The remake of the 2011 film "Miss Bala" by Gerardo Naranjo works until writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer opts for an Americanized ending. The necessity to bring everything to a more positive conclusion leaves the new version from director Catherine Hardwicke with less of an emotional impact.
The film starts on a relatively similar path: a beauty pageant in Tijuana. Instead of the main character being a willing participant in the contest, Dunnet-Alcocer's version is built around an American makeup artist, Gloria (Gina Rodriguez), who agrees to travel to Tijuana to help her best friend, Suzu (Cristina Rodlo), prepare for the event.
In both productions, the story turns when Gloria is a witness to a major crime when she and Suzu attend a party. Gloria's attempts to find her friend and help the law results in a confrontation with Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova), the head of one of the local drug cartels.
Gloria is told she must help with both the delivery of a major drug shipment and an assassination attempt if she hopes to see Suzu again. Gloria must deal with finding a balance between saying true to her core and finding a way to live with her criminal actions.
Rodriguez was the key to making this part of the production so strong. The star of "Jane the Virgin" has a persona that makes the drug boss' actions come across as even more heinous. The panic and fear in her eyes makes the danger elements resonate.
It also helps while Rodriguez often comes across as the girl next door, she can be very glamorous when needed as in the case of her character being forced to participate in the beauty pageant.
Dunnet-Alcocer not only weakens the film with his ending that suggests all is right with the world, but he never misses an opportunity to take a shortcut when needed to keep the plot going.
It's the ending where the writer shows a complete lack of respect for the original film and the audience. In the 2011 film, Gloria barely survives the film's climactic battle. The new version (spoiler alert) not only has Gloria surviving, but going Rambo to help end the shootout. She's gone through such an aggressive change that an undercover agent suggests she should be working as a government agent.
What should not be overlooked is being strong doesn't have to mean picking up a gun and shooting the bad guys. It is far more interesting to watch Rodriguez as she takes on situations with a more natural strength. What she does comes with some serious consequences, but at least her actions fall more into the realm of reality than taken from an action movie.
Hardwicke does an admirable job making "Miss Bala" work as well as possible considering the script problems. The movie has a beautiful look, achieved mainly by the movie being shot in and around Tijuana. The director gets solid performances from the actors, especially Rodriguez.
If only there wasn't the mindset that movies made for an American audience can't end on a negative note. There's a place for productions that lift the spirit, but there's also a place for offerings that show life doesn't always go as expected. A reworking of the script and more faith in the audience would have made this new "Miss Bala" as strong as the original.
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