Netflix’s Counterattack is a Mexican action-drama film centered around five friends, all special forces, who were ambushed by hitmen hired by an infamous drug trafficker. Captain Guerrero had just left a bar with his friends when he came across a gang of notorious men harassing two women right in front of the police station. His friend requested him not to react because the leader of the gang was Roman, the brother of El Aguijon (Josefo Urias). But Guerrero refused to remain silent, and he intervened. He held Roman at gunpoint and asked his men to drop their weapons. Policemen from the station tried to side with Roman, but when they realized that Guerrero belonged to the Mexican Armed Forces, they instructed Roman’s men to lower their weapons. After handing Roman to the police, the two women told Guerrero that they had come across a mass grave right outside the city, and that was why the gang had tried to silence them. Dead bodies of soldiers were discovered at the mass grave, and it was assumed that the drug trafficker and the leader of El Enjamre cartel, Josefo Urias, was responsible for the deaths. The soldiers were assigned an operation to take down Urias, but they were tortured and killed in the process. Colonel Marcelo was determined to take down Josefo and assigned Captain Guerrero to run the operation.
Spoiler Alert
Who had ratted Guerrero and his team out to Josefo?
Josefo had figured out that the soldier who had held Roman at gunpoint was Special Forces, and he believed that the only way to deal with them was by secretly attacking them. The secretary worked for Josefo, and he was in close contact with Colonel Marcelo. Josefo planned to gather information before attacking Guerrero and his team. Meanwhile, Guerrero had launched their first attack. Their target was Eduardo Medina Gutierrez, who was also known as Lalo ‘El Marrano.’ He was an important member of Josefo’s cartel, and he was the primary suspect in the massacre of the Piedras Negras unit. They planned to attack Eduardo Medina at his own restaurant. In exchange for his freedom, the special forces intended to extract information on Josefo Urias.
The operation was successful, and Medina and his associates were sent to prison. Guerrero and his team planned on celebrating the birthday of their youngest team member, Pollo, during the weekend. They decided to travel to the border to enjoy some food and relax a little before they continued with their pursuit of Josefo. But Guerrero had no idea that Josefo would find out about their plan. The colonel trusted the secretary with the information, and he ended up sharing it with Josefo in exchange for cash. The secretary had managed to track Guerrero’s phone, and he shared a device to help Josefo track the soldiers. The exchange between the secretary and Josefo was video recorded by Roman and his gang to possibly extort more information from the secretary later by blackmailing him. Josefo warned Roman to control his rage and wait for his instructions before launching an attack on Guerrero. But Roman was an ill-tempered gangster, and he decided to work on his plan without consulting his brother. He tracked Guerrero—they were in a car heading towards the border. Roman and his men were prepared to attack Guerrero and his team—sniper Pollo, Lieutenant Tanque, combat medic Combo, and rifleman Toro.
Who did Guerrero and his friends find at the safe house?
Roman had no idea who he’d messed with. Guerrero, Pollo, Tanque, Combo, and Toro were trained to handle such difficult situations, and even though they were ambushed, they managed to hold their ground. Roman’s men were shot, and he was fatally injured. He flung a grenade in Guerrero and his team’s direction, but it was not enough to take them down. Roman succumbed to his injuries, and after collecting ammunition from the dead men, Guerrero and his team walked into the woods, fearing that Urias’ men would soon follow them.
Josefo was devastated when he saw his brother’s dead body, and he decided to do away with his strategic planning and kill Guerrero and his team no matter what it took. It was easy for his gang to find Guerrero since they could track his movement, and once again he and his team were under attack. Since they had already sustained minor wounds, tracking Josefo’s gang was not easy. Using strategies and their individual strengths, they managed to kill all his gang members except one, who later went back to Josefo and updated him about the situation.
A bullet had grazed Pollo’s arm, but the young man always had his brave face on; Tanque had suffered a wound in his right ear, and Combo tried to temporarily prevent an infection. Guerrero checked Roman’s phone (he had taken it with him), and he discovered the video where the secretary was seen accepting cash from Josefo. Guerrero realized that his phone was being tracked, and he decided to get rid of all the phones they were carrying. Josefo had gathered a team of former military men to ensure that Guerrero and his team were killed this time. He tracked the location, but upon arriving at the spot, the soldiers were nowhere to be found, and he figured that Guerrero had found out his secret.
Meanwhile, Guerrero and his team stumbled upon Josefo’s safe house. They needed a shelter to rest and also to restock their ammunition, and the safe house was a perfect solution. After taking down a few of the men guarding the place, they managed to enter the house. The two women Guerrero had met at the very beginning of Counterattack were held captive there. Carla and Lucia were relieved to see the soldiers. They were traumatized after being tortured and raped for days on end just because they’d dared to speak the truth.
What happened to Tanque?
Guerrero and his men reloaded their weapons and waited for the right time to leave the safe house. They put Carla and Lucia in bulletproof vests and prepared to take them to a secure spot. They stepped out of the house in a formation but were immediately attacked by Josefo and his men. They outnumbered them, and they were loaded with firearms. Guerrero and his team struggled to bring them under control. Pollo was shot in his leg, and the pain only got worse with time. But he refused to give up. His brother was a firefighter who died in the execution of his duties, and Pollo wore his brother’s watch at all times because it made him feel as if his brother was right by his side. He wanted to fight till his last breath, and the team was in awe of his courage. Seeing their dire situation, Carla and Lucia took up arms to fight the gangsters. Guerrero knew they were in deep trouble when Josefo and his men positioned the M2 and started firing. The soldiers tried to strategize, and instead of wasting bullets, they shot only when they thought they had a chance. Meanwhile, Josefo asked his men to enter the safe house through an underground entrance. Tanque had been shot, and he had run out of bullets. Carla decided to help him, and she brought him a loaded gun. All of a sudden, Josefo’s men entered the room from a trapdoor, and seeing how critical the situation was, Tanque decided to give up his life to protect his team.
During Counterattack’s ending, Tanque walked towards the secret door with a grenade in hand, and the blast killed the men who were attempting to enter through the secret passage.
What Happens To Josefo?
During Counterattack’ ending, all of Josefo’s men were killed in the blast, and he was left all alone to defend himself. Guerrero, Pollo, Combo, and Toro stepped out of the safe house, followed by Carla and Lucia. They assumed Josefo would surrender and they would be able to handle the situation peacefully, but the gangster refused to give up easily. He shot Pollo, the young man passed away on his birthday. When Josefo faced a counterattack, he realized that his chances of survival were slim. Josefo finally surrendered; he lowered his weapon and approached Guerrero. But instead of shooting him, Guerrero offered him the chance to fight and defend himself. Josefo had no moral compass. He pulled out a blade to kill Guerrero. Even then Guerrero asked his men to stay back, and he single-handedly tried to tackle Josefo. With his bare hands, he managed to defeat the gangster. He grabbed hold of the blade Josefo was carrying, but instead of using it to kill Josefo, he stated that death would be an easy punishment for the drug trafficker, so instead, he wanted him to pay the price for all of his wrongdoings. In Counterattack’ ending, the men were rescued by a special forces team. Josefo was held captive, and Carla and Lucia finally returned home after living their worst nightmare.
