‘Counterstrike’ (AKA ‘Contraataque’) delivers thrills through stunning visuals, fast-paced storytelling

Movie poster for the film "Counterstrike". It features 5 armored men holding guns and the text "Contraataque".

When a hostage rescue mission creates a new enemy, Capt. Guerrero and his elite soldiers must face an ambush by a ruthless drug cartel. Poster courtesy of IMDb

A graphic with yellow stars picturing a 4 out of 5 star rating.

4 out of 5 stars

This review may contain spoilers for “Counterstrike” (AKA “Contraataque”), released on Netflix on Feb. 28, 2025.

Yana McGuire | Staff Writer

Netflix has notoriously gotten flack for their poorly made films, with viewers claiming the company values quantity over quality. In my opinion, they are not wrong. Even so, it is possible to find hidden gems.

On Feb. 28, 2025, the Mexican Netflix Original action-thriller movie “Counterstrike” (AKA “Contraataque”) was released. Within two days, the film was ranked number two on the top 10 movies in the U.S. and currently sits at number five–with good reason.

Like any good action movie, we are quickly immersed in the drama. After stumbling upon a gruesome discovery that could expose the extremely dangerous El Enjambre cartel, a mother and her daughter were in the process of being kidnapped when Captain Armando Guerrero (Luis Alberti) stepped in. As any true action hero would. This, of course, upsets the leader, Josefo Urias (Noé Hernández), and begins an action-packed pursuit of Captain Guerrero and his four comrades through the woods.

The Good

The film’s director, Chava Cartas, began his career as a photographer, and it shows. This movie was shot beautifully. Period. Even during the most intense moments of the film, I couldn’t help but admire the pure craftsmanship of the scene.

Honestly, I have not seen anything shot that well in years. It is obvious the film crew strategically used every creative avenue, from visuals to sound production, to capture the audience.

Most action film lovers do not expect much character development, especially these days, and I am no exception. However, writer Jose Ruben Escalante Mendez did a wonderful job keeping it simple, yet displaying real human emotions that come with all the shootings and explosions – and there were plenty of those.

The Bad

As with many non-English-speaking movies, “Counterstrike” came with voice dubbing. It does not hinder the film, and it is actually one of the better voice dubbing jobs I have come across. It just would have been nice to use a mixture of English voice dubbing and Spanish with subtitles to help draw viewers deeper into each character’s personality.

The Ugly

Happy to report that there was nothing ugly about this film. It is not perfect. However, great movies are such a rarity in today’s market that minor imperfections can be overlooked.

Action film lovers will truly enjoy the fast-paced, emotional rollercoaster. The film could easily be the action movie Hope Diamond of Netflix’s hidden gems.