I’m going to be honest with you all – action movies are getting way too long these days. Don’t get me wrong, I love an epic, globe-trotting action thriller with twists, turns, exhilarating set pieces, and a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, but it’s getting out of hand. However, I recently had a surprisingly refreshing experience watching the 2025 Netflix movie Counterattack.
If you have yet to watch the Mexican action thriller about a tight-knit group of soldiers who become the target of a vengeful cartel leader, then you need to fix that. Before you go and watch Chavas Cartas’ white-knuckle thrill ride with your Netflix subscription, come with me as I break down why this was legitimately one of the most refreshing and exciting experiences I’ve had with a 2025 movie so far.
Counterattack Is One Of The Most Exhilarating Action Thrillers I’ve Seen In A While
I’m not going to ruin the Counterattack ending or reveal too much about the movie, but just know that the action thriller centers on a group of special forces soldiers known as the Murciélagos as they are ambushed just south of the U.S.-Mexico border by a violent, well-funded, and massive drug cartel. What follows is an intense and exhilarating cat-and-mouse game as the five soldiers, led by Captain Armando Guerrero (Luis Alberti), attempt to reach a safety checkpoint but continue to find themselves being tracked and cut off by a small army.
The movie opens with a loud and chaotic ambush sequence that really got me going, but there’s a scene in the final stretch that was right up there with anything I’ve seen in some of the best action movies of all time.
The Movie Is Very Economical With Its 85-Minute Runtime, And That’s So Refreshing
So many movies, not just action flicks, take forever to get going before the action really gets started, but that’s not the case with Counterattack. That, I have to admit, is so refreshing, because the movie is economical with its 85-minute runtime. Not even a minute into the movie, we’re thrown into action, and things just go from there. Yeah, there is a short flashback to establish why the Murciélagos are being hunted, but it’s over and out in a few minutes.
I wish more movies would take this approach, especially when there’s a straightforward story, like the one at the core here. I love how all the necessary exposition and character motivations are presented in as few scenes and lines of dialogue as possible. And it’s still effective, which is wild.
There Are Multiple Action Sequences And Great Character Moments, But Nothing Feels Rushed Or Overstuffed
It’s not like Counterattack is void of character, motivations, and a meaningful story, though, because that’s all there, and then some. As I mentioned above, there are multiple extended action sequences that break up the movie into three main sections, and in those sections, there are all kinds of great character moments. Despite there being so much included in the 85-minute movie, nothing ever feels rushed or overstuffed.
The action thriller has a tight script, even tighter direction, and a cast (on both sides of the firefight) that knows how to be at the right place at the right time. Honestly, all of this makes it one of the best movies on Netflix right now, which is saying something.
Counterattack is one of the best experiences I’ve had in the action genre this year, and I can see why it’s been so popular on Netflix. Now, I just need to find more movies like this.