Miss Bala

Filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke’s (Twilight) English-language remake of a well-regarded 2011 Mexican film plays like a pilot for a Jane Bond-ish franchise, but while the tale of a young woman caught between drug traffickers and law-enforcement is fast-paced, it also comes across as curiously bland. Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) is the Hitchcockian protagonist, an innocent caught up in a dangerous situation. The struggling California cosmetologist travels to Tijuana to support her friend Suzu, who has entered a beauty pageant. But a bunch of thugs headed by suave, handsome drug kingpin Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova) invades a party they attend at a snazzy nightclub, and in the melee Suzu disappears. Gloria is intent on rescuing her, but for a variety of unlikely reasons her efforts put her in the middle between Lino’s gang (who force her to transport money and drugs across the border) and a brusque DEA agent (who intends to use her to set a trap for Lino). Gloria quickly learns that she must fend for herself, not merely to survive but also to save Suzu: certainly none of the male characters—the criminals, the U.S. agents, the local police and politicians—can be relied upon, since all are corrupt and duplicitous. Naturally, Gloria proves entirely capable of outwitting and outmaneuvering all of them. Another mediocre effort to create a Hollywood action heroine, this is an optional purchase, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Catherine Hardwicke, executive producer Jamie Marshall, and associate producer Shayda Frost), deleted and extended scenes (8 min.), a 'making-of' featurette (7 min.), and the production segments 'The Bigger the Bang' (8 min.), 'Wardrobe Tests' (8 min.), 'Actor Rehearsal' (5 min.), and 'Gina: The Strength of a Woman' on star Gina Rodriguez (4 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing remake.] (F. Swietek)