800 balas (2002)

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writers:

Jorge Guerricaechevarría (writer)
Álex de la Iglesia (writer)

Release Date:

18 October 2002 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Let the battle begin...

Plot:

Julián Torralba is a former movie stuntman in Almeria, Spain. He and several of his colleagues, who...

Plot Keywords:

Cowboy | Stuntman | Spain | Show | Stunt

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Sancho Gracia	...	Julián
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Cheyenne (as Angel de Andres)
Carmen Maura	...	Laura
Eusebio Poncela	...	Scott
Luis Castro	...	Carlos
Manuel Tallafé	...	Manuel (as Manuel Tallafe)
Enrique Martínez	...	Arrastrado (as Enrique Martinez)
Luciano Federico	...	Enterrador
Eduardo Gómez	...	Ahorcado (as Eduardo Gomez)
Terele Pávez	...	Rocío (as Terele Pavez)
Ramón Barea	...	Don Mariano (as Ramon Barea)
Cesáreo Estébanez	...	Andrés (as Cesareo Estebanez)
Eduardo Antuña	...	Taxista
Gracia Olayo	...	Juli
Berta Ojea	...	Angeles
Yoima Valdés	...	Sandra (as Yoima Valdes)
Ane Gabarain	...	Jacinta
Alfonso Torregrosa	...	Police Chief
Arantxa Silvestre	...	Woman in Stagecoach
Juan Viadas	...	Monitor
Pablo Pinedo	...	Elías
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julio Alonso	...	Conductor Excavadora
Javier Aranda	...	Transportista
Javier Bustamante	...	Individuo 1
Fernando Casado Rosa	...	Confederado 1
Lucia Castillo	...	Vocina Sra. Encarna (as Lucia Castillo 'Lucy')
Begoña Cruz	...	Mujer Policia
Ramón Del Pomar	...	Doble de Clint
Juan José Exposito Ferrer	...	Confederado 3
Tito Garcia	...	Tonito
Hector Gomez	...	Conductor Furgo
Agustín Gomez Marín	...	Chacho (as Agustín Gómez Marín "El Titi")
Artemy Guillen	...	Indio 2
Mercedes Guillot	...	Mujer de Mariano
Juan-Jo Lezamiz	...	Camarero
Jorge Otero Garcia 'Harold'	...	Confederado 2
Juanma Pagazaurtundua	...	Val Petrov
Lola del Pino	...	Secretaria
Carolo Ruiz	...	Individuo 2
Paul Vega	...	Indio 3
Al Pereira	...	Man into the crowd (uncredited)
Constantino Romero	...	Clint Eastwood (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Álex de la Iglesia

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jorge Guerricaechevarría		writer
Álex de la Iglesia		writer

Produced by
María Angulo	....	associate producer
Álex de la Iglesia	....	producer
Juanma Pagazaurtundua	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Roque Baños

Cinematography by
Flavio Martínez Labiano

Film Editing by
Alejandro Lázaro

Art Direction by
José Luis Arrizabalaga
Biaffra

Costume Design by
Paco Delgado

Makeup Department
Itziar Arrieta	....	assistant hair stylist
Ainhoa Eskisabel	....	assistant hair stylist
Lola López	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Juanma Pagazaurtundua	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Falele Ygueravide	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Imanol Echeverría	....	property master

Sound Department
Susana Benito	....	assistant sound mixer
Francisco Cillán	....	boom operator
Manuel Corrales	....	sound effects
Jaime Fernández	....	sound re-recording mixer
Martín García Blaya	....	assistant sound editor
Fabio Huete	....	boom operator
David Mantecón	....	sound editor
Antonio Rodríguez 'Mármol'	....	sound (as Antonio Rodríguez)
Carlos Schmukler	....	sound designer
Ricardo Viñas	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby

Special Effects by
Antonio Castillo	....	special effects
Antonio Molina	....	special effects
Juan Ramón Molina	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Nike Alonso	....	visual effects producer
Eduardo Díaz	....	digital compositor
Guillermo Orbe	....	digital compositor
Thorsten Rienth	....	digital compositor
Raúl Sánchez	....	digital compositor
Rafa Solorzano	....	visual effects supervisor
Carlos Trijueque	....	digital compositor

Stunts
José Ignacio Álvarez	....	stunts (as Ignacio Alvarez)
Luis Miguel Arranz	....	stunts (as Luis Miguel Villareal Arranz)
Sergio Atanes	....	stunts
Alejandro Cobo García	....	stunts
Ricardo Cruz	....	stunts (as Ricardo Cruz Moral)
Inocencio Losada	....	stunts (as Inocencio Losada Silva)
Salvador Martos Manson	....	stunts (as Salvador Martos)
José Antonio Ona Sánchez	....	stunts
Juan Francisco Saz	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Paola Ardizzoni	....	still photographer
Miguel Ángel Cárdenas	....	gaffer
Javier Casado	....	electrician
Elías Fernández	....	electrician
Emilio Pereda	....	still photographer
José Sacristán	....	electrician
Federico Staffa	....	clapper loader
Fernando Vázquez Gondar	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sonia Isla	....	wardrobe assistant
Eva Salas	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Miguel P. Gilaberte	....	color timer
Francisco Amaro Gómez	....	assistant editor
Cristina Pastor	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Zacarías M. de la Riva	....	orchestrator
José Vinader	....	score mixer
José Vinader	....	score recordist

Other crew
Urko Errazquin	....	marketing
Purificación García	....	production secretary
Juan Maján	....	armorer
Francisco Sanchez Ortiz	....	marketing director
Germán Sela	....	marketing coordinator

Production Companies

• Alan Young Pictures
• Canal+ España
• Etb (Euskal Telebista)
• Panico Films
• Televisión Española (TVE)

Distributors

• Cine Qua Non Films (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• TLA Releasing (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Europa Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• H.O.M. Vision bv, Spakenburg (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• La Fabrique de Films (France)
• Lumiére Films (Argentina)
• TLA Releasing (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Sogefilms A.I.E. (Spain)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Molina Efectos Especiales

Other Companies

• Madrid Film S.A.  film lab

Also Known As:

800 Bullets (International: English title)
Ochocientas balas (Spain) (alternative spelling)
800 balles (France) [fr]
800 damla yas (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
800 golyó (Hungary) [hu]
800 metaka (Serbia) (TV title) [sr]

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content/nudity and some violence.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:M (original rating) | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Alan Young Pictures

Trivia:

The young man with beard, curly hair and glasses behind Laura when she talks to the camera is not Álex de la Iglesia but 'Francis Aguilar'. An Almeria-born director of short movies ("Zombeach"), he joined the crew of 800 balas and became a friend of de la Iglesia. They look so much alike that they decided to give him a cameo role to fool the audience.

Goofs:

Continuity: The placement of bullets in Sandra's ammo belt changes from shot to shot near the end of the movie.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Ren & Stimpy Show" (1991)

hugely entertaining, romanticized Spanish "Western" with rich irony

I liked 800 Balas despite the sentimental pap; I think it proves that Iglesias has the heart and balls to make it big in Hollywood if he wants to. He has this ability to be so entertaining, accessible and deeply felt at the same time.

There were plenty of funny moments, romanticism (which tends to be simplistic and predictable at times) morality, "good and bad" characters,action, bright colors and suspense to give Steven Soderbergh a run for his money. At the same time, we get a healthy dose of ambiguous darkness, rich irony, black humor and ludicrous moments that tread the thin line between hysteria and nostalgia, morbidity and delight.

There are layers of amorphous innocence and celebration of sensuality in that scene where the kid, lying on the bed with the whore, learns a thing or two about female anatomy aided by a physical demonstration of squeezing her boobs. (For an odd, whimsical and yet strangely dark kid-confronted-with-ripe-overwhelming-sexuality scene, check out THE TIN DRUM where the protagonist buries his face on their house help's "bush".)

That scene where the kid tries to enter the abandoned film set to reach his granddad and somehow evades the notice of EVERYONE AROUND HIM, steeped in chaos, fright, awe and exhilaration as they all were - -- that is just tautly controlled and beautifully executed. The colors are so vivid and ethereal and it's great seeing around two hundred of these film extras acting their hearts out for their 3 seconds of fame, to be grazed by the camera's tracking shot.

Like the mythical, legendary granddad aiming for authenticity and grandeur, Iglesias strives for plenty of big moments.

But I guess that in the end, all the "hero" ever really wanted was to be loved; and if we can't admire this movie for its glorification of machismo-addled brotherhood and glaring, obvious contrasts and metaphors, we may just love its shameless and profound respect for history, psychological and blood ties, dreams, life, and humanity.