Military-centric movies, which are loaded with all kinds of hyper-nationalism and machismo, have always been, and still are, an easy sell today. If it’s a biopic about someone who gave his life while committing all kinds of war crimes, which were obviously whitewashed to make the narrative palatable for family audiences, then it’s a guaranteed hit. But for reasons I don’t want to specify, because I don’t want to be labeled anti-national, this subgenre of action movies has never impressed me.
Now, if you put a small group of soldiers in a forest and put them through hell, then you have my full attention. For starters, there’s Triple Frontier, which is also one of the best heist movies. Da 5 Bloods is also a great example. Factual inaccuracies aside, Lone Survivor is amazing. Despite veering into sci-fi territory, Predator remains a classic in the man-versus-nature category. While Rambo 2, Land of Bad, and Behind Enemy Lines (RIP Gene Hackman) don't have entire platoons braving harsh climates, they are plenty entertaining. Now, joining this incredible list, from Mexico, is Counterstrike.
Director: Chava Cartas
Writer: Jose Ruben Escalante Mendez
Stars: Luis Alberti, Leonardo Alonso, Cesar Antulio
Counterstrike (also titled Counterattack and Contraataque) centers on the rivalry between a group of elite soldiers and the feared gangster, Josefo Urias. This rivalry was unwittingly set in motion by two women, Carla and Lucia, who were traveling down the Valle Hermoso highway and found the bodies of ten soldiers who had been killed by the El Enjambre cartel. When Carla and Lucia approached the local police to file a complaint, Josefo's brother Roman and his team showed up to intimidate them. Since Captain Guerrero was at a nearby bar, he protected the women and sent Roman and his men packing.
To get revenge on the cartel for killing the soldiers, Guerrero arrested a key member of the organization, El Marrano. As if that wasn't enough, Guerrero proceeded to use his and his team's vacation to patrol the borders and find a way to stop Josefo. Unfortunately, the details of Guerrero, Tanque, Pollo, Toro, and Combo's trip were leaked to Josefo by Secretary Arvizu. With limited ammunition at their disposal and no backup, Guerrero and his team are forced to traverse the treacherous terrain of Mexico's forests to avoid being killed by Josefo, Roman, and their lethal army of mercenaries.
The writing in Counterstrike by Jose Ruben and Escalante Mendez is really simplistic. Josefo, Roman, and the rest of the El Enjambre cartel are explicitly evil. The Urias brothers have some history with the Mexican Special Forces Corps, also known as the Murciélago (their emblem has a bat on it), because their father had been killed by one of the previous groups of elite soldiers. And since this new group is after them, the Urias brothers want to avenge their father by killing everyone and protecting his business of violence. Guerrero and his team are unwaveringly good.
They stand up for women who are being harassed. They love their family. Last but not least, they will do whatever it takes to make sure their country is rid of all evil. The only “complex” aspect here is the Secretary, who is there to prove that bureaucrats can side with the bad guys if they manage to make some money while filling their bank accounts with taxpayers’ money. But that guy is so rarely on screen that you won’t even remember that he’s the reason for the standoff between Guerrero, Josefo, and their respective teams. That’s not necessarily a major criticism, because it’s this straightforward presentation that makes the movie feel like a throwback to the action movies of the 70s and 80s.
Chava Cartas has directed Counterstrike wonderfully. In a running time of 85 minutes, he and his team have managed to pack in so many creative moments that put every other epic action movie to shame. For example, the scene where El Marrano is arrested is a pretty standard extraction sequence. But suddenly, out of nowhere, you see the camera float through the space between Toro's arms and focus on Guerrero, and you're forced to sit up and notice what else Cartas and his team have in store for us. The scene where the Murciélagos are ambushed by Roman and his mercenaries is so beautifully shot, edited, and sound-designed. Not a single second of footage is wasted on anything that doesn't advance the plot, heighten the tension, or underscore the interpersonal dynamics between the heroes. It's all put together in such an efficient way that I can't help but applaud.
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