Miss Bala: movie review
Gerard Naranjo, the acclaimed young director and co-writer of the low-budget independent film 鈥�Miss Bala,鈥� has a flair for freestyle action that should serve him well in Hollywood 鈥� if that鈥檚 where he wants to go.
Alas, he鈥檚 more than halfway there already. 鈥淢iss Bala鈥� has been praised on the festival circuit for being a gritty look at the Mexican drug trade but too often it seemed like a bargain-bin 鈥淪carface鈥� to me.
Stephanie Sigman plays Laura, a young beauty in the running for the title of Miss Baja California before corrupt cops and drug thugs commandeer her life and her existence becomes increasingly nightmarish.
Some of the shootouts are effective and Naranjo sustains an聽atmosphere of floating dread but it鈥檚 essentially an exploitation film, art-house-style. Grade: B- (Rated R for language, some brutal violence, and sexuality.)
