800 Bullets

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🎙️ EPISODE 291: 08.07.2020 This early 00s Spanish film is a spoof, a farce, a goof, a whathaveyou. Occasionally, some of these 800 Bullets hit some meaning and almost poignant idea, and it leaves you wanting more of that. Though it generally suffers from pacing issues and wanting, at times, to be too funny, or do too much. (Some of this is the language/culture divide, I'm guessing, but I'm not sure how much.) The story surrounds an old alcoholic stunt man who blames Star Wars for replacing westerns in the culture (he also might have killed his son in a stunt gone awry). His grandson lives five hours away in Madrid, unaware he's even alive. The kid spends his days pretending to be in Al Qaeda1 and being a spoiled brat...

That scene is early in the movie, but it speaks volumes to the problems it has grasping with tone. It's too absurdist to have any humanity, though it's clearly striving for that as well. It's best moments are singular ones; like this bit about movies...

or the occasionally brilliant shot and/or set-piece...


It was frustrating in that regard because it felt like there was a much better movie trapped inside. Eventually the grandson finds out about his Grandpa and seeks him out. He's working as the head 'actor' in an old west stunt show (called "Texas Hollywood" lol) in Almeria², Spain. Their connection or lackthereof is essentially the heart of the film.

I should also note that it had one of the most uncomfortable and inappropriate scenes I've come across in awhile. The grandson character, who was maybe 10 at the time of filming (?³), spends the night with a naked hooker who let's him fondle her. It's not implied but shown, completely 😬  (not to be a prude or nothing but, sheesh, come on Europe)

Despite all its myriad flaws, when it's good it's pretty damn good.Specifically all of the farcical angles related to the consumption of content which are never quite flushed out, like the metaphor that's Grandma cleaning the TV screen with Ren & Stimpy on it...


I have no idea where I heard about this and I wasn't familiar at all with writer/director Álex de la Iglesia before going in, but he's got over a dozen feature credits to his name, and I'd be willing to check out his other work for sure.

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FOOTNOTES:
1. Vaguely troubling? IDK!? This came out a year after 9/11 so maybe that speaks volumes to how your average European felt about America? I'm honestly at a loss tbqh. [BACK]
2. The connection, phonetically, between "Almeria" and "America" (where the Westerns they're mimicking originated) is another example of this film's nice subtle details. [BACK]
3. There ain't much for child actor Luis Castro on IMDb so hopefully this experience didn't fuck him. [BACK]

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CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 290B - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 291B ⫸

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