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(AP) – If you've ever watched "Jane the Virgin", an extremely entertaining show, you'll know her star, Gina Rodriguez, is one of the most engaging, charismatic and relatable actresses ever.
It was only a matter of time before she started a movie in a big studio – a really welcome development. But Rodriguez and his fans deserve better than "Miss Bala", a disappointing and fictional Hollywood remake of a much more cruel and darker Mexican thriller.
No discredit for Rodriguez, of course, who remains authentic and attractive scene after scene, where his character, an American-Mexican makeup artist, is responsible for finding his way out of the most terrifying jams. And it is undeniably satisfying, in a culminating scene, to watch her wander in a satiny, high red evening dress, settling accounts with the naughty men around her.
But if you're looking for a movie with something substantial to say about Mexico and the drug wars, well, anything but a PG-13 "You go, my daughter!" action movie, you will not find it here. Director Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") does her job well enough to stage action sequences and keep up the pace; the scenario has much bigger problems, with lines that are often mundane and extremely predictable.
We meet for the first time Gloria (Rodriguez) in Los Angeles, where she holds a makeup position behind the scenes of Fashion Week. But she longs for a lot more. Offering her design ideas, she met the sneaky replica of a boss: "Honey, we do not pay you to think." Discouraged, she slips free makeup and goes to her best friend, Suzu, in Tijuana.
Their goal: to ensure Suzu's victory in the local beauty contest, which will allow him to improve his life and that of his younger brother. After registering, the two women head for a night of networking in a sordid nightclub, where they hope to rub elbows with the evil and corrupt defender of the show.
But a few minutes after their arrival, a gang of gangsters determined to kill the client forced their way – through the window of the ladies' room! – and a huge shootout ensues. Suzu is kidnapped and Gloria embarks on a desperate quest to find her. A corrupt policeman gives it directly to armed men, led by the beautiful blue-eyed Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova, a charismatic actor who does his best with a cardboard role).
Lino asks a favor in return for helping Gloria. As always here, declining an offer means death. This leads her to unintentionally bomb a DEA refuge. When she manages to escape the clutches of Lino, she falls directly into the hands of a DEA officer (Matt Lauria). Hardly a knight in shining armor, the American threatens her with several years in prison or worse, unless she cooperates.
Gloria is now working secretly for both sides. The Mexicans send it across the border, bundles of banknotes attached to his chest, to retrieve a cache of weapons. On her return, she finds herself only caught in the deadly clutter. Meanwhile, Suzu can not be found.
Apart from Rodriguez and Cordova, no one else has a huge amount of time on the screen; Anthony Mackie is underutilized. Mexican actress Aislinn Derbez makes impression in a brief but tragic role.
It does not mean to say that we will finally get to the beauty contest – who does not like a quality beauty pageant scene? It is also clear that Gloria will have to rise to the occasion and show how hard it has become in just a few days.
This was not the goal of the original movie, but it works well for the winning character of Rodriguez. Look at it for her; for more substance, you may want to consult the original.
"Miss Bala", a version of Sony Pictures, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America "for its sequences of gun violence, badual and drug-related content, thematic documents and language." Duration: 104 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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