Miss Bala

Make-up artist Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) is forced into working for both the DEA and a Mexican drug gang when her best friend, a beauty pageant contestant, is kidnapped. Plagued by too many action scenes, this is a vacuous interpretation of the much better 2011 Mexican film. Gloria is told early on by a catty fashionista "Honey, we're not paying you to think", a swipe that could very well have been meant for the cast, as they are lumbered with a lifeless script that gives them nowhere to go. On the plus side, the shoot-outs and bravado keep the film ticking along, and while Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke's remake may be hollow, it is rarely boring. It also benefits from Jane the Virgin star Rodriguez, a performer who's easy to care about thanks to her relatability. An action thriller that's as disposable as they come, Miss Bala offers a lot of spectacle but nothing even remotely memorable in terms of plot.