Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Miss Bala
2011
**½
Director: Gerardo Naranjo
Cast: Stephanie Sigman, Irene Azuela, Miguel Couturier, Gabriel Heads, Noe Hernandez, James Russo, Jose Yenque

Laura is a young woman from Tijuana who dreams of taking part in the Miss Baja California beauty contest. One day, she is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up trapped between the competing drug cartels and corrupt officials. Laura is a clever metaphor for Mexico, whose drug war has claimed tens of thousands of lives in the recent years. What she isn't is an interesting heroine for a film. Her utter helplessness in the face of escalating abuse and exploitation becomes numbing, and an initially promising thriller turns dull and monotonous. Loosely based on a true story. Remade in the US in 2019.