Óscar Jaenada
Lucero
Xtreme
“Running away is not an option. Revenge is his only plan.”
2021
1h 51m
Director: Daniel Benmayor
Overview
Two years after the murder of his son and father, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer: his own brother.
Cast
10 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Sword and the Silence
I’ve seen revenge stories before—so many that the genre sometimes feels like a well-worn path through the woods, the kind where the roots trip you up before you even reach the clearing. But Xtreme (or Xtremo, if you prefer the original Spanish) doesn’t just walk that path. It drags it through the mud, sets it on fire, and then asks you to watch the embers glow.
That’s not to say it reinvents the wheel. It doesn’t. What it does do, though, is remind you that even the most familiar stories can feel fresh when told with the right kind of fury.
Daniel Benmayor’s film opens with a quiet that’s almost unsettling. The camera lingers on Óscar Jaenada’s face—his character, Lucero, is a retired hitman, and the weight of what he’s lost (a son, a father, his own past) is etched into every line. There’s no grand monologue here, no swelling music to tell you how to feel.
Just a man sitting in a dimly lit room, staring at a sword. It’s the kind of moment that could easily slip into cliché, but Jaenada sells it with a stillness that’s almost painful. You don’t need to be told he’s grieving.
You can see it in the way his fingers twitch, like he’s resisting the urge to reach for the blade.
The revenge plot that unfolds is, on paper, straightforward: Lucero’s brother, a crime boss, is the one who ordered the murders. The film’s tagline—"Running away is not an option. Revenge is his only plan"—doesn’t exactly promise subtlety.
But what Xtreme lacks in narrative originality, it makes up for in execution. The action sequences are brutal, yes, but they’re also strangely elegant. There’s a sword fight in the rain that feels like something out of a samurai film, all slow-motion arcs and splattering water, except the choreography is messy in the best way.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Xtreme (2021): Behind the Scenes of the Spanish Action Thriller
Netflix’s Xtreme (2021) arrived with a bang—or at least, a flurry of high-octane trailers. Directed by Daniel Benmayor, the Spanish action-thriller promised a fresh take on the crime genre, blending brutal fight sequences with a revenge-driven plot. But how did this Netflix original come together, latestnetflix.com argues, and what’s the story behind its making?
A Star-Studded Cast with Familiar Faces
The film’s cast reads like a who’s who of Spanish cinema. Óscar Jaenada (The Losers, Hernán) leads as Lucero, a retired assassin pulled back into the underworld. Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Money Heist, The Last Days on Mars) plays his vengeful brother, adding intensity to the sibling rivalry at the heart of the story. Rounding out the ensemble are Óscar Casas (The Cook of Castamar), Andrea Duro (Three Steps Above Heaven), and veteran actor Juan Diego (The Sea Inside), lending gravitas to the gritty narrative 
.
While the cast is stacked, details about their on-set dynamics remain scarce. No leaked anecdotes or behind-the-scenes drama have surfaced—yet. Given the film’s high-stakes action, it’s likely the actors endured grueling fight training, but specifics are unconfirmed.
A Director with a Vision for Brutal Action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwq88hZs_N4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8Sh1DgW6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2O1OW6i820
Daniel Benmayor, known for his work on Tracers (2015) and The Titan (2018), brought a kinetic energy to Xtreme. The film’s trailers tease a mix of hand-to-hand combat and stylized violence, suggesting Benmayor aimed for a visceral, almost video-game-like aesthetic . The director’s previous projects lean into sci-fi and action, so Xtreme feels like a natural evolution—albeit with a darker, more grounded edge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V08lFkXOEqU
One standout feature of the film is its fight choreography. Early reviews (and trailers) highlight the film’s relentless pacing, with one YouTube review calling it "a non-stop adrenaline rush" . Whether this was achieved through practical stunts or CGI enhancements remains unclear, but the final product delivers on the promise of high-energy action.
Mixed Reception and Netflix’s Gamble
Despite its star power and slick marketing, Xtreme received a lukewarm response from critics. On SensCritique, the film holds a modest 5/10 rating based on 186 votes, with viewers praising its action but criticizing its plot as predictable . Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score isn’t listed in the available evidence, but the lack of widespread buzz suggests it didn’t become a breakout hit.
Still, Netflix’s investment in international action films like Xtreme signals a push to diversify its library. The streaming giant has increasingly bet on non-English genre films, and while Xtreme may not have reached Money Heist levels of fame, it fits neatly into that strategy.
The Verdict: A Solid but Unremarkable Thriller
For fans of Spanish-language action, Xtreme delivers exactly what it promises: brutal fights, a revenge plot, and a moody atmosphere. Behind the scenes, however, details are thin. No major controversies, no viral on-set stories—just a well-crafted, if somewhat formulaic, thriller.
If you’re craving a high-energy crime saga with a European twist, Xtreme is worth a watch. But don’t expect it to rewrite the rules of the genre.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.