I'm not sure what writer, director and producer John Swab was thinking trying to knock-off a bunch of "already done and much better films". Although flawed, I still enjoyed two of Swab's previous films, Body Brokers and Candy Land, because they had what this film severely lacked, originality.

Filmmakers are supposed to get better at their craft, not worse, and this over-indulgent cliched nonsense is a slap to Frank Grillo, who deserves much better than this. Grillo was stellar at his lead role in Boss Level, and deserves lead roles in great films, not this nonsense.

Swab decided to add every cliche with lots of filler and very little substance within his cringeworthy sub-plots, that took away from the story instead of adding to it. I admired Swab's style in Candy Land, but in this one, his writing and directing was lazy and rushed.

The first two acts were suspenseful, intriguing, and had great flow and continuity, but as soon as the third act started - at the drag queen karaoke bar, it went off the rails. It was just all plot holes and nonsense, that lost all credibility with its lack of creativity and originality.

It's too bad, because the cinematography was excellent, as was the score, and all casting and performances were on point. But all that isn't enough to say the slowly paced 105 min runtime was an engaging and entertaining ride throughout the entire film, only the first two-thirds of it. So it's only a 5/10 from me, but could've easily been a 7 or 8 had that third act been better.

As a fan of both John Swab's work as a director so far and Frank Grillo I was looking forward to this. It didn't disappoint. Little Dixie is in the vein of things like Too Old To Die Young and Brawl In Cell Block 99 a slow paced methodical thriller that has you on the edge of your seat for the majority of the runtime.

As I said before I've been a fan of Frank Grillo for a while and if this was the 1980's I think he would be a huge star. He possesses all the qualities a movie star should have. Great looks, great actor and is charismatic and likable. Aside from having a leading role in two of The Purge movies Grillo has mostly been relegated to B movies where he's either criminally underused or completely wasted. With the exception being his collaborations with Joe Carnaghan in Boss Level and Copshop who knows Grillo is a skilled actor and charismatic and likable and puts him front and center and knows how to use him properly. Little Dixie proves that John Swab is the only other director Grillo has worked with so far that knows how to use him properly. He's front and center here and his name is the only one on the poster. Despite the cast containing some other recognizable names in Eric Dane and Annabeth Gish they don't overshadow Grillo or move him to the sidelines. Beau Knapp also gives a good performance here as the terrifying cartel member "Cuco".

I cannot believe there is anyone that could find a single redeeming thing about this movie.

It's absolute garbage from start to finish and will leave you shaking your head, questioning how on earth this got a green light to be produced.

I can only hope that the people that poured money into this lost the lot and it will deter them from putting out similar garbage in the future.

I was groaning in agony multiple times at how pathetic everything is. The acting, the dialogue, the plot, the only thing that could be said is that it's shot fairly well for what it is.

Oh yeah.. the drag queen karaoke... what a ghastly scene to randomly throw into this. Just awful all around.

One of the worst films ever made.

There is absolutely nothing redeemable in any character, nothing likeable, no one to cheer for, no one to worry about... basically you just want them to go away... and fast.

The premise tries so hard to be clever, but it ends up being like that annoying guy at a party who knows all the big words but the more he talks the more you realize he has no clue about the subject he's talking about.

Grillo must've needed to buy a boat or something and he figured this was quick cash.

Obviously they used Grillo's name to anchor the film, but its gonna sink him right to the bottom. I wouldn't be surprised if this film hurts his marketability because not only is the film terrible, Grillo just mails it in, so let's hope he did that boat out of the deal.

Avoid this film at all costs.

I'm not sure what some of the reviewers here are smoking, but this film is a typical example of why you can't always trust people to pass fair comment. Yes, there are some films that understandably create a palpable divide in opinion, but I don't think this is one of them.

Its a pretty solid thriller, action movie that I really enjoyed. True, the plot is not particularly original... more of a variation on a well worn theme, but the execution and production are pretty solid, and the performances are well delivered and worth some merit. Ok it's not going to be winning any Oscars, but as an entertainment action piece it holds its ground as well as any worth of the 7/10 I've awarded it.

Grillo is pretty gritty here, reminiscent of Mel Gibson's performance in "Parker" and does a great job with the material. Once again he's shown capability outside his more familiar casting type. Direction, pacing, screenplay... all round respectable and well... as I've said Solid. Not much to dissect here to be honest, so no point in giving a long winding review and labour the points I've already made.

Anyway, glad I watched it, and if this review helps you give it a fair shake and a watch, so be it. I just don't get reviewers with an axe to grind that help no one.

So there's Doc. I have no idea if he's a goodie or a baddie, but he does horrible things to people. Then his daughter gets kidnapped. So he's the goodie? But then he goes and kills more people. By this time I don't care at all. No character development, no understandable storyline. Then he threatens the kidnapper that if they lay a finger on his kid he'll kill them. But he kills everyone anyway. Then there are tranny singers. Still no idea what's going on. Ooooh, and people drop the f-bomd three times every syllable. Everybody Doc runs in to gets shot in the head. Doc's still looking for his daughter. Is it the end yet?

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.

One of the bigger discrepancies from avg rating to mine (4.9 vs 8). I wanted simple straightforward action, it said it was simple straightforward action, it gave me simple straightforward action. I am satisfied.

Not a crazy plot, but a badass you can cheer for. It lives up to the trailer. I am surprised the people who gave it such a low rating watched it, it's not like it pretended to be one thing and showed you another.

Sometimes I like simple bad ass getting the bad guys. It didn't have a lot of lulls. It's right in line with what you think a Frank Grillo movie would be, a bad ass kicking ass.

Enjoy, have fun.

I mean it definitely deserves a 5 . For the basic screenplay and b grade budget. But for frank Grillo fine azz I amma have to bump it up 1 more and make it 6/10. His fine Azz is just aging like fine wine. Sad to see him getting old it's showing. Anyways coming to this boring movie it was Saturday night saw it as a new release again frank Grillo count me in I can watch his fine Azz on mute. Story garbage screenplay beyond garbage acting ugh no comment. B grade Espanola movie. Give it a miss unless you want a glimpse of frank Grillo fine ass ....worth a watch if ur a fan if not give it a miss trust me. Ur doing urself a favor.

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.

Why do we keep getting Frank Grillo movies? Who asked for this mediocre actor, who can barely move, to be an "action" star. This is just like every other movie with Frankie. Dull, phoned-in, little substance, no acting ability, and I presume, way over budget for what you get.

But, this movie is nothing new. There is nothing novel introduced here. It is the same as every other single action movie within the last 40 years; flashy. And that's all. There is no substance.

And, good lord, we have to sit through another bumbling attempt at reading lines by Frank Grillo. Stop already with Frank Grillo. He isn't an actor in any sense of the word except that people keep putting him in roles. He must be doing it for free.

There was an attempt by the rest of the cast though, so I won't rate it too low. They probably didn't know Frank was in it until it was already too late to back out. That is the only reason I see people working with him. See how they snuck him into the Avengers movie? I did too. That's why I think he's somebody's nephew.

Little Dixie (2023) is disappointing on several levels.

As an action movie fan, I'm generally willing to watch any film starring Frank Grillo, Michael Jai White, or Scott Adkins - three actors who are capable martial artists and credible actors, but who have generally been limited to low-budget films and minor roles in major productions. My favorite Grillo film is Boss Level.

Little Dixie is my least favorite Grillo film. It's a low-budget production. There are no car chases, pyrotechnics, elaborate CGI, or large crowd scenes, but production values are adequate to its modest ambitions. There are a few gaping holes in the plot, which can be ignored if one is willing to sit back and enjoy the ride. However, the script is weak. Much of the plot is predictable. Some characters are duplicitous, but largely one-dimensional with no appreciable character arcs. Dialogue is a bit on the nose and heavy on exposition.

Grillo's Doc is not a sympathetic character. He's some sort of facilitator who works with a Mexican drug cartel and corrupt U. S. politicians, but we don't see this work. He transforms effortlessly into a ruthless, coldly efficient, unstoppable killing machine, but we never see what Blake Snyder calls a save-the-cat scene, other than a symbolic action on a pier near the end of the film. In Assassins, Stallone's Rath grants a victim's request. The assassin in Babylon allows one of his assigned targets to flee the country. In Inglourious Basterds, Waltz's Landa allows Shosanna to escape. Doc doesn't have a moment of kindness. To the contrary, he seems unaffected by the extensive collateral damage he causes.

There is no love story, only Doc's affection for his daughter Nell, but there seems to be little genuine chemistry between the actors. Nell isn't an interesting character and her only potentially interesting action is off-screen.

Chekhov wrote, "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off." Doc purchases several firearms which he never seems to use, although he does use the item that is given special significance.

A huge distraction in many recent films has been the filmmakers' insistence on wearing their wokeness on their sleeves, usually to the detriment of the film. This is particularly incongruous in actions films which are typically far removed from woke ideology, and often feature concealed automatic weapons, enhanced interrogation techniques, extrajudicial executions, illegal wiretaps, facial recognition, muscle cars, private jets, and other politically-incorrect environmentally-hostile elements.

Little Dixie inserts several woke elements which seem so awkward and incongruous that one wonders if the filmmakers weren't deliberately or subconsciously railing against woke mandates.

Genre fans would expect Doc's ex-wife to be a matureBond girl, or perhaps a duplicitous femme fatale, like the dental hygienist in Boss Level. That the filmmakers would try to fill their diversity quota by casting a black actress is not surprising, but instead of a Thandiwe Newton or Zoe Saldana, they cast a shrewish soccer mom who doesn't look the least bit like the daughter and has no positive energy with Doc.

Rather than the typical strip-club scene, we have a scene at a gay bar featuring a singing competition among cross-dressing contestants, which devolves into a truly cringeworthy bedroom scene that ends predictably badly.

A minor character is a lesbian, while two others seem to be homosexual males for no particular reason, other than diversity. As the villains are Mexican drug dealers, there are numerous Latinos. But Asians seem conspicuously absent.

There are only a couple of brief martial arts scenes. Doc is supposedly some sort of manipulator who masterminded a huge smuggling operation. But we don't see him planning, negotiating, using the skills he supposedly has. Instead, he is a very blunt instrument. Against the backdrop of a modest production, the woke virtue signaling is especially distracting.

Action as a genre has a disadvantage that there is nothing really left to show which the audience has not seen before. The plot is familiar, though it does not bother to elaborate on the sub-plots which in my opinion helps the movie. The editing is descent and none of the scenes are too long and the dialogues are kept at bare minimum doing justice to the genre. I could not find fault with the performance of Frank Grillo, given the character he is supposed to portray in the movie, which he does convincingly. It does not deserve a very low rating in my opinion. Definitely an enjoyable movie if one does not have too high expectations!

I disagree with the detractors of this film. Little Dixie is a movie that's entertaining and raises your heartbeat.

It's a rugged story: ex-elite soldier heads private security for a state governor. Campaign contributions come from the cartel and a kidnapping ensues... Frank Grillo is AWESOME in this. He shows nuance and intensity. We also get decent time with Annabeth Gish and Peter Greene. Greene delivers some fantastic dialogue as a wealthy, eccentric political player. And, Beau Knapp portrays a bonkers cartel villain with a mechanical ethic. He's cold, cunning, and has a demented sense of humor.

The pacing is steady and the tension ramps up well. There are some very dark scenes here, so be warned!

I also recommend Ida Red, a gritty thriller with guns and fringe elements also directed by John Swab. This movie is great! Solid acting, tension and pacing. Entertaining!

This is on a par with the drivel Stevan Segal puts out.

It really is that bad.

Nonsense plot ; innocent people casually getting murdered by the 'hero' .

The villain is a wooden top despite the excess of 'acting' .A LOT of acting. All straight out of villain text book.

I think actually Steven Segal would turn down this movie.

Films like 'machete' are played for laughs ; John Wick to a certain degree ; here it takes itself too seriously and the 'hero' we're supposed to root for kills more innocent people than any 'bad guys'.

Cliche upon cliche with the most boring wooden gormless villain I've seen for a long while.

Oh .. they also had to put in some gay elements to make it edgy I guess.

Terrible slips.

Brings me back to the 80's 90's action flicks. Sure will people have issues with some of the way it's directed and paced but it's crafted greatly for the entertainment value. Soundtrack is great. Grillo does his thing as usual. Glad Eric Dane is getting more roles. He was alright in this. The action/suspense is crafted very well! Knapp is INCREDIBLE as the villain. Totally menacing and unpredictable. You'll enjoy it if you don't try to dissect it. Just watch and turn your brain off it's Great! This has everything you need in a movie for entertainment value. It's not trying to be something to WOW you it wants to entertain and it thoroughly does it's job.

I reckon Eric Dane might wish he had stayed on his last ship after his stint as Governor of Oklahoma here ends rather more abruptly than he might have expected at the hustings. He cannot resist a good old gloat when his administration sends the brother of a Mexican drug lord to the chair. The uneasy truce that has existed thus far is now ended, and his assistant "Billie" (Annabeth Gish) and her fixer - and his wartime CO - "Doc" (Frank Grillo) have tightropes to walk whilst "Miguel" (Maurice Compte) decides how best to exact revenge. That involves his sexually ambiguous and brutal brother "Cuco" (Beau Knapp) who decides, quite cleverly, that he will kidnap the daughter of "Doc" and force him to do their dirty work for them... What now ensues is just poor, sorry. It's like a video-shoot 'em up game with bodies falling all over the place and little if any jeopardy until the last few minutes when, even then, the ending has precious little by way of surprise. The plot itself is pretty preposterous and the acting does little to inject any real sense of menace to this procedural, repetitive and over-long training video for would-be ten year old assassins. I wouldn't bother if I were you.

I was really surprised, and disappointed, at Frank (Grullo) stooping so low by making a cash cow film; it had to have been for the money! When you compare this to his film, 'BOSS LEVEL' they are at complete opposite extremes. This has a bad script, no acting excellence as they only had to act like numb-nut thug wannabe's! There is nobody to like so it has no grounding. You can tell the viewers with brainless viewing pastimes because they are the ones who gave it 6 stars or more. Those of us who like to see something of quality/style and maybe watch it again, well we only gave it a below 5 score; I gave it 1 and still thought it was too much. We really need to be able to grade a film with a zero if we think it warrants it!

I like Frank Grillo to watch but this was a total embarrassment; both to watch and for his reputation.