Best movie of this year hands down!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Carlos a young, unbearable, spoiled, kid suddenly discovers some hidden secrets about his family. He never had a chance to meet his father but knows that his grandfather is a stuntman who worked in famous westerns many years ago, in those mythical times when the Americans were riding the earth in Almeria.His mother was guarding these secrets from him so on the first chance Carlos decides to explore the unknown part of his family, and escapes to a touristy place in the middle of nowhere called "Texas Hollywood" to meet his grand father. When his mother finds out she can't take it and she swears by all means necessary to destroy the Wild West village. But cowboys are not cowards and here is where the movie really kick's into overdrive.This is a phenomenal masterpiece homege to many spaghetti-western classics, it's a duel in-between reality and dream and it's definitely this director's most complete work. The visual side of the movie is nothing short of spectacular and it's a real shame that masters like Sergio Leone or John Ford could not witness it they would love it!The title comes from the main characters budget of being able to buy only 800 bullets to defend his village and his friend against the police.Characters are fascinating and memorable from the man who's hanged through the whole movie to the horse dragging stuntman cowboy, but the central figure is Julian (Sancho Garcia) in an epic role of a famous Clint Eastwood double.There are many brilliant moments and the movie from the opening scene is just a one of those rare movies which holds your attention all the way.This, the directors 6th movie is the most complete and probably most personal and confessional work. The pure imagination and all the ideas executed and transferred to the screen are nothing less than spectacular.Finally, like a viewer you don't need to like westerns, the movie is about courage, friendship, and very original humor. ALEX DE LA IGLESIA born 1965 in Bilbao is one of the leading Spanish directors present. Besides his recognizable style and brave projects DE LA IGLESIA has tested himself almost in every single movie genre. The only short which he directed "Mirindas Assesinas" was loved by Almodovar brothers which leaded to their collaboration on a hilarious mixture of science-fiction-parody "Action Mutante" (1992). After that a Spanish box office hit followed "El dia de la bestia" (1995), after which he picked up an abandoned project of Bigas Luna "Perdita Durango" (1997) which introduced to the world a great duet in-between Rosie Perez and Javier Bardem. After this he directed "Muertos de risa" (1999), and "La Comunidad" (2000) which was just recently distributed in UK. His sixth feature "800 Ballas" was nominated for 7 Goya's (Spanish Oscars) and features Alex de la Iglesia first time as a producer.Andreja Kmetovic.

I rented this one on a hunch, not having watched any of director De La Iglesia's work, even if I had heard of him - if not the film in question.I thought this was going to be an out-and-out Spaghetti Western update, and it looks like it at first, but the way it developed makes it original and even more interesting than I had imagined! It's frequently uproarious and displays a refreshing irreverence, especially in its use of foul language (which I found even funnier because it's so similar to our own); astoundingly, there are also sex scenes witnessed by, and almost involving, a minor! Deliberately paced and overlong, it ultimately emerges as an endearing, even infectious, spoof of Spaghetti Western film-making and the world of stunt-men (which to me, having been in Hollywood a little while back, has a special relevance). Recurring jokes like forgetting the hanged man once the shooting's over, a stuntman dedicated to making his fall from a roof-top as realistic as possible, and the front of a poor woman's house being demolished by a runaway van are very funny, and there's a hilarious funeral finale with a surprising appearance by "Clint Eastwood" (who, as everyone knows, became a household word in Italian Westerns filmed in Spain)! The cast is largely made up of unknowns (except for Carmen Maura) but they enter enthusiastically into the tongue-in-cheek spirit of things, with Sancho Gracia's characterization being especially vivid (at times, even a moving one). Indeed, among the various in-jokes which crop up throughout the film is the mention of the Raquel Welch/Burt Reynolds Western 100 RIFLES (1969), a film in which Gracia really appeared!

This movie has its moments, but overall I would say that it's just OK.Being a spaghetti western fan, I couldn't help but want to see this movie after reading its reviews on the IMDb, but after watching the film, I discovered that its relevance to the spaghetti western genre has been greatly overstated. The best thing about this movie is the opening credits and theme song. The first half of the song includes a recognizable melody from the theme of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," but changes the song enough to make it something almost entirely new. Then it breaks off into another great spaghetti western style tune which I didn't recognize any part of. The animated opening credits reminded me of the ones from "Days of Wrath" (aka "Day of Anger"), which have always been my favorite. After hearing and viewing this awesome beginning, I was expecting to be blown away by this movie. Unfortunately, the spectacular opening and the film itself are a mismatch, creating expectations that are not met.The rest of the music score bears very little similarity to those stylish songs that drive the great spaghetti westerns. The music is pretty dull for the most part, and sounds like what you might expect from a recent Hollywood western.The story itself is interesting enough to watch, but doesn't stand out as being unique or groundbreaking among the tons of other more or less pretentious art house films that have been created. It's a story about a broken family, and a boy's desire to connect with his grandfather. Real exciting stuff (I'm being sarcastic, of course).The pacing of the movie could have been better, and the first two-thirds of the film goes by pretty slowly. This story should have been told in 90 minutes rather than 120. There are some funny scenes, especially the ones that occur in the western theme park, some eccentric western characters, and a stunningly beautiful naked woman. The action and comedy contain elements from the old westerns, but the movie doesn't emphasize the "spaghetti" enough. I think fans of Hollywood westerns may actually be more satisfied with this film than people who are expecting an homage to spaghetti westerns.I almost bought this movie, but ended up renting it instead and was glad I did because, although it is interesting enough to watch once, it's not worth the cost of buying.

To keep it simple, this film is just good fun to watch, especially if your a fan of the old spaghetti westerns.Lots of laughs to be found (many revolving around a 12 year old being corrupted by the old men & their big drinking, whore loving lifestyle).After dragging slightly in the middle of the film, 800 Bullets, picks up the pace for a great final 30-odd minutes, where it's all action.Interesting that an "Original Music" credit has been given to Roque Banos, considering that all that was done was to remix Ennio Morricone's classic spaghetti western themes.I highly recommend this film to anyone, especially in the mood for a fun, rollicking film. 8/10