“Little Dixie” is the latest movie directed and written by John Swab and follows the story of Doc Alexander, an ex-special forces soldier who’s asked to carry out an inexplicable hit to save his daughter’s life. The movie features the likes of Annabeth Gish as Billie, Frank Grillo as Doc Alexander, Eric Dane as Governor Richard Jeffs, Sofia Bryant as Neil Alexander or Dixie, Maurice Compte as Lalo Miguel Prado, and more. Here’s a detailed recap of the 2023 movie, “Little Dixie.”
Spoilers Ahead
The Beginning Of A War
The movie begins with the capital execution of cartel underboss Juan Miguel Prado, overseen by Governor Richard Jeffs (played by Eric Dane) and Doc Alexander (played by Frank Grillo). Juan was Lalo’s younger brother and was wanted on multiple counts of murder. The Governor has formed a new task force, aiming to eradicate the cartel presence in the state, which directly puts him in the crosshairs of Lalo Miguel Prado, the leader of the cartel. Angered and heartbroken by his brother’s execution, Lalo will not rest until he sees Governor’s body being lowered into the ground, but he has to tread carefully as one wrong move means the annihilation of his entire drug organization.
Doc, on the other hand, is going through a rough divorce and is pushing for the sole custody of his daughter. Doc was an ex-special forces officer and feared that the cartel would not take it lying down and would seek retribution against the Governor; it was just a matter of time. Doc pays a visit to the Governor and advises him to back down from the task force and let the situation cool down a bit, alleging that Prado was one of the secret benefactors when he was running for the position, but the Governor decides to take his chances, starting a war. Lalo trusted Sicario; Coca murdered Riggs (the Governor’s friend) and his wife, and in retaliation, Jeff dispatches a task force to eradicate one of Lalo’s illegal facilities. The task force managed to secure 1500 pounds of cocaine, along with $15 million in cash, and transferred the Governor’s wife and kids to a secure mansion. Richard plans to destroy Lalo’s organisation, believing this win would put him in Washington.
A Race Against Time
On the other hand, Coca has kidnapped little Dixie and asks Doc to bring Richard’s head within 24 hours if he ever wants to see his daughter alive. After stocking his arsenal with Glocks, Berettas, K-bars, suppressors, and automatic weapons, Doc set out to murder the Governor and get little Dixie home. Doc learns from Karl that Riggs has gone behind Richard’s back and struck some kind of deal with the cartel, and the latter is just cashing in on the opportunity to become the hero the state needs. Karl informs Doc about “Zaragoza,” a place where Cuco might be keeping his daughter, and is shot dead by Doc.
Being a skilled marksman and ex-special forces member, Doc silently takes out every one of Richard’s guards, circles the mansion, and makes his way into Richard’s room. Richard tries to talk him out of it, but Doc, without hesitation, shoots him in the skull and cuts off his head using a chainsaw to deliver it to Coca in exchange for his daughter. Coca asks him to meet him at Del Rio, a little town near the border, and wait for him in the motel sharply at 8 a.m. Coca was the bastard son of Antonio Prado and was never accepted into the Prado household after Antonio’s death. Like Coca, Doc also had a tragic history. His last tour changed something in him and eventually ruined his relationship with Carla, his wife, and the divorce put that last nail in the coffin.
Doc finally makes it to the motel, finds out that Coca has already left for Mexico with his daughter, and follows suit. In Mexico, Lalo chides him for making a mess when all he wanted was to send a clear message that he’s not to be trifled with. Doc arrives at “Zaragoza” and offers Lalo Richard’s decapitated head, soaked in blood, and demands to see his daughter. Lalo informs Doc that his brother was acting on his own and that he can’t honour the deal he made with Coca. Lalo doesn’t want any of this leading back to him or his business, so he decides to execute both Doc and his daughter, Dixie, and orders Cuco to get them outside.
Unfortunately, Lalo’s plan goes south, and Doc snatches the Glock off one of his sicarii and kills Coca. Doc shoots his way through the Zaragoza and is held at gunpoint by Coca. Fortunately, Dixie intervenes and shoots and kills Coca, saving his father’s life and finally putting an end to the madness. The movie concludes with Doc walking up to the riverbank and giving a water burial to his old friend, Richard.
