El Infierno (2010) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Benny joins the Los Reyes del Norte cartel because he has no other viable options to survive. After being deported, he discovers his brother Pedro has been killed and learns Pedro was involved with the cartel. With few legitimate job opportunities in the crime-ridden town and needing to protect Guadalupe Solís and her son (his brother's widow and nephew), Benny sees the cartel as the only way to provide security. He also clings to the cartel's code of honesty, loyalty, and silence, believing it will offer him protection.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Benny's mother and godfather warn him about the dangers of the cartel world, but desperation drives him toward it anyway.

• Benny García
• cartel
• Los Reyes del Norte
• survival
• Mexico

Don José Reyes personally tortured and killed Pedro (who went by the alias El Diablo) by castrating him. The reason was that Pedro had an affair with Don José's own wife. This revelation comes when Benny interrogates El Huasteco at gunpoint, learning that his own family was deeply entangled in the cartel's violent history.

Foreshadowing: Benny learns early on that Pedro was killed under unclear circumstances, hinting at something more sinister than a simple rival cartel killing.

• Pedro García
• El Diablo
• Don José
• murder
• affair

The traitor was Benny's nephew, a young boy nicknamed El Diablito. He was the one who provided the enemy with information about their location, leading to the ambush that killed El J.R. While the rest of the cartel remained unaware of his identity, Benny learned the truth and tried to protect the boy, helping him escape before the retaliation began.

Foreshadowing: Don José's earlier suspicion of Cochiloco after the ambush hints at internal betrayal, though the actual traitor remained hidden until later.

• El Diablito
• traitor
• El J.R.
• ambush
• betrayal

After El J.R. is killed in the ambush, Don José becomes suspicious of Cochiloco because he was the one who called Benny from danger and was present during the deadly operation. To punish Cochiloco and assert his authority, Don José orders his eldest son killed. This brutal act creates lasting resentment and fuels Cochiloco's eventual break from the cartel.

Foreshadowing: At the funeral, Don José's distrust of Cochiloco is visible, setting the stage for the retaliatory killing.

• Don José
• Cochiloco
• revenge
• cartel rules

Guadalupe is murdered after Benny is buried alive. When Benny awakens from the shallow grave and goes to find her, he discovers she has been killed. Her death, along with the betrayal by the system he trusted, drives Benny to stage his bloody revenge during the Independence Day celebration.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Guadalupe tells Benny that people can get used to anything except starving, suggesting she understood the brutal choices required to survive in this world.

• Guadalupe Solís
• death
• murder
• revenge

Benny dies offscreen after his revenge attack. He successfully eliminates Don José and his inner circle during the Independence Day celebration, but the film reveals he was eventually killed. His nephew Diablito later visits his grave, showing respect before continuing the cycle of violence by heading to a drug warehouse to kill Don Francisco's grandson.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Benny is in constant danger and that those who oppose the cartel rarely survive.

• Benny death
• ending
• revenge
• Independence Day

Benny chooses the Independence Day celebration because Don José has become the county governor and uses the public event to solidify his power. The celebration represents the corrupt system that has taken over the town. By attacking during this visible moment, Benny aims to dismantle the cartel's public image while eliminating its leadership in one decisive strike.

Foreshadowing: Don José's rise to political power earlier in the film sets up this climactic confrontation during a major public event.

• Independence Day
• attack
• Don José
• revolution
• revenge

After Benny discovers the federal police are corrupt and working with Los Reyes, he is tortured and left for dead in a shallow grave next to his brother Pedro. This happens because he tried to seek protection from authorities who were actually aligned with the cartel. The burial is meant to eliminate him, but Benny manages to claw his way out, learning afterward that Guadalupe has also been killed.

Foreshadowing: Benny's earlier attempt to use the legal system fails, demonstrating that there is no escape from the cartel's reach.

• buried alive
• police corruption
• betrayal
• escape

The final scene shows Diablito visiting Benny's grave and then heading to kill Don Francisco's grandson, implying the violence will continue endlessly. The film concludes with the grim reality that even after removing one cartel leadership, another will rise. The cycle of corruption and bloodshed in Mexican communities persists through generations, with new players simply replacing the old ones.

Foreshadowing: The film's title and opening context establish that this violence is a systemic problem affecting the entire region.

• cycle of violence
• ending
• Diablito
• Mexico
• corruption

The Los Reyes del Norte cartel operates under three explicit rules: honesty, loyalty, and absolute silence. These principles form the code that members must follow. However, the film shows how these rules are constantly violated, betrayals, internal killings, and power struggles reveal the hypocrisy of the cartel's supposed moral code.

Foreshadowing: Benny's acceptance of these rules early in the film contrasts with the chaos that follows, showing how quickly such codes break down.

• cartel rules
• Los Reyes
• honesty
• loyalty
• code