(14)Movie Review: Miss Bala [CBFC: U/A • 2019 ‧ Action/Thriller ‧ 1h 44m]
Miss Bala (in English it means 'Miss Bullet'), directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is a remake of the 2011 Mexican film of the same name. The movie is written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and is an action-packed thriller. This film shows the journey of Gloria Fuentes (Gina Rodriguez), who is a makeup artist from Los Angeles. Soon, she gets herself trapped in the world of criminals in order to save her friend as she gets kidnapped from a club.
Plot Overview
The story kicks off when Gloria visits Tijuana to support her best friend, Suzu, who is competing in a local beauty pageant. However, their night out turns out to be a tragedy as they get in between the gang war. Her friend Suzu gets kidnapped during the shootout. After the shootout is over, when she seeks for help, Gloria gets kidnapped by the ruthless cartel leader Lino (Ismael Cruz Córdova). Lino forces Gloria to work for him in order to survive and search for her missing friend Suzu.
In the entire film, Gloria is put into dangerous situations where she must use her beauty and brains to tackle the cruel world of criminals and escape from it. Her transformation from a terrified victim to becoming a strong woman has been well-portrayed in the film who refused to let her circumstances define her.
Performance
Gina Rodriguez's performance as Gloria has gone beyond the best justifying her full character, capturing the character's vulnerability and resilience with equal finesse. Her acting adds depth to the character. Gloria's fear and courage, is clearly portrayed by her making her a protagonist worth rooting for. She has done complete justice to her character. Well done!!!
Ismael Cruz Córdova as Lino Esparaza, in the negative role brings the much needed complexity to his role that portrays him as a menace and being an oddly charismatic person, making him deep down the most captivating antagonist in this film which is praiseworthy. Well done!!!
Direction and Cinematography
Even though Catherine Hardwicke’s direction is sharp, keeping the audience engaged throughout the film has limited action scenes as per the scripts requirement which seems to be perfect enough justifying the plot of the movie. No extra or unnecessary scenes added making it very crisp and clean scenarios in there. The movie has scenes that clearly show the reality of these criminal worlds and the violence it holds and also tells us deep down how dark and dangerous they are.
When it comes to the cinematography of the film, every location chosen for certain events adds a strong quality to it, especially the scenes shot in the streets of Tijuana.
Themes and Message
At its core, this movie is about the story of survival and empowerment. The film has added on mature themes that focus on violence, corruption and women exploitation. Despite showing the dominant nature of men over women it's quite refreshing to watch how a female in lead is not just another damsel in distress but a strong warrior in her own right.
Critique
Deep down the plot does succeed in several areas but has some flaws in it.
Some scenes in the film have been created well on purpose to match the flow of storyline which if considered in reality its outcome could have been a different one. The genre says it's action-thriller but has very much limited action scenes and has more of drama in it making it a limited thriller edition. This creates a tonal disturbance in the film.
I have not seen 2011's original film whose remake is this one. But, after myself reviewing the reviews of the original film I could come out with the people's opinions that this remade version lacks the grittiness, real and raw emotions shown in the original film making it stand out more than this one.
Miss Bala(2019) leans more towards the mainstream action and, in doing so, loses some of the stark realism that characterized its predecessor.
Final Verdict/Conclusion
This movie is more of a dramatic thriller delivering less action, a little suspense, more of serious drama sequences with an amazing performance by Gina Rodriguez. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it’s an engaging and entertaining one time watch. For fans of action films, please do not expect a lot of action scenes. If you’re looking for a film that combines tension, empowerment, and a glimpse into the harsh realities of cartel life, "Miss Bala" is worth a watch.
Watch it on NETFLIX
SCREEN SPEAK:
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.5/10)
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