Perfect cast and a good story

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Solid but downbeat yarn , based on Juán Marsé novel adapted by Vicente Aranda . The lives of two brothers (Eduardo Noriega in doublé role) are dramatically crossed when the toughest brother : Raul , a violent police , is targeted by the terrorist organization Eta . Raul returns to the family home where gangs of drug smugglers and prostitution mobsters threaten him and carry out a particular vendetta until a sad ending . At home he meets again his father (Héctor Colomé) along with dad's girlfriend , Olga (Belén Fabra) . Meanwhile Valentín , who suffers from mental disabilities , works at a brothel as a handy boy and falls for a beautiful , but heartless as well as predatory , prostitute called Milena (Flora Martínez , though Aranda wished to cast Ana de Armas , nowadays , a Hollywood star) . Ultimately they have to make a tragic decision and at the ending there occurs fateful events . Acceptable as well as accomplished work by Vicente Aranda , being based on a novel by Juán Marsé . Intense and heart-rending drama about two brothers , a love triangle and jealousy that lead to tragic consequences . Solid film dealing with hostess club life , jealousy , loving siblings , passions , treason , sexual intrigues and a passable acting by the main cast ; being sometimes slow-moving , but also steamily entertaining . Concerning problems emerge when two brothers get across a scheming whore , as the dim-witted brother enamored to prostitute and shortly after the violent brother starts falling in love with her too . As both of whom fall fatally in love with a real Femme Fatale well played by Flora Martínez , winning yet another nice interpretation with an alluring and smoldering role . It is a peculiar story of brotherhood , love , lies and jealousy with an intrigue behind . This interesting as well as intimate story is a passionate retelling and a touching drama , including strong as well as exuberant sex scenes . Vicente Aranda also adapts the interesting script along with Juán Marsé based on their own story . Decent acting by duo protagonist as well as a very good support cast . Noriega is nice both , a violent policeman and a mentally handicapped young and fine performance from Flora Martínez , she is absolutely hypnotic in her role as sluttish and crude domineering woman . The secondary actors were very intelligent chosen and they all did a marvelous performance such as Héctor Colomé , Belen Fabra and Irene Escolar , Yohana Cobo as young call-girls . Spotless pictorial as well as colorful photography by magnificent cameraman Jose Luis Alcaine , Pedro Almodovar's usual, he pulls off a photography with juicy atmosphere . Alcaine mostly filmed in city of Alicante , Ciudad De La Luz , Comunidad Valenciana , and Vigo , Pontevedra . Jose Luis Alcaine is deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen with a long and prestigious artistic career and Almodovar's ordinary cameraman . He was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning in the 1970s ; Alcaine photographed successes as ¨Amantes Pasajeros ¨, ¨13 Rosas¨, ¨Rivales¨, Roma¨, ¨Reina De España¨ , ¨Altamira¨ , among others . Furthermore , a willingness almost perfect of the elements of each frame , every scene , every place . Sensitive and adequate musical score by Jose Nieto , Aranda's usual ; in addition some catching and South American songs sung by Paco Ortega and other singers. The motion picture was compelling and professionally directed in his particular style by veteran filmmaker Vicente Aranda ; however , the flick had little success . He directed a series of award-winning movies firmly establishing him as one of the best Spanish filmmakers . His usual film editor is own wife , Teresa Font . Vicente is an expert on literary adaptations ,as he has adapted four novels by Juan Marsé (Canciones Amor en Lolita's Club (2007), El Amante Bilingüe (1993), Si Te Dicen Que Caí (1989) and La Muchacha De Las Bragas De Oro (1980). Vicente often shoots strong erotic scenes , being ¨jealousy¨, a customary issue in his films . Vicente has been working from the 60s with ¨Fata Morgana¨ , ¨Las Crueles¨ , ¨Novia Ensangrentada¨ , ¨Clara es el Precio¨ , among others . His greatest successes were intense dramas with plenty of sex such as ¨Amantes¨ , easily the best of the numerous films of Aranda , although originally intended to be produced as an episode of the TV crime anthology series 'La Huella Del Crimen 2' (1991), before producer Pedro Costa decided to rewrite the script as a theatrical film . Besides , other hits as ¨Pasion Turca¨ , ¨Si Dicen Que Cai¨ , ¨Intruso¨ , ¨Tiempo De Silencio¨ , ¨Carmen¨ , along with a delinquency tale : ¨El Lute¨ I and II starred by Imanol Arias , his fetish actor along with Victoria Abril (They have worked together 12 times) and specially the historical story titled ¨Juana La Loca¨ also dealing with jealousy .

High production values help this macho mish-mash of cliché-ridden cop action and sex melodrama, in full tilt Spanish style. It begins with brooding, grumpy, tough, cop (Noriega) dropping Euros into Gorgeous Babe 1 (a whore)'s bum crack, in payment for services rendered. Then he prevents some Arab women from being terrorised by bikers, when he knocks them off their bikes and puts one of them in a wheelchair - for which he is suspended. His detective colleague, Gorgeous Babe 2, tries to talk sense into him, but he flounces off, and returns to his home town, where his younger brother. a sweet simpleton (also Noriega) is now working in a high-class brothel, and engaged to its hottest babe (Gorgeous Babe 3). Cop fancies Babe 3, and their dad's new young wife (GB4)..It's all pretty ridiculous, but well made - if you like a very rich chocolate cake, laced with aguardiente.