Prolabas Deeper than the descriptions

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

José Luis Rivera Mendoza (jluis1984) The province of Almería in Spain, became widely famous among film producers in the 60s and 70s, as it had the perfect natural settings for making movies. The Italian filmmakers were the first to discover the vast potential of Almería as a location, and the Western genre the one that suited the desert like a glove. Soon the Americans would arrive and the not only westerns, but also great epic films like "Patton" and "Lawrence of Arabia" took advantage of Almería's vast deserted landscape. "800 Balas" (800 bullets), is director Alex De la Iglesia's homage to Almería, and the legendary Spaghetti Westerns that were produced there, as well as the many people who found job in those classic movies. With his now trademark black humor to its fullest, De la Iglesia does for Westerns what he did for the Horror genre in "El Dia De la Bestia", and delivers another great underrate jewel in this the sixth film in his weird and brilliant career.Carlos Torralba (Luis Castro) is a youngster to whom the growing up without a father figure has turned him into a spoiled troublemaker. One day Carlos discovers a photograph of her deceased father dressed as a cowboy, and soon he find out that his father worked as a stuntman in the desert of Almería along with his grandfather, but neither his mother Laura (Carmen Maura), nor his grandmother (Terele Pávez) are willing to speak more about that. So, fooling his mother, Carlos visits Almería, and discovers that his grandfather Julián (Sancho Gracia) is still alive and keeps working making stunt shows in the decaying set built for those old Westerns. As Julián is not really liked by Laura, she decides to use her business to ruin Julian's old western stunt show, but neither the former cowboy nor his gang of stuntman are willing to let that happen. An all they have to defend themselves are 800 bullets.Written by the inseparable duo of Jorge Guerricaechevarría and director Álex De la Iglesia himself, "800 Balas" is a story that uses a simple and typical premise about a boy discovering his deceased father's past to create a multi layered story about honor, loyalty, and the fine line between reality and fiction, all spiced up by countless references to the Western genre (both American and Spaghetti) and a huge dose of black subversive humor. While not exactly a Western by itself, De la Iglesia plays with the genre defining it as the ultimate film genre and making cinema the perfect factory of dreams, as Julián and his gang of outsiders are people who never accepted that the dream they helped to create was over, in a loving tribute to Almería, its people, and its Westerns.Certainly, "800 Balas" is more an action-packed character study than a straight forward Western, but De la Iglesia offers a deep knowledge of the Spaghetti Westerns that fans of the genre will find truly rewarding. With a stunning photography (by Flavio Martínez Labiano) that mimics Leone's classics, and a score (by Roque Baños) that gives more than one nod to Morricone; De la Iglesia captures Almería's essence and uses it as a setting for his tale of renegade cowboys making a final ride. Alex De la Iglesia has really improved a lot, but his freshness still can be seen in the way the camera flows across the scenes with a very fluid pace.While it's true that Guerricaechevarría and De la Iglesia have done a great effort in this film, the movie literally belongs to Sancho Gracia and his outstanding performance as Julián. Gracia (himself a real Spaghetti Western actor) makes his character a complex and believable man that transcends a role that easily could had been a caricature of itself. Luis Castro serves as an excellent counterpart, and the young actor shows a great amount of talent for his age, in the role that serves as catalyst for the film's events. Once again Carmen Maura delivers an effective performance as the film's antagonist, and proves one more time why she is considered one of the best actress from Spain.The rest of the cast are OK, although it's true that their characters at times tend to become exactly what they should not be: silly walking stereotypes. Still, this is more a flaw in the otherwise very good script than the actor's fault, and it's one of the two main problems "800 Balas" faces. The second problem is the fact that it's a bit too overlong, and while the film keeps a nice good pace for the most part, by the middle the film really drags a bit (with some scenes being either unnecessary or too long). Other than that the film is flawless, and a very recommended watch for every fan of the Spaghetti Western films of the 60s.Despite it's obvious flaws, "800 Balas" is a remarkable homage to a long lost era, and another amazing work by one of Spain's most original filmmakers. This love letter to cinema is a must-see for Western fans, specially those who enjoyed watching Clint Eastwood walking through Almería, as the spirit of those legendary films seems to revive for a last ride through the desert. 8/10

filwashere Even if you aren't a fan of Sergio Leone's run of Western's shot in Spain on the cheap, you will still enjoy this movie. From the loving throwback title sequence to the obtuse Western camera angles to the heartfelt story of a boy connecting to his long lost grandfather, there is a lot to love in this picture. The standard Western archetypes are there but each one with a twist. Some aren't even known by names, simply by what they do in the Western re-enactment town. There is Hanged Man, Dragged Man (who is constantly being dragged by a rope behind a horse...it is his only trick, by golly, and he uses it for everything!) and the Sheriff and the Indians. Shootouts, pratfalls, drinkin', whorin', and by golly old fashioned quick draw shootouts. As an homage it is wonderful, from the claustrophobic close-ups, bird's eye angle on a dusty western street, Morricone-sounding music and Western bravado. As an homage to the love of film, it works as well. I will be surprised if it makes it to American shores uncut, though. There is a funny scene in it involving a prostitute and a young boy that is at once innocent and funny and oddly creepy. It is a funny scene, reminiscent of similar scenes in "Almost Famous" but in the US where the flash of a breast on TV causes seizures, it just won't pass the mustard. Which is too bad, because this is top film-making but what I am reading more and more as "the next Peter Jackson" or "next Robert Rodriquez." There are too few directors of that ilk, so give this one a try when it comes out on DVD or, if you are lucky, to the nearest art house cinema.

ma-cortes Alex De la Iglesia is an excellent Spanish director . He had much success such as "Accion Mutante" , " El Dia de la Bestia", "Perlita Durango" and ¨La Comunidad¨ , among others . Here deals with a homage to Spaghetti/Paella Western and other American Westerns shot in Spain . Julian Torralba/Sancho Gracia is an ex-movie stuntman living in Almeria . Julian and his colleagues once made a busy living in Spaghetti Westerns shot in Spain ; nowadays , they are reduced to do stunt-shows for small audiences on the decaying set built for those old Westerns . Here Sancho Gracia , who made several Westerns during the 60s and 70s , plays an old man who brings a village back to life , which the bad guys want to sell to speculators . Sancho Gracia , his friends and grandson must fight against the polices and baddies to obtain their purports . The final showdown between Sancho Gracia and Angel De Andrés López is overwhelming and exciting. In the film there is comedy , tongue-in-cheek , humour , drama , noisy action , nudism , and results to be very entertaining . Filmmaker Alex De La Iglesia tries to pay tribute to Spaghetti Western , that's why he wished its main star , Clint Eastwood , to play himself as a cameo or special appearance , Alex even offered to move to Los Angeles to shot his part ; Clint , who was then working on the direction of ¨Blood work¨ (2002), was forced to turn down this sympathetic offer . Main cast is pretty good , such as Sancho Gracia , Carmen Maura and Angel Andrés López . Support cast is frankly enjoyable , including Alex De Iglesia's ordinary secondaries , such as : Manuel Tallafé , Eusebio Poncela , Enrique Martínez , Eduardo Gómez and the great Terele Pávez . Evocative production design shot on location in Desert of Tabernas , Almería , Andalucía , where during the sixties and early seventies lots of Spaghetti/Paella Westerns were filmed . Alex De La Iglesia's direction is rightly made , he called it as a ¨Western Marmitako¨ , it is a special food from Basque Country , where Alex was born . Besides , cinematography by Flavio Labiano is splendid and Roque Baños' musical score is breathtaking , though it imitates Ennio Morricone . Rating : 6.5/10 Good . Better than average . Well worth seeing .

cifra2 800 Balas (800 Bullets) **** 1/2 by Alex de la Iglesia with Sancho Gracia, Angel de Andrés López, Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela and Luis Castro. OK, people. Here's the "Scream" of the Western genre. Only it is not set in America, but in the fake America in Spain where masterpieces as Lawrence of Arabia and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly were shot. And it is not set in the XIXth Century but in 2.002. And everything is fake, the mirage of times already past.Alex de la Iglesia's career is truly awesome. His first short, "Mirindas Asesinas" (*****) was hailed by many critics as the BEST spanish short film EVER. Then Pedro Almodóvar himself financed de la Iglesia's film debut, "Acción Mutante" (*** 1/2), a science-fiction terrorist comedy that open new possibilities for spanish film industry. Then he changed his producer to "Belle Epoque" producer Andrés Vicente Gómez, who financed his later films: the legendary "Day of the Beast" (*****), "Perdita Durango" (*****) - the movie that de la Iglesia choose to make instead "Alien Resurrection" - "Muertos de Risa" (**** 1/2) and "La Comunidad" (**** 1/2). A truly awesome career, in my opinion. His trademark wild and surreal humor, grotesque violence and the social subtext of almost all of his movies makes him one of the most extraordinary and unique "auteurs" worldwide.No wonder that besides "Talk to Her", the most anticipated film in Spain of 2002 was "800 Balas". Did he - once more - deliver the goods?Yes. A big YES.The plot: Carlos (Luis Castro) the nasty 11 years old - more or less - son of Laura (Carmen Maura) an executive of a construction company discovers - thanks to his dead father's mother (the great Terele Pávez) that his grandfather is alive and escapes from home to find him in Almería's Hollywood. The situation when he arrives is not good. The Western Hollywood stunt attraction is all that survives from the golden past that land saw in the 60's, the land where Clint Eastwood, David Lean and George C. Scott made great movies (spaghetti westerns, Lawrence of Arabia and Patton: yes, they were shot in Spain!). A land where the last important shooting was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - and so it's kept a photograph of both Spielberg and Lucas at the entrance of the theme park.Carlos' grandfather, Julián (Sancho Gracia) is the shadow of the man he once was. He plays his usual stunt unconvincingly along with his fellows, including Cheyenne (Angel de Andrés López) with whom he fights at the saloon entrance in a very bad western style. When Julián learns that Carlos is his grandson, guilt resurrects as he's partially to blame of his son's death when playing a stunt many years ago. But things can only get worse when Laura finally finds where is her son.And I will stop here. I don't want to spoil the fun for you. And yes, I know that this is set for drama, not for comedy. How the situation develops is outstanding. Meet the people of the "theme park". Meet their families. Meet the muslim immigrants. Meet the whores. Meet the Guardia Civil. Meet the Police. Bring 800 bullets, and alcohol, and drugs, and The Pogues' "Fiesta". And you have another de la Iglesia's wild ride to the darkest spanish spirit.Making sutile references to a lot of westerns and taking even a couple of shots from "Seven Samurai" - which we can admit is some kind of western - de la Iglesia's direction is bizarre, daring, grotesque, strong, and ultimately, unique. And the same can be said of the cast and their performances. Sancho Gracia and Angel de Andrés López are simply awesome in their roles. Some of you may remember Angel de Andrés López from Almodóvar's "What have I done to deserve this?" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" (althought his part in this one was very small, as a cop)... but both are two of the most underrated spanish actors. In exchange, Carmen Maura is one of the most known spanish actresses - and one of the best - and it may surprise many that her part is not the starring one... The whole supporting cast is great, and even the kid, Luis Castro, who has a very funny sex initiation sequence with a whore (R rating for sure in the USA!) is really funny (when the movie starts, he is playing alone disguised as an islamic terrorist!).Add to this Roque Baños homage to classic western music at the score, a great cinematography and art direction, stunts, and a nostalgic feeling mixed with a riot and you have one of the best spanish movies of the year, althought some - lesser - pacing problems prevent me of giving the "Masterpiece" rating.So, an advice: go rent "Day of the Beast" and "Perdita Durango" (Dance with the Devil). If you love or simply like these movies, you'll enjoy "800 Balas"... if you hate them, go check something else.