This intriguing film deals with Begoña , Virginia Mataix , a waiter working at a lush restaurant in the Basque Country , in Vizcaya . There meets the powerful shipowner Javier Uriarte , Carlos Lucena, and she asks him for her father a job as captain . As his father named Patxi, Alfredo Landa , is a depressing official who is hired as a captain aboard a merchant ship called Urkia.Later on, Begoña meets Esteban, Imanol Arias , who is the tough boss of a gang operating by the river and docks, carrying out robbing and assaults . And things go wrong when he falls in love for Begoña /Virginia. Shortly after , Esteban is contracted as the boat machinist to transport a suspect cargo.As Patxi and Esteban embark on the boat , destination : an unknown African country . But the voyage results to be harder than they had thought .This is a thriller with surprising happenings , twists and turns . It blends loving elements , politics , corruption, betrayal , and ambition , but being carried in coldness , and slowless. This is a dramatic thriller that keeps you interested and expecting , including a love story , voodoo dances , venomous dolls , gunrunners , and many other things . The main premise results to be a risked journery transporting weapons smuggling and things go wrong when the motley crew are discovered and imprisoned , it winds up into a vengeful denouement . Main cast is pretty fine , Alfredo Landa gives a splendid acting , as always , as the upsetting captain who is really affected after death his wife . Virginia Mataix delivers a passable interpretation playing the unfortunate waiter who fall distressly for a delinquent .And Imanol Arias as the thief turned machinist who finds redemption thanks to Begoña . Furthermore , it contains a frankly good supprt cast such as : Carlos Lucena , Ramon Barea , Luis Hostalot , Juan Jesús Valverde , and the veteran actreess from the early talkies called Raquel Rodrigo .Evocative cinematography the prestigious Carlos Suarez, director Gonzalo Suarez's brother, and his regular cameraman . Filmed on location in Getxo, Guetaria , Trapaga , and Bilbao , Vizcaya and Malabo ,Luba , Guinea Ecuatorial .Atmospheric but sad musical score by the classic composer Carmelo Bernaola . The motion picture was well but uneven realized by Pedro Olea. The film achieved nominee to best production direction to prestigious and prolific designer Ramiro Gómez . As the Basque director Pedro Ólea was born in Bilbao where he often makes his films . He is one of the most gripping Spanish filmmakers , being an expert director . He began directing Días de viejo color and he went on a personal work about a Wolfman titled Bosque Del Lobo . He subsequently made a trilogy about Madrid produced by José Frade as Tormento , Pim Pam Pum Fuego, La Corea . One of his greatest hits was A Man Called Flor Otoño with José Sacristan . Later on , he made this Bandera Negra about gun running and a military thriller full of killings titled Morirás en Chafarinas. Shortly after , he realized Más Allá Del Jardín starred by Concha Velasco . And special mention for Fencing Master or El Maestro de Esgrima based on a novel by Arturo Pérez Reverte and it is considered to be his most succesful movie.His last films were Tiempo de Tormenta and the TV movie La Conspiración .