Madrid, Apr 11 (IANS/EFE): After portraying the most twisted villain in the history of the James Bond franchise, Javier Bardem plays a neo-Nazi in "Alacran enamorado" ("Scorpion in Love"), a film based on the novel of the same name by his older brother Carlos.

"I fixed on several people to compose the tone and appearance of Solis," the Oscar-winning actor said at a press conference in Madrid with the rest of the team behind the film, which opens in Spain this Friday.

The cast includes Carlos Bardem, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Santiago Zannou, and Alex Gonzalez as Julian, a.k.a. the Scorpion, member of a violent neo-Nazi group led by Solis.

Set in contemporary Spain, the story follows Julian's transformation under the tutelage of boxing coach Carlomonte (Carlos Bardem).

The angry young fascist "becomes the man he wants to be", in Gonzalez's words, and falls in love with Alyssa, a mixed-race Latin American immigrant portrayed by Judith Diakhate.

"All the boxing in the film is genuine," Carlos Bardem said, adding that the movie uses the ring as a "metaphor for life: it doesn't matter that they knock you down, you get up to keep fighting".