Death Squad

After a violent ambush leaves honest cop Mario Balbuena wounded and betrayed by both drug traffickers and corrupt officers, he decides the legal system won't deliver justice. Mario assembles a ragged crew of petty criminals and outsiders, promising them cash and a shot at redemption if they help him take down the networks that destroyed his life. The team moves through gritty neighborhoods and dangerous hideouts, chasing leads and trading favors for information. Loyalties are tested as plans go sideways and moral lines blur, with each member bringing their past and motives into a spiraling plan of retribution, pitting Mario against former colleagues and ruthless kingpins.

Death Squad was directed by Alfredo Gurrola and credited to creator Reyes Bercini. Released in 1985, it features stalwarts of Mexican action cinema, including Mario Almada, Hugo Stiglitz, and Sergio Goyri, reflecting the era's gritty, grindhouse sensibility and pulpy melodrama.

Official box office figures aren't widely reported for Death Squad, and it didn't break into international markets. Its circulation was mainly regional, relying on local theaters and home video to reach audiences interested in violent action and revenge plots scenes.

Among fans of 1980s Mexican exploitation cinema, Death Squad has kept a modest profile, noted for Mario Almada's tough-guy persona and a cast filled with familiar genre faces. It hasn't crossed into mainstream awareness, but it surfaces occasionally in retrospectives and collector circles that celebrate gritty, moral-ambiguous crime films now.

Critical response was mixed to lukewarm, reflected in a modest user score and limited reviews. The movie leans heavily on revenge, corruption, and vigilante tactics, raising questions about justice and consequence. Performances by Almada and Hugo Stiglitz anchor the material, though production values and plotting show their age still today.