“Miss Bala”, an action thriller which depicts the extreme measures one will go to in the midst of danger, is a reboot movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke. The original version of the movie was in Spanish and came out in 2011.
Gina Rodriguez plays the female lead, Gloria Fuentes, and Ismael Cruz Córdova, Cristina Rodlo, Anthony Mackie, Aislinn Derbez, among others, are part of the cast.
Forbes stated that in this production, according to Rodriguez, 95 percent of the cast and crew are Mexican and Latin American.

The movie starts in Los Angeles, with Gloria, a make-up artist. She is going to Tijuana, to meet, Suzu, her friend. You can see her crossing the border in San Diego and getting to Baja California.

Once in Tijuana, Gloria meets her friend and when they go to a club, a shooting happens and her friend, Suzu, is kidnapped. From there, you can see how far Gloria is willing to go to try to save her loved one.

Lino, played by Ismael Cruz Córdova, is the one keeping Gloria close, saying he will find her friend. He is the one making her cross the border with drugs and weapons. Gloria is just trying to survive and protect the ones that she loves. The character development of Gloria’s character is clear: from being jumpy and scared, to having the courage to stand up for herself and her friend.

The movie was shot in Tijuana because Hardwicke wanted to show the place from a different perspective.

“Often, you see border towns as these dusty, worn-down places,” Hardwicke said to Texas Monthly. She goes on, “But what you see in real life and what you see in the movies is a lot of really modern architecture, interesting music, good food, and a beautiful landscape. I wanted to show as much of the richness on the other side of the border as I could.”

Hardwicke talked about the struggle of the two main characters in the film.

“They both have identity issues,” said Hardwicke to The Austin Chronicle about Gloria and Lino. “Am I too gringo to be Mexican? Am I too Mexican to be gringo?”

They even talk about it when Lino tells Gloria where he grew up. She lives in Los Angeles but was born in Mexico. It seems like something that would connect them, but there are a lot of obstacles in their way.

The movie is full of different twists and action, you can be prepared to be shocked and get as anxious as Gloria multiple times. It is worth going to the movies.

And if you, by any chance, watch Jane The Virgin, a TV Show that has Gina Rodriguez as the female lead, you can totally see the difference in her acting and between characters. It is a nice way of seeing different sides of her acting.

Miss Bala is a must see if you are into action movies that talk about drug cartels, police corruption, and great character development.