Reel Review: The Dirty South (2023)

A beautifully crafted slice of Southern charm and corruption, “The Dirty South” is an intense and thoughtful thriller about rural America.

Born and bred in Texas, I’ve spent my life deep in the heart of the part of the country affectionately known as the “Dirty South” (from Virginia to Florida, to Texas, and the states in between).

As described by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, “the term describes an identity born out of the southern landscape and its agriculture as well as its diverse mix of races, ethnicities, practices, rituals, and beliefs.

Thus, when a new film called The Dirty South from first-time writer and director Matthew Yerby crossed my desk, I jumped at the chance to screen it.

Inspired by his upbringing in Louisiana (where the film is shot), The Dirty South was conceived as a love letter to the ties that bind in rural, small towns across America.

But he understands there’s far more than culture and charm lurking in Southern shadows.

Yerba adeptly explores the dark side of human nature right alongside the strength of the human spirit.

In a place sharply divided by the haves and the have-nots, separated by a river that runs through the sleepy little town, bartender Sue Parker (an excellent Willa Holland, most recently known for her work in Arrow), finds herself squarely on the side of the have-nots, where every day is a struggle for survival.

She works in her family’s bar, which she almost single-handedly keeps in business while her deadbeat dad, Gary (Wayne Pére), chases women, booze, and drugs. Her mom bailed on the situation years ago, and Sue does her best to keep a roof over their heads and to look out for her much younger brother while Gary galivants around town.

Things are tough but manageable; that is, until Sue discovers that her dad’s been blowing through the property rent, and the family is on the brink of losing everything.

While Gary’s old rival and the town’s most well-to-do resident, Jeb Roy (the always reliable Dermot Mulroney, Scream VI), schemes to pick up the property for a steal, Sue desperately tries to scrape together the money she needs to save the bar — a daunting $30,000 within three days.

Hope waltzes in when a handsome stranger, Dion (Shane West), rolls through town, stopping off at Sue’s bar to make a quick score. When Sue catches on to his pickpocketing scam, she makes him a deal: she’ll show him where the big money is in exchange for a cut of the take, just enough to pay back her dad’s debts.

As you might expect, things do not go according to plan, and old wounds are split wide open, bleeding out over the ancestral ground.

With escalating tension, the film barrels toward its explosive climax.

The performances are uniformly impressive.

West is outstanding as the mysterious drifter with charisma to spare and a hint of darkness that both draws you in and keeps you on guard.

Holland shines as Sue, with a magnetic screen presence and ample star power. Strong and unwavering in her determination, she’s presented as immensely capable without ever becoming a caricature of the “badass” woman on the warpath. She comes across as genuine, relatable, complex, and warm — a tortured and sympathetic victim of circumstance.

Mulroney will be the biggest draw, given his impressive body of work and consistently solid delivery, and he does not disappoint here.

He’s a heart-stealer when he wants to be, a Southern boy (he hails from Virginia) himself who simply oozes charm. However, he’s also so damn good at playing convincingly bad and making you desperately root for his demise.

Unlike the river that separates this town between the poor and the wealthy, the line that separates good from bad, right from wrong, presents much murkier waters.

You’ll root for characters who commit bad deeds for good reasons and loathe characters who are “upstanding” citizens lacking empathy or humanity.

An impressive debut for Matthew Yerby, The Dirty South is an emotionally rich action thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.  

It’s a film Yerby says was near and dear to his short, and that kind of passion and emotional investment comes through in every frame.

The film took four years to bring to fruition, and the script went through 100 different drafts, which is a testament to how much the film meant to Yerby and how much heart and soul went into making it.

It’s also undeniably a key reason why the film is as good as it is. Whereas so many films suffer from sloppy writing and a story that feels like a first draft, the writing in The Dirty South is tight and polished, and the story is sharp and gripping.

Though it’s a slow-paced action thriller, it’s never dull, and the methodical pacing adds to the intrigue and your investment in the characters.

Moving dramatic scenes, outstanding performances, and a rousing Southern rock soundtrack enhance the viewing experience.

The Dirty South also looks great, capturing the essence of the gritty rural area without sacrificing visual appeal.

The Dirty South may reveal the underbelly of small-town America, with its ugly politics and class divides, but it remains a lovingly crafted ode to the people and values that matter most from a filmmaker who truly understands and speaks the language.

You don’t have to be a Southern girl like me to appreciate the poignancy and craftsmanship of The Dirty South; there’s plenty here to resonate and captivate anyone who loves a good character-driven thriller.