Wild Horse Nine Review: Martin McDonagh Film Stars John Malkovich

Martin McDonagh’s new film Wild Horse Nine merges a story of a CIA mission involving Chile in 1973 with a meditation on terminal illness, featuring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in the lead roles.

Opening in the American embassy in Chile in 1973, the film follows two boorish CIA agents, Chris Carlisle, played by John Malkovich, and Lee Chesterfield, played by Sam Rockwell, as they embark on a mission to Easter Island. Variety reported that 72-year-old Chris is dealing with late-stage cancer and early-stage dementia while recording his memoirs into a dictaphone, recounting past agency operations spanning Guatemala, the Congo, and the Bay of Pigs. Slant Magazine noted that the narrative draws obvious parallels to McDonagh’s 2008 debut In Bruges, pairing a wisecracking veteran with a put-upon colleague on assignment in a remote location.

Slant Magazine wrote that McDonagh feeds the aging agent arguments resembling the ramblings of an online poster, describing the film’s pessimism as unearned. Conversely, Variety praised John Malkovich’s performance for giving McDonagh’s tangy dialogue the sad, soulful eccentricity it needs, noting that his hoarsely wounded demeanor untidies a script that might otherwise get too neat.

The CIA Mission and Easter Island Trip in 1973

The plot centers on the eve of the military coup against newly elected socialist president Salvador Allende in Chile, where Steve Buscemi’s station chief, MJ, dispatches Lee to take the ailing Chris on a trip to Easter Island. Slant Magazine reported that Chris uses the downtime to spar verbally with two idealistic leftist students, Monica and Alicia, played respectively by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas. News Directory 3 noted a running comedic skit in the film about nations that make good cheeses being considered gay countries, contrasting with straight countries like America and Russia that lack aptitude for cheese.

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell Lead the Cast

Variety described Sam Rockwell as the offbeat straight man to Malkovich’s loose cannon, probing the fault lines of male friendship with vulgarity and grace. News Directory 3 observed that Malkovich portrays a man contemplating the end of things while raging against the dying of the light, matching the imposing presence of the Easter Island statues they visit.

Critical Reception Across Global Outlets

Reviewers offered divergent views on how the film stacks up against McDonagh’s previous work. News Directory 3 stated that Wild Horse Nine does not hit quite the same highs as In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin, though it remains a sad, funny, and moving film. Slant Magazine argued that the film works better when it plays in the sandbox of a hitman thriller mixed with buddy-cop tropes, pointing to third-act antics when Steve Buscemi’s MJ re-enters the narrative.

We came down here to destabilise your government and it’s going great

News Directory 3

The film continues its festival and theatrical rollout as critics debate its blend of high-culture themes and low-culture punchlines.