By
Director Martin McDonagh’s (In Bruges) specialty – juggling crude humour and idiosyncratic characters with absurdist perspectives on despair and regret – has left him revered as a visionary. No other director has mastered such outlandish human emotion with unabashed spectacularness. Between In Bruges (2008) and the nine-time Academy Award nominee Banshees of Inisherin (2022), he has garnered a loyal cinematic audience ready for his next film. And here, he reunites with Sam Rockwell (Seven Psychopaths) for their third collaboration in the utterly eccentric Wild Horse Nine (2026).
Promising to be bolder, louder and weirder, Wild Horse Nine finds CIA agents, Lee (Sam Rockwell) and John Malkovich’s (In the Line of Fire) terminally-ill Chris, embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 CIA-led Chilean coup. As Chris’ memory worsens, he ponders regret, morality and paranoia that become challenged by the youthful left-wing optimism of two vacationing Chilean students. All occurring whilst Lee receives mounting pressure from Steve Buscemi’s (Fargo) bureau chief, MJ, straining the relationship between our protagonists.
In what may be a career-defining performance, with rightful award conversation circling, Malkovich relishes in Chris’ growing delirium that consistently catches the agent in trouble. Never knowing what he’ll say or do next, Wild Horse Nine arrives as an unpredictable feat warranting tears from both non-stop laughter and despair. A vibrant backdrop of Chris’ dream destination, Easter Island, indulges audiences in local history, whilst also exploring controversial worldwide political interference from the CIA. With an increasingly wavering loyalty from Rockwell and Malkovich’s leads, the island’s quiet landscape offers a perfect opportunity for self-reflection. Here, an intimate cast, also including Mariana di Girolamo (Los Casablanca), richen Wild Horse Nine’s depth further. Quickly evolving into 2026’s most belligerent and ridiculous adventure yet.
“Do you ever get paranoid you’re not being paranoid enough?” Chris curiously asks Lee. A returning vision from McDonagh often unveils one character of a patient level-headedness, whilst the other acts a wittering mess borderlining psychotic tendencies. However, Wild Horse Nine experiments with both roles equally leaning into insanity and tranquility, with Rockwell and Malkovich’s chemistry delivering a captivatingly delightful experience. As Chris drunkenly wanders around Easter Island, Lee battles temptations to provide MJ with Chris’ final memoirs which threaten to reveal the CIA’s darkest secrets – such as his opinion on who committed John F. Kennedy’s assasination. And yet, this political narrative takes a surprising, but not unwelcome, backseat. Instead opting for a keener focus on Chris’ mental tribulations.
A rich character study layered by chaos, Wild Horse Nine is a 2 hour long dreamlike dissociation from existence. Partly thanks to Ben Davis’ (Guardians of the Galaxy) wonderful cinematography and a colour grading possessing a 1970s immersion. What’s most impressive however, is how it infuses a near-purity to Chris’ unorthodoxness. One that manages to conjure relatability within his spiritual self-questioning. As trauma burdens one last hurrah, Chris and Lee’s irreverence bounce off each other. Throw in Lee’s familial carnage at home, and Wild Horse Nine captures a blissfully bizarre energy both relentless and patient.
The duo’s hearty, buddy-cop dynamic tackles existentialism and trust as Chris’ condition worsens, unsure whether to rely on his partner or his instincts. Complimented by a script, also penned by Martin McDonagh, that is familiarly sharp, encouraging Malkovich to twist a magnetic melancholy, and characteristic lying, into both a heart-warming and tear-jerking journey. Equally, Rockwell’s depiction of Lee, who temporarily verges on near-normalcy in comparison to Chris (not a criticism!) ensures Wild Horse Nine never strays too far from CIA-inspired political roots. He keeps the narrative on track, whilst Chris derails further and further, taking responsibility to keep their secrets, well, secret.
Whilst undoubtedly electric, a final act transition becomes a smidge muddled under heavy, pre-explored themes and a conclusion slightly lacking in gravitas. McDonagh’s witty screenplay succumbs to its own nuance having already succeeded in hitting emotional notes earlier. Thus offering little new ground in closing dialogue, and certain topics feel too closely repurposed from his past work, almost copied, rather than built upon. Sure, these are excellent when his films are individually consumed, but those familiar with McDonagh’s work will swiftly recognise patterns within the conclusion’s direction, shy of last minute twists. This hardly deconstructs the fun amongst Malkovich and Rockwell’s performances, or Mariana di Gormano’s travelling student, Monica, whose youthful innocence is a breath of fresh air, but it does invite a mild underwhelmingness once the credits roll.
Nonetheless, Wild Horse Nine still achieves the passionate message it sets out for. Infused with raucous behaviours and the ensuing laughs, McDonagh’s latest efforts, whilst not his best, confirm his talent once more – not that we needed convincing. He draws a performance from Malkovich which is simply legendary, an achievement on its own. His dance between functioning agent and cancer-ridden patient navigates a complex unpackaging of guilt with reservations about his place in heaven. If McDonagh wants to reunite the Rockwell and Malkovich duo in future films, Wild Horse Nine evidences excellent reason to do so.
Wild Horse Nine Releases in Theatres November 6th
