Miss Bala (2011)

After entering a beauty contest in Tijuana, a young woman witnesses drug-related murders and is forced to do the gang's bidding.

Director:

Gerardo Naranjo

Writers:

Gerardo Naranjo, Mauricio Katz

Stars:

Stephanie Sigman, Noé Hernández, Irene Azuela

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephanie Sigman	...	Laura Guerrero
Juan Carlos Galván	...	Arturo Guerrero
Noé Hernández	...	Lino Valdez
Irene Azuela	...	Jessica Verduzo
Javier Zaragoza	...	Ramón Guerrero
Lakshmi Picazo	...	Azucena 'Suzu' Ramos
Jose Yenque	...	Kike Cámara
James Russo	...	Jimmy
Leonor Victorica	...	Luisa Janes
Gabriel Heads	...	Agent Bell
Hugo Márquez	...	Javi Fernández
Miguel Couturier	...	General Salomón Duarte
Eduardo Mendizábal	...	Quiño
Sergio Gómez Padilla	...	Parca
Felipe Morales	...	Tío

Storyline

At 23, Laura Guerro and her friend Suzu enter the Miss Baja pageant. Both qualify, and while Laura waits at a nightclub for Suzu to break away so they can go shopping, a heavily-armed drug gang murders drug enforcement officials there. Laura escapes unharmed but can't find Suzu, so the next day she looks for her; her dogged behavior brings her to the cartel's attention, and they force her to assist them as they menace her father and younger brother. Lino, the gang's leader, decides Laura should finish the pageant although her only interest is escape. Every day drags her deeper and corruption is pervasive. What alternative is there to death or prison?

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | beauty pageant | drug war | audition | tijuana mexico | 

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Taglines:

Don't mess with Family.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some brutal violence and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Kiki Camara, the police officer who takes the phone from Laura, is based on Enrique S. "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (1947 - 1985). Camarena was a Mexican-born American agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who was abducted, tortured and murdered whilst on assignment (working undercover) in Mexico.

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Connections

Remade as Miss Bala (2019)

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Soundtracks

Amor a Primera Vista
Written and performed by Emilio Kauderer

User Reviews

Engaging and in need of continuity.

A very engaging movie. It is a rather strange presentation. You know exactly what is happening but yet have no idea what is going on. That is to say the story itself, if not known before hand, is generally obvious throughout and by the end. Yet the main character Laura is never made clear what her actual involvement is. Why she is doing what she is doing. Her connection to the series of events is often confusing. I enjoyed the movie but it could have used some serious continuity improvement. Why do I have to have 10 lines? This makes ten. This makes eleven. How many more do they need? This now makes fourteen by my count.

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

9 September 2011 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Miss Bala

Filming Locations:

Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,567,478

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canana Films, Fox International Productions (FIP), Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1