Netflix’s latest Mexican shoot-’em-up, Counterstrike, directed by Chava Cartas, is as straightforward and entertaining an outdoor action movie as can be. With a fairly simplistic plot that sees a small band of special agents surviving against great odds while taking down waves of cartel militia, Counterstrike utilizes a compact, streamlined narrative style that never lets viewers feel the weight of successive action sequences throughout its 80 minute runtime. When it comes to characterization, despite being nothing extraordinary, it does the job of making viewers relate to the key characters and establishes the basic emotional connection that is needed to heighten the tension and balance the action spectacles. Although it would have been better if the Murcielagos unit members, whose interpersonal relations are the heart of the movie, were fleshed out a bit more, and I don’t think it would have hampered the flow of the narrative in any way either.
Captain Guerrero Played By Luis Alberti
In his decade-long acting career, Mexican actor Luis Alberti has found acclaim through his performances in movies like Eisenstein in Guanajuato, Carmin Tropical, and Workforce. Luis is a well-known face on the Mexican small screen scene as well, having acted in telenovelas like Rosario Tijeras, series like Bronco: The Series, Narcos: Mexico, etc. In Counterstrike Luis portrayed the role of Captain Guerrero, a tough-as-nails, brave, honorable leader of the Murcielagos unit, which was sent to dismantle Josefo Urias’ El Enjambre cartel. Murcielagos special forces agents have a reputation for being formidable, highly trained combatants—tough enough to even instill mortal fear in cartel leaders, and Captain Guerrero emulates that through his actions. Captain Guerrero is as traditional an action hero as you can think of, a loyal soldier who stands out thanks to his fierce, unmatched combat skills and courage—which is on display during the first few minutes of the movie, when he rescues Carla and Lucia from half a dozen cartel members led by Roman Urias, with only a handgun at his disposal. Throughout the movie, Captain Guerrero’s tactical prowess is on display through his decision-making abilities in terse situations, which leads to the unit’s survival even while being outnumbered and flanked by cartel sicarios. Guerrero shares a friendly, amicable relationship with his soldiers, not letting the pressure of the job get to them.
While detaining Josefo at the end, Guerrero proves precisely why he is the leader of the squad, as he doesn’t give in to the drug lord’s provocation, whereas his unit members were itching to gun down Josefo to avenge the death of their comrades. Guerrero’s unwillingness to take the law into his hands or to abuse the power he has been given makes him an ideal soldier who can be trusted with the responsibility of leading a fearsome military unit like Murcielagos.
Josefo ‘El Aguijon’ Urias, Played By Noe Hernandez
Mexican actor Noe Hernandez has previously acted in Miss Bala, Willem Dafoe’s Opus Zero, and Narcos: Mexico, to name a few. In Counterstrike, he portrayed the role of Josefo Urias, the chief of the El Enjambre cartel gang—the prime adversary of Guerrero and his unit. The dread of the cartel sits heavy on the country, as identified by the mass graves where the murderous drug dealers bury the remains of anyone who crosses their path—and people like Josefo play a role in maintaining the dread. A family man through and through, Josefo wants to avenge his father, who in all probability was associated with the cartel as well and lost his life at the hands of Murcielagos soldiers. Josefo’s complicated relationship with his brother, Roman, was briefly showcased in the movie. Unlike Roman, a hotheaded, trigger-happy fool who believes in overtly macho ideals while engaging with his adversaries, Josefo is at least intelligent enough to realize taking on the Murcielagos head-on would be suicidal. Josefo’s attempt to trick Guerrero and his men into an ambush works, but ultimately he underestimated the capabilities of Murcielagos and let his emotions get the better of him—which led to his capture.
Pollo Played By Luis Curiel
Mexican actor Luis Curiel has previously acted in the Netflix drama series Control Z and the comedy road trip movie Queens on the Run. In the movie, he portrayed the role of Pollo, the youngest member of the Murcielagos unit led by Captain Guerrero. Only fifteen years old, Pollo is an ace sniper—and draws inspiration from the memories of his elder brother, a firefighter who lost his life in the service of his fellow countrymen. Pollo is shown to be a sensible, courageous kid—who is able to hold his nerve even in fearsome near-death situations. Ultimately, it is tragic that the potential of a bright future is lost in the drug wars, which acutely shows the miseries wrought by the country’s ongoing battle with the cartel.
Miscellaneous Characters
Aside from the lead characters, the supporting cast, mostly consisting of the Murcielagos unit members, leave a mark through their performances. Leonardo Alonso played the role of Tanque, the senior-most member of the team, who sacrifices his life to save his comrades. Guillermo Nava played the role of Toro, and David Calderon played the role of commander of the unit/medic, Combo, who appears quite protective of his comrades. Mayra Batalla played the role of Lucia, Carla’s mother, who was courageous enough to reveal the situation with the mass grave even knowing the danger of drawing the ire of the cartel members.Â
