Miss Bala Reviews

Miss Bala, remade from the 2011 film of the same name, is a convoluted mess, not only hampered by terrible direction, but questionable acting as well. The characters are not likeable, the plot is unnecessarily staggered, and the end result is a laughable attempt in orchestrating an intriguing concept. Veteran director, Catherine Hardwicke, plays too loose with each scene, constantly reaching for a daytime television drama feel, that just isn’t there. Miss Bala is not an action movie; the action is sparse. It is not a thriller; the tension is non-existent. At its best, the film is a mediocre drama that is too chaotic for its own good.   Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), a professional makeup artist, goes on a trip to Tijuana to meet up with her best friend Suzu (Cristina Rodlo). Suzu is signing up for the Miss Baja California beauty pageant and Gloria’s makeup skills are her secret weapon. The night before the show, the girls decide to go out and mingle with some of the pageant coordinators. The club they attend is tragically targeted and gunned down by a local gang, Las Estrellas, led by cookie-cutter-bad-guy Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova). As Gloria and Suzu get split up, the former eventually gets captured by Las Estrellas. Determined to find her friend, Gloria must endure Lino and his gang for as long as she can.   The premise of the Miss Bala is compelling; a terrified, captured expat who has to overcome the odds to find her best friend. There is potential to make Gloria a strong, innovative survivor, but the script never actually supports this notion. Instead, Gloria is more of a reactionary protagonist, who only comes into her own during the final act of the film. For a character that has gone through so much, it is amazing that there is almost no emotional attachment with her. Not surprisingly, the supporting cast does not help much in the way of character development. Each person is as hollow as the next, curating a story without one appealing character. Even a brief appearance of Anthony Mackie as Jimmy comes off as a comical addition by the end.   If the flawed story and acting weren’t enough, the camera work and general direction really drive the nail into the coffin. Going for a chaotic, in-your-face style, the movie only succeeds in generating nausea and confusion. Extreme closeups and wobbly cameras can work when there is actually something to care about. In a film that falls this flat, the extracurricular movement with the camera and closeups during “dramatic” scenes come of completely insincere.   A story that should have been about empowering a strong, female lead character, completely fails, and we are only left wondering what could have been. By not checking any of the proverbial boxes, the director is sending a clear message: this film is not worth your time.