800 Balas (800 Bullets) (2002)

45% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(3,819 ratings)

A hyperstylized tribute to spaghetti westerns courtesy of fearless Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia, 800 Bullets finds young Carlos (Luis Castro) striking out on his own in search of his long-lost father. Swiping his shrewish businesswoman mother's (Carmen Maura) credit card and setting his… More A hyperstylized tribute to spaghetti westerns courtesy of fearless Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia, 800 Bullets finds young Carlos (Luis Castro) striking out on his own in search of his long-lost father. Swiping his shrewish businesswoman mother's (Carmen Maura) credit card and setting his sights on Almeria, Carlos begins his quest to learn the truth about his father after his curiosity is sparked while thumbing through old photographs. Carlos comes into contact with his alcoholic grandfather Julian (Sancho Gracia) shortly after arriving in Almeria, where the one-time Clint Eastwood stunt double is still chasing his dreams of stardom. Rumored to have caused Carlos' father's death years earlier when a dangerous stunt went horribly awry, Julian now spends his days staging elaborate Western shows for tourists on the abandoned film sets. As the young boy quickly wins the affections of the rough and tumble stunt crew, the arrival of his mother begins to threaten his newfound happiness when she reveals plans of turning the location into an amusement park. As the hapless crew faces the prospect of being displaced by the greed of modern society, they are forced to defend thier territory by replacing their blanks with 800 real bullets. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By: Álex de la Iglesia
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 29, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Mar 15, 2005
Studio: TLA Releasing

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, New York Times
The Spanish wild man Alex de la Iglesia delivers a disappointingly well-behaved film with this sentimental comedy about a boy's reunion with his lovably eccentric grandfather.
Robert Dominguez, New York Daily News
Bizarre, bawdy and totally enjoyable.
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
It thinks it's cute, but it's as charming as an old drunk going on about how he knew Eastwood back in the day.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
800 Bullets has funny moments, but it also has a lot of drag time.
Jorge Morales, Village Voice
Álex de la Iglesia's charming comedy celebrates the resilient power of dreams, memories, and the movies.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Lazy slapstick, farfetched melodrama and some fleeting nudity add up to a film that will mean little to those who aren't devotees of the genre.
Sean Axmaker, St@tic Multimedia
... a tribute to the magic of movies and moviemaking set and shot in Almeria, Spain (home to scores of sixties westerns).
Keith Breese, Filmcritic.com
This isn't one of de la Iglesia's vitriolic works
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Pays homage to the golden age of spaghetti Westerns and gleefully skewers the romantic image of cowboy righteousness that fuels American theme parks, country music, political campaigns and cigarette ads.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Strictly for anyone who ever wanted to know what it would be like if Chris Columbus directed El Topo.
Alex Ramirez, Cinenganos
Una delicia, para gastar 800 Balas de gusto en los festejos, por lo menos...

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Cast

Sancho Gracia
as Julian
Ángel de Andrés López
as Cheyenne
Carmen Maura
as Laura

Eusebio Poncela
as Scott
Luis Castro
as Carlos
Terele Pavez
as Rocio

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