John Merril, ex-SEAL, set-up for the rape and killing of a Philippine woman, is summarily judged and condemned for life at the 'Bolera Prison Colony', a Pilipino name. However, a Portuguese flag is seen in close-up, and then beaten by the wind as the ship taking him approaches the island of the warlord Acosta. Portugal has no colonies since 1975, and administered the Chinese territory of Macao up to December 17, 1999 - and that's a peninsula. No western character in the film is supposed to be Portuguese.