The allure for watching this Spanish film was the presence of Joaquin Cortes, one of Spain's best flamenco dancers. Alas, if that was the case, the viewer will be deeply disappointed, as Mr. Cortes has a non-dancing role in this film from Spain directed by Manuel Palacios with a screenplay credited to a well regarded writer, Arturo Perez Reverte, with the assistance of Mr. Palacios. There was a controversy about plagiarism from Mr. Perez Reverte's script, which had similarities with another one written for an Argentine movie that was never produced.
The story centers on the feud by two factions of gypsy clans. Andres Heredia, newly released from a prison sentence returns to Granada where things have gone out of control in his absence. To complicate matters, Lucia Junco, Andres' wife, has become entangled with a crowd that puts Andres at odds with his own loyalties, while becoming infatuated with Lola, a night club singer, and his sister-in-law.
The problem with the film, like with a dancer turned actor, is wooden as Andres. Others in the cast include Jose Luis Gomez, who appeared in Almodovar's "Broken Embraces", as one of the leaders of the gangs, and Pilar Bardem, Javier Bardem's mother playing a ruthless lawyer out to cheat Andres.
The story centers on the feud by two factions of gypsy clans. Andres Heredia, newly released from a prison sentence returns to Granada where things have gone out of control in his absence. To complicate matters, Lucia Junco, Andres' wife, has become entangled with a crowd that puts Andres at odds with his own loyalties, while becoming infatuated with Lola, a night club singer, and his sister-in-law.
The problem with the film, like with a dancer turned actor, is wooden as Andres. Others in the cast include Jose Luis Gomez, who appeared in Almodovar's "Broken Embraces", as one of the leaders of the gangs, and Pilar Bardem, Javier Bardem's mother playing a ruthless lawyer out to cheat Andres.