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"Miss Bala", the decent remake of the 2011 Spanish film by director Catherine Hardwicke, is a thrilling action thriller. Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), is an American makeup artist caught in an untenable position that ends her in a beautiful evening dress sporting an AR-15 badault rifle. If this image does not appeal, neither will be sucked into the whirlwind of danger that drives Gloria to this decisive moment.
Hardwicke's relentless film unfolds in front of a quick clip that does not give his hero much time to think – and viewers should not think too much either. Why try to decipher the meaning of a gang tattoo, or who is the mole of a drug cartel, or how Gloria can sleep all night at a table in a cafe after a shootout while on the run. Is she busy kidnapping twice in 20 minutes? Miss Bala throws so much intrigue on Gloria and the viewers that it's easy to feel comfortable. Plus, there are so many double crosses that it's easy to have a badlash.
At the beginning of the film, Gloria travels from Los Angeles to Tijuana to visit her friend Suzu (Cristina Rodio), a promising candidate in the Miss Baja California show. When the girls go to a nightclub in short, tight dresses, they encounter problems in the form of a man who fiddles with Gloria. The situation gets worse when a group of gunmen attack the club. Gloria separates from Suzu and is plunged into a criminal world led by Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova).
Lino, who is sordid but seductive, asks Gloria to do what he wants – help to blow up a safe haven DEA – in exchange for his life. He also promises to help find Suzu if she does everything he tells her. (Fortunately or wisely, the movie's PG-13 rating means that Lino will only take badually for now with Gloria.The disappointing factor here is palpable, but that's not self-explanatory.) Lino feeds her also of a delicious barbacoa, so maybe it's not all bad But most of all, he makes sure that Gloria is under that thumb at all times.
Well, aside from her little excursion where she accidentally finds herself (that is, she's kidnapped by) Brian (Matt Lauria), a DEA officer who wants Lino, and says to Gloria that she will be arrested for terrorism, murder and arson if she does not plant a tracking chip in Lino's phone.
Gloria is stuck between the hammer and hell. But as Lino says in a particularly chosen line of dialogue (if she is too much in the nose), "Chula, sometimes you have to do terrible things to survive." And what Gloria does is terrible for everyone: she plays the goals against the middle and puts herself in great danger in the process.
But that's also why Hardwicke's film is so entertaining, like a B-movie that's both lively and cheesy. A scene where Lino, who grew up in Bakersfield, Calif., Becomes sensitive to everything and talks about belonging to a membership neither in the United States nor in Mexico, looks daunting. A movie like this, where Gloria can not trust anyone, does not need character development. (Neither does it need politics, and with gratitude, 45 and its wall are never mentioned, even if they are hiding silently in the background).
"Miss Bala" works best when Gloria shows not only that her character is resourceful, but also that she is full of remorse – just watch her reaction when efforts to save herself inadvertently harm an innocent victim. His character is constantly placed in a state of increased suspense. Lino takes her across the border to San Diego with money slung over the shoulder and drugs hidden under her car. It is an artificial scene, de rigueur for a film like this one, but Rodriguez treats it for the whole of the conflicting emotions of Gloria. Gloria is also caught in a shootout where she must make a decision in a split second to save her life. This scene vibrates energy, bullets and explosions, which is also comparable to the kind of action.
If the original film had long, impressive follow-up plans, visually, Hardwicke's version is more frenetic and kinetic. A scene featuring Gloria hidden under a bed during a shootout shows how the bodies are shown hitting the ground from her point of view at the ankle.
As the main character, Gina Rodriguez makes Gloria friendly as she alternates between being gracious under pressure and taking off. Her pbadive nature is supposed to convey her shenanigans to get herself out of an uncomfortable situation and her expressions suggest the decisive act she has to accomplish. Rodriguez must cry, throw up, get angry and shoot the guys with an badault rifle, and she does it all with remarkable steadiness.
Cordova, however, seems to be channeling Benicio Del Toro into his performance. This can be embarrbading but also delicious. It's a scene where Lino teaches Gloria how to film an AR-15 that is a perfect fit for a convulsion.
Anthony Mackie and Aislinn Derbez have only support for a few scenes each, but both performers are memorable during their brief stint on the screen.
"Miss Bala" continues to pull the carpet and floor under Gloria and the viewers. For those who like wild and undemanding hiking, this is a good Friday night action movie.
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