Ricardo Abarca, Jorge Millan, Miguel Plata, Erick Delgadillo, Ismael Cruz and Gina Rodriguez star in a scene from the movie "Miss Bala." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Sony Pictures)

By Catholic News Service

While visiting her best friend (Cristina Rodlo) in Mexico, a Los Angeles makeup artist (Gina Rodriguez) is abducted by the leader (Ismael Cruz Cordova) of a drug cartel and finds herself caught between the gangster and a DEA agent (Matt Lauria) with both intent on blackmailing her into cooperating with them.

Director Catherine Hardwicke’s remake of a well-received 2011 Spanish-language film is meant to be the tale of an ordinary woman discovering her inner toughness. But improbabilities abound and there’s little of note going on beyond a complex and charismatic performance from Cordova.

Though rampant corruption leads to a muddying of the moral waters, the mayhem is mostly bloodless and the sexuality restrained, making this acceptable for a wide swath of grownups.

Considerable stylized violence, including gunplay and explosions, with only slight gore, a narcotics theme, some sensuality, brief partial nudity, at least one mild oath, a couple of rough terms, several crude expressions. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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