'Wild Horse Nine' Review
Release Date: 11/06/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Comedy. Crime. Drama. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures.
The Verdict: A Must-See
In 1973, just after the election of Socialist Leader Salvador Allende as President of Chile and the first Marxist elected world leader, two CIA agents wait off the indigenous island of Rapa Nui, awaiting Chile's new democracy to topple. Lee and his mentor, Chris, take a getaway to the famous island for a little R&R; however, one of them has more to their plan than just a vacation. Wild Horse Nine comes from Martin McDonagh, who collaborates with Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich in this dark comedy that may just be another best from McDonagh. Although thoroughly funny, it carries a deep sadness McDonagh is no stranger to, and the mix of both elements makes Wild Horse Nine a profound and thought-provoking time.
For such a short bunch of movies, McDonagh's films all feel different, but Wild Horse Nine reveals a layer on a conversation all of McDonagh's work is having with each other. It offers so many contemplations that connect to his earlier work and even his most recent, The Banshees of Inisherin. Conversations about death- where to die, how to die, why you have to die- run through all four of his other works, and they're no different here. As the script wraps up, it also has so many conversations about regret and acceptance that hit harder than any of his previous works.
This is Sam Rockwell's third time working with Martin McDonagh, and this might be my favorite role of his. It may seem like your typical Rockwell mannerisms, but McDonagh knows how to channel his deep sadness and regret and tell it all in the blink of an eye. This may also go down as one of John Malkovich's best performances in a hall of masterful outings. It's not personally my favorite, but he brings so much uniqueness and mystery to the character that it gives the film a whole lot of charm.
As these two tear up Rapa Nui, Wild Horse Nine becomes increasingly unpredictable, adding tension to tension, jokes to jokes, and sadness to sadness, the perfect formula for a Martin McDonagh movie. Wild Horse Nine may just be his best yet. Not only does it feel like a thematic step forward from his previous film, but it's also wonderfully performed and endlessly contemplative and thought-provoking.
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