Counterattack Ending, Explained: Why Does Captain Guerrero Let Josefu Live?

At the end of Netflix’s ‘Counterattack’ (original: ‘Counterstrike’), Captain Guerrero and his team lick their wounds and try to make the best out of their bleak situation with gunfire raining down on them from all sides. After the heroics displayed by each member of his team, the special forces unit showcases their elite mentality as they brave the hurdles set in front of them with resilience and courage. However, matters get complicated when the lives of two civilians get wrapped up in the chaotic battle, forcing the team to make some sacrifices to ensure that no innocent lives are lost in the process of bringing down a dangerous cartel. Additionally, the Captain’s morality is put into question as the desperate tactics of Josefu clash with the more honorable and high-ground approach taken by the squad. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Counterattack Plot Synopsis

The movie begins with a scene showing Captain Guerrero and his team being ambushed in the middle of a highway by a gang of thugs. They survive the encounter and start taking stock of their situation. The film cuts to three days earlier as a young woman named Carla is getting ready for an abortion with her mother, Lucia. While halfway to the clinic on their bike, Carla asks to stop the vehicle because of a bout of nausea. However, after vomiting, she notices something very disturbing. The two swiftly travel to the town to alert the local authorities about their finding. Before they can share the news, a group of ruffians led by Roman, the brother of cartel leader Josefu, threatens the two women. Fortunately, they are saved by Captain Guerrero, a special forces member who happened to witness the entire incident.

In the aftermath of Carla and Lucia’s findings, law enforcement travels to the spot pointed out by the two women. There, they find a mass grave site of soldiers who were tortured, killed, and buried by a dangerous cartel, the same one led by Josefu. Captain Guerrero and his special forces squad are tasked with leading the operation to shut down the cartel’s operation. Even the Secretary of State stops by to show his support for the mission. Meanwhile, Carla and Lucia are abducted by the cartel, possibly as retaliation for bringing heat to their entire organization. Guerrero and his team capture a high-value target named Marrano, the person responsible for burying the soldier’s bodies in the grave site. They extract him, and the Captain and his team are afforded a few days of rest.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Josefu and the Secretary of State are in cahoots. They arrange a meeting at a remote location, where the latter provides information on Guerrero and his movements via his cell phone location. Josefu and Roman discuss the possibility of killing Guerrero and his team, realizing that it may be their only way to stop the inquisition into their gang. Additionally, they also suspect that Guerrero may have had a hand in killing their father. While Roman wants to confront Guerrero in an open battle, Josefu urges his brother to use underhanded tactics. He is convinced that special forces men like Guerrero cannot be annihilated via normal means. The movie then cuts to the present-day situation as Guerrero and his team escape into the wild while fighting off constant assaults from Josefu’s men. In one such altercation, they manage to kill Roman.

Counterattack Ending: What Happens to Lucia and Carla?

After killing Roman, the team starts moving deeper into the woods while also planning to rendezvous with an extraction squad, which Guerrero arranges through a phone call to the base. Meanwhile, Josefu arrives at the spot on the highway where his brother’s team was meant to ambush the special forces men. When he finds Roman’s dead body, he becomes emotional and turns the mission into a personal vendetta against Guerrero, throwing everything and everyone at his disposal to capture and kill the armed men. However, despite their best efforts, Guerrero and his men continue to thwart their opposition, killing countless lackeys while remaining casualty-free themselves. Eventually, this changes when Tanque and Pollo take a couple of hits, which injure them but do not stop them from contributing.

The team then happens upon a base of operation run by the cartel members deep in the woods. Subsequently, they attack it, hoping to resupply and find a little respite from the constant outdoor assaults. However, as they investigate the rooms, they discover a guard overseeing two civilians – Lucia and Carla. They kill him and rescue the two women, only to realize that they have been kept hostage for countless hours. Going by their state of undress, the two women were likely sexually abused by the men on the compound. As such, they are incredibly grateful to the squad for rescuing them, and Guerrero orders his medic to take care of them. The group takes shelter for a few more hours and eventually decides to make their way out of the complex. However, Josefu and his soldiers arrive to surround them from all sides.

How Do Tanque and Pollo Die?

With Josefu’s forces raining gunfire on the complex, Captain Guerrero orders his team to hold position and defend as well as possible without letting anyone enter the base. They also have to keep in mind that Lucia and Carla’s lives are in their hands, and the two women could get dragged into the conflict if they are reckless with their moves. So, they maintain a level of discipline in the way they go about their business. However, Pollo and Tanque suffer the most because of the injuries they suffered during the previous skirmishes. During one encounter, Pollo also gets shot through his thigh, which further debilitates his movement. The same happens to Tanque when he is shot on his side by one of Josefu’s forces. Subsequently, he gets stranded on the ground floor with no ammunition.

Carla decides to help by delivering some loaded magazines. She heads downstairs to rendezvous with Tanque. There, she realizes that his condition is far worse than it seems on the surface. Before she can head back to fetch the medic, a small contingent of Josefu’s team sneaks through a hidden latch on the floor and starts firing at Tanque, who takes it point blank. He urges the girl to step away and takes down the lead soldier at the head of the enemy pack. Knowing he is already dying, Tanque unpins a hand grenade, suicide charges into the empty latch, and jumps down to blow up the entire squad of attacking soldiers. His sacrifice ensures that the small guerilla force does not flank his team upstairs. Captain Guerrero and his team immediately head downstairs to investigate the commotion and discover their comrade’s death.

With the enemy forces whittled down completely, Guerrero and his team head outside to corner Josefu. The cartel leader watches his last soldier get gunned down while he waits under cover. However, he does not give up and takes one last shot by stepping out of his hiding spot, which cleanly goes through the side of Pollo’s throat. The medic tries to treat Pollo’s injury, but blood gushes out of him at an alarming rate. Within seconds, the youngest of the special forces team passes away. Meanwhile, Josefu surrenders by letting go of his weapons while Captain Guerrero keeps him under a watchful eye and at gunpoint. The entire squad and the two women mourn Pollo’s death. The team’s anger is mainly directed at Josefu. However, Guerrero orders them not to kill the cartel leader.

Why Does Captain Guerrero Refrain From Killing Josefu?

In the final moments of ‘Counterattack,’ Captain Guerrero lets go of his rifle and urges Josefu to fight him in a one-on-one unarmed duel. While the latter is clearly out of options, Guerrero wants to show that he and his team are more honorable than their opponent. To prove this point, Guerrero takes Josefu on and proceeds to take him down with just his fists while the latter tries to use a knife on him. Once the man is incapacitated, the special forces leader tells his victim that despite all the destruction he has wrought during the day, he will be punished by a court and in prison, which is the right way of doing things. It shows that Guerrero has not lost his nobility despite being put through the wringer and confronted with the loss of two men under his watch.

The film ends with the message, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This doubles down on the moral fiber and character exhibited by Guerrero throughout the movie. He stepped into action to save Lucia and Carla at the film’s beginning, knowing that his life might be threatened. He took an active role in every part of the operation, not letting anyone else deal with the situation. It shows how determined and courageous he is as a leader and a person of upstanding character. Thus, his decision to let Josefu go can be seen as his continued dedication to the service and knowing when to step back and not cross the line. As the team is airlifted and taken away to safety, they can rest easy knowing they did the right thing despite having to sacrifice enormously in the process.