producer = Álex de la Iglesia

| writer = {{ubl|Jorge Guerricaechevarría|Álex de la Iglesia}}

| starring = {{Plain list|

Sancho Gracia
Ángel de Andrés López
Carmen Maura
Eusebio Poncela
Luis Castro
Manuel Tafallé
Enrique Martínez
Eduardo Gómez
Luciano Federico
Terele Pávez
Ramón Barea
Cesáreo Estévanez
Eduardo Antuña
Gracia Olayo
Yoima Valdés
Berta Ojea
Ane Gabarain

}}

| music = Roque Baños

| cinematography = Flavio Martínez Labiano

| editing = Alejandro Lázaro

| distributor = Warner Sogefilms

| released = {{Film date|2002|10|11|df=y|Sitges|2002|10|18|Spain}}

| runtime = 124 minutes

| country = Spain

| studio = Pánico Films

| language = {{Plain list|

Spanish
English
Italian

}}

| budget = {{circa|€5 million}}

}}

800 Bullets ({{langx|es|800 balas|links=no}}) is a 2002 Spanish film directed and produced by Álex de la Iglesia, who jointly penned it alongside Jorge Guerricaechevarría.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=185}} The cast features Sancho Gracia, Ángel de Andrés, Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela, Terele Pávez and Luis Castro, among others.{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2002/10/18/cine/1034892002_850215.html|website=El País|date=18 October 2002|title=Dos revólveres para un Quijote|first=Ángel|last=Fernández-Santos|author-link=Ángel Fernández-Santos}} The film, a tribute to Spanish stuntmen who worked in Spaghetti Westerns, features similarities to Spielbergian Oedipal melodramas.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|pp=8; 143}}

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.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Sancho Gracia as Julián.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Ángel de Andrés López as Cheyenne.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Carmen Maura as Laura.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Eusebio Poncela as Scott.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Luis Castro as Carlos.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Terele Pávez as Rocío.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
{{ill|Enrique Martínez (actor)|es|lt=Enrique Martínez}} as Arrastrado.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Luciano Federico as Enterrador.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Ramón Barea as Don Mariano.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
{{ill|Manuel Tallafé|es}} as Manuel.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Gracia Olayo as Juli.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
{{ill|Cesáreo Estébanez|es}} as Andrés.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Eduardo Gómez as Ahorcado.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Eduardo Antuña as Taxista.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
{{ill|Berta Ojea|es}} as Ángeles.
Ane Gabarain as Jacinta.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Yoima Valdés as Sonia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/especiales/2003/02/cultura/goya/800.html|website=El Mundo|title=Goya 2003|access-date=17 December 2021}}
Alfonso Torregrosa as Jefe Policía.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Juan Viadas as Monitor.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}}
Juanjo Legamiz as Camarero.

}}

Production

Produced by Pánico Films,{{Sfn|Peña Sevilla|2009|p=18}} 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).{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmingalmeria.es/Servicios/Informacion/Informacion.nsf/2DB9A8691D1FC44CC1257E0D003E2384/%24file/guia_cine.pdf|title=Paisajes de Cine. Almería de película|publisher=Servicio Provincial de Turismo. Diputación de Almería|access-date=17 December 2021}} The film had a budget of around €5 million.{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2002/01/18/cine/1011308410_850215.html|website=El País|title=Álex de la Iglesia rinde homenaje en '800 balas' al 'spaguetti western'|date=18 January 2002|first=Elisa|last=Silió}}

Release

The film had its world premiere on 11 October 2002 at the Sitges Film Festival (FICC),{{Sfn|Alonso García|2003|p=179}}{{Cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2002/10/11/cine/1034287208_850215.html|website=El País|date=11 October 2002|title=Dávila atrapa el alma de '800 balas'}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2002/10/11/cine/1034347950.html|website=El Mundo|title=Alex de la Iglesia dispara sus "800 balas"|date=12 October 2002}} making its domestic theatrical release a week later, on 18 October.{{Sfn|Alonso García|2003|p=179}}{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=186}} The film performed bad at the box office, becoming one of the economic blunders in 2002 Spanish cinema,{{Sfn|Alonso García|2003|p=180}} grossing less than €2 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/magazine/2004/264/1097686190.html|website=El Mundo|title=Así se ve Álex de la Iglesia|date=17 October 2004}}

Awards and nominations

| align = "center" rowspan = "4" | 2003 || rowspan = "4" | 17th Goya Awards || Best Actor || Sancho Gracia || {{nom}} || rowspan = "4" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/800-balas/|website=Premios Goya|title=800 balas|access-date=17 December 2021}}

| Best Original Score || Roque Baños || {{nom}}

| Best Editing || Alejandro Lázaro || {{nom}}

| Best Special Effects || Juan Ramón Molina, Félix Bergés, Rafael Solórzano || {{won}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite journal|journal=Ikusgaiak|volume=6|year=2003|title=Los tropecientos agujeros del poncho|pages=177–236|first=Luis|last=Alonso García|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11502132.pdf|location=San Sebastián|issn=11374438}}
{{cite journal|url=https://www.academiadecine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/revista_academia_cine_158.pdf|journal=Academia. Revista del Cine Español|year=2009|issue=158|location=Madrid|issn=11368144|publisher=Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España|title=Klaatu, Barada, Nikto: Ha llegado Álex de la Iglesia|first=Jesús de la|last=Peña Sevilla|pages=17–19}}
{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Buse|first2=Núria|location=Manchester and New York|publisher=Manchester University Press|last2=Triana Toribio|first3=Andy|last3=Willis|year=2007|isbn=9780719071362|title=The cinema of Álex de la Iglesia}}