Miss Bala

Name: Miss Bala
Genre: Action, Drama
Released: October 14, 2011
Duration: 113 min
Rating: 79

2011

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Ratings

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Miss Bala

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: October 14, 2011 | R

Summary: A young woman working the beauty pageant circuit in Mexico gets more than she bargained for when a crime boss sees her as the perfect drug mule.

Director: Gerardo Naranjo

Genre(s): Action, Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 113 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Manohla Dargis

Jan 19, 2012

A first-rate art-house thriller, Miss Bala tells the strange, seemingly impossible story of a Mexican beauty queen who becomes the accidental pawn of a drug cartel. It's an adventure story that could be called a contemporary picaresque if it weren't so deadly serious. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Jan 16, 2012

In each tense moment, Miss Bala has a lot to say in a few words. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Jan 19, 2012

Terrifically choreographed, violent and amoral, but never wantonly cruel, Miss Bala is a knockout. Read full review

Peter Travers

Jan 13, 2012

Naranjo, a graduate of the American Film Institute, has a gift for staging action that defines character. The film is a harrowing experience. It cuts deep. Read full review

Walter Addiego

Jan 26, 2012

Bala, by the way, means "bullet." Laura Zúñiga, the real-life beauty queen on whom the film is loosely based, was called "Miss Narco" in the Mexican press. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Jan 27, 2012

Miss Bala 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 "Scarface" to me. Read full review

Jocelyn Noveck

Jan 31, 2019

Rodriguez and her fans deserve better than Miss Bala, a disappointingly bland and formulaic Hollywood remake of a much grittier and bleaker Mexican thriller. Read full review

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User Reviews

angelopez93

Dec 21, 2011

I was no t really excited about this movie, but I found it really realistic, It can be sad but the reality is not so different at all. The drug dealing in Mexico is anywhere and he film so true that it because I love it. The script is absolutely dynamic.Good performances, Absolutely recommended

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JayDiaz

Nov 9, 2011

'Miss Bala' is non a commercial movie, neither is a film about drugs cartels and corruption in the Mexican government. This is film about feelings of thousands of normal people in Mexico. Recently in this country, a lot of filmmakers and producers have decided to do projects about â

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

jomamas

May 18, 2012

Entertaining, enlightening ... brilliant.

It's a '1st person' film, with an innocent protagonist, dragged through an ugly reality in much the same way as Alphonso Curion's 'Children of Men'. This is the 'Children of Men' of Mexico.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

wishmaster

Nov 28, 2011

Raw, rough, real, showing the ugly side of the coin of the situation that exists in some parts of the world, is in the eyes of laura fear. trying to escape the trauma in a world that is already submerged to the head. recommended

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Andys_Reviews

Oct 1, 2012

A damning indictment on the drugs trade in Mexico, this film highlights the plight of many that fall into the clutches of these gangs. I did enjoy the rough and ready style of filming; you really felt you were right in the heart of the action

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

figman5000

Feb 18, 2012

This is a movie about a woman who gets wrapped up in a violent, oppressive drug gang and, in the words of another reviewer, "doesn't fight back . . . not even a little." The plot is indeed full of holes, as has been much noted (note a border crossing scene that defies logic), but the biggerThis is a movie about a woman who gets wrapped up in a violent, oppressive drug gang and, in the words of another reviewer, "doesn't fight back . . . not even a little." The plot is indeed full of holes, as has been much noted (note a border crossing scene that defies logic), but the bigger problem is that there is not a single moment where our would-be heroine displays any sort of will, creativity, or strength of character--in short, anything that would make her tale worth watching or imbue it with the slightest bit of suspense. Instead, it is an ultimately monotonous tale of a prolonged, merciless assault on an ill-defined character who never has a chance and apparently wouldn't take it she had it. It's painful for her and painful for the audience, who is left with no suspense beyond seeing what awful fate will befall this hapless victim next--like watching a gritty, modern-day Perils of Pauline, but with no one to pull the would-be heroine off the railroad tracks. Realistic, perhaps; interesting, no. For contrast, see Maria Full of Grace, a movie with a similar concept--it's every bit as raw as Miss Bala but actually delivers some human drama. The real casualty here might be Stephanie Sigman, who plays the embattled victim. In the first scenes, her portrayal of a terrified, desperate woman is palpable and stirring. Sadly, she is forced by the script and the director to maintain that mode for the next 90 minutes. It felt like 180.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

jamino007

Oct 15, 2011

Very slow movie... low quality and also very bad directed... didn't like many of the scenes and the way the director kept filming the actors from behind

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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