The two hired killers seen alongside the Oscar character (played by Steven Bauer) are actually two real-life Puerto Rican policemen. They had been hired as technical advisors and when director Ricardo Mendez Matta asked them to be in the film they insisted on playing bad guys instead. When asked why, they said that working undercover required them to think and act like bad guys at all times, and that by now they felt more comfortable doing that.
The dock seen in the drug smuggling scene is an actual dock in the town of Fajardo where cocaine is routinely brought in by drug runners in low-lying "Spider" boats such as the one used in the film. The men operating the boat were local fishermen who knew exactly how to conduct the operation. The orange container they carry onto the boat is a fuel tank, which they then take along to the high seas where they meet another boat bringing in the drugs from far away, and which desperately needs to refuel.
The character of "Wanda" is loosely based on Wanda Velez Roman, a one time FBI and DEA informant who had been collaborating with the filmmakers on a film about her previous exploits.
Puerto Rico's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).
Lymari Nadal's debut.