Little Dixie

Now, I had actually not heard about this 2023 action thriller from writer and director John Swab prior to sitting down to watch it. But with it being an action thriller with Frank Grillo in the leading role, there was a certain expectation for it to hopefully be a fair enough movie. The storyline in "Little Dixie" turned out to be watchable for what it was. However, it was a rather generic and somewhat predictable action thriller. So writer and director John Swab didn't exactly bring anything new to the genre, but instead opted to play it safe and utilize every single trobe of the how-to-make-an-action-thriller-guidebook. But hey, if you are a hardcore action thriller fan, then you will find some enjoyment here, of that I am sure. The acting performances in "Little Dixie" were fair. You know what you get with Frank Grillo, and he did carry the movie adequately here, despite of not having much to work with really. It was also nice to see the likes of Peter Greene and Annabeth Gish on the cast list. I wonder what writer John Swab was thinking when he created the Raphael 'Cuco' Prado character, as it was the epitome and caricature of a Mexican gang member. And the way that actor Beau Knapp walked, talked and his entire body language was just an exaggerated caricature of something you would see in a gang related computer game. It was just difficult to take that character serious. There was a fair amount of action in the movie, at least to keep the otherwise mediocre storyline afloat. And it was actually nicely enough executed action sequences. All in all, then "Little Dixie" was suitable for a single viewing, though you're not in for anything grand. There simply isn't sufficient contents to the storyline to support more than a single viewing, however. My rating of "Little Dixie" lands on a very bland five out of ten stars.

There is a distinct lack of chemistry in this film. First the divorced husband and wife are not a match in any way. I am not sure why filmmakers feel the need to have mixed race couples that have no chemistry at all. Look at the wife and then look at the main star, there's no way those two would've ever been attracted to each other. This is forced political correctness, which makes no sense at all. Chemistry does matter! Of course you also have a film, which is contrived nonsensical murder. I'm more interested in a film that has some kind of plot rather than a psycho killfest and menagerie of sick perversions. I wish I had not seen this film. Of course our society is so sick, some will love this film.

Beau Knapp as Cuco was a poor choice. His lethargic Spanish at the 8 minute mark highlighted the fact that he was the wrong choice. His character is as menacing as a middle school bully. There's just no real suspense. It reminds me of Boyd Holbrook in Logan. Just a poor fit, no real menace. It's not his fault but he's the main protagonist with a hook throughout the film. Just very unfortunate for everyone involved. Frank Grillo's character on the other hand, that dude is fearsome. You can't have a weakling against someone with no feeling except a one track mind. Just a terrible imbalance. I suspect they noticed it during editing but didn't have the budget to fix it. The only other issue was a well worn storyline. It's hard to come up with new ideas though. Caught in the middle of two warring parties and you're the underdog. Maybe next time.

The film opens with the execution of a cartel member, the brother of the kingpin. Governor Richard Jeffs (Eric Dane) takes a victory lap on TV and vows to take down the Prado cartel to the dismay of Doc Alexander (Frank Grillo) and Billie (Annabeth Gish). We discover that Billie funnels money into the governor's campaign from anonymous sources. One of those sources, unknown to the governor is the Prado cartel. Doc, former special ops man is the liaison between the cartel and Billie. They are not pleased. Our couple meets with the governor to let him know who is buttering his bread. Rather than back off, the governor goes after the cartel's warehouse. Cuco Prado (Beau Knapp) a fan of Drag Queen karaoke, kidnaps Doc's daughter (Sofia Bryant) and demands the head of the governor (also special ops) in return for his daughter. There is a lot of killing out in the open. No one covers their tracks and no one gets caught. The film was rather boring, even the exciting and climatic scenes were toned down. Guide: F-word. Unnamed extras nudity. Implied MM sex.

Every good guy is a bad guy, every bad guy is as bad as budget allows. In the old days they would make him super bad just by giving him a chain mail to that mustache. Here they settled to the minor league coach look. There is an attempt to make plot somewhat complicated, but the execution does not allow much depth. Lots of bodies treated as props to fill the time when moving from spot A to B, and in the end it is another "save the kidnapped kid" operation. When it comes to aim and shoot skills, Grillo is on par with Reeves and this Wick trilogy. Dramatic music is attempting to mask how comical it all is, but fails to do so. Yet I don't really mind. Overall it is just another low budget bad cop movie, but since it does not seem to aspire to be anything more, it is enjoyable.

I would liken this film to a John Wick light movie. If you like that kind of plot, then it works. If you want character development, believability, incredible acting and some deep meaning then don't watch it. If you like a well paced action movie with a high kill count and a decent plot that sticks to it then you will enjoy this movie. It's made in a B movie vein where the score and kills and things like that are basic. It's entertaining and again if you like seeing bad guys get taken out at a high volume and some decent acting then you'll enjoy this movie. Overall it's just a B action movie with a high kill count and some pretty good cinematography. So I enjoyed it as a light viewing experience. 6/10.