REVIEW: ‘Wild Horse Nine’ Showcases Spectacular Chemistry

Wild Horse Nine welds together three different films. So is the expectation when it comes to the work of filmmaker Martin McDonagh, who has become synonymous with a certain type of odd-couple-driven black comedy with a touch of gooey centers nearly gone bad. While his latest doesn’t quite hit the highs of the Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson-led The Banshees of Inisherin, it operates as an odd, palatable blend of all of his greatest hits. It’s In Bruges, but sweeter, while still championing the decimation of the ruling class and those who use uniforms to control and contort society to their will.

At the heart are the central performances from John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, whose unexpectedly tender rapport anchors a story that, at times, threatens to spiral. Because even as the film moves this way and that, trying on genres and developments and tones as often as Malkovich’s Chris tumbles into runaway anecdotes, the dynamic between Chris and Lee (Rockwell) gives us a sturdy enough foundation to traverse, immersing ourselves in this story of good guys, bad guys, and really bad guys, as a man looks for a sense of closure as the final chapter of his life reaches its weathered conclusion. 

Chris and Lee aren’t the good guys. And both are aware of this. CIA officers who’ve been partners long enough to develop a real, genuine friendship – and see the best of the worst in one another – the two have recently been dispatched to Easter Island.

CIA Agents Chris and Lee find themselves in unlikely territory in Wild Horse Nine. 

As figures who’ve shaped the world, revealing the ugly nature of America’s politics while helping destabilize other nations to maintain control, they’re caught in lush, wind-swept purgatory. With the rolling hills and the coastal blues that frame the story, it’s only appropriate that so much of the film deals in the bloody business of pulling strings, hands cut as they try desperately to leverage their next step. 

The two aren’t on Easter Island for a job, however, not really. Instead, Chris’s pockets are lined with reminders and warnings, and he leaves voice notes to recall and annotate his colorful life. While he’s Lee’s mentor, the latter of whom is brash and foul-mouthed, it’s Lee, instead, who is watching over Chris now, shouldering an impossible request as an act of compassion.

Meanwhile, the two deal with the imposing expectations of their boss, MJ (a perfectly cast Steve Buscemi), while Chris sets his sights on two political Chilean students who, on the eve of the 1973 coup d’etat, are more closely linked to these two men than they might know. 

Martin McDonagh investigates memory and friendship in his pulpy latest. 

Wild Horse Nine, for all of its expansive, windswept landscapes, is profoundly intimate. And, despite the greater threads of political unrest and the fervent warning of the need for active dissent and rebellion, it all boils down to the personal. It’s about what he’s learned and what he can pass on as one man anticipates the end of his road but knows that, even in his absence, the path remains rocky. He may have done bad things before, but with clear eyes he knows how to best impart his tireless, roguish knowledge as he pleads with the younger generation to fight not in peaceful protest but in targeted, spitting outbursts, encouraging calculated bloodshed and dirty fighting in the same breath.

All that said, the greatest strength of Wild Horse Nine comes down to the main two characters and their friendship. This is a classic token of McDonagh’s works, and yes, it feels a lot like In Bruges. But it works. It works so well that it surprises you with how emotionally layered and potent their dynamic is.

We care a lot about them, and there’s a rich tapestry of history that comes through in Malkovich and Rockwell’s performances. In a standout moment, Lee pretends to throttle Chris before he caresses his face, affectionate and unexpectedly tender. It’s an early moment and one that goes on to define the film. Silly and crude before going for the jugular.

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are absolutely spectacular. 

Much has been said about Malkovich’s performance, and it can’t be overstated what a joy his performance is. Overflowing with his signature brand of off-kilter, zany energy that fuels the character’s frequent non sequiturs, his charisma is boundless, brimming with a life of experience while still managing to possess a childlike wonder, an inquisitive flick of his gaze that reminds us how curiosity is one of our greatest attributes. To see the world and wonder why.

Rockwell is similarly great, a perfect partner to Malkovich in what could be strictly a straight-man role or the loose cannon, and instead settles somewhere in between. Some of his developments don’t always work in building real tension, but it’s not enough to diminish the actual performance or how critical a role he plays in guiding Chris along.

The film stuns, operating in this contained space that should be at odds with the location and its rolling greens and blues. Instead, it creates a sense of being suspended out of time. Yes, there’s a lot going on and there’s a lot of mayhem and upheaval, but, the it exists between beats, between breaths. A sign of the times, and they hurtle towards even more change. The vibrancy adds to the overall pulpy texture, from the pop of yellow of a car to the stylized posturing of the suits they wear; everything lends itself to feeling real and lived in, stylized but not without substance. 

Some plots fizzle out, but it doesn’t derail the overall appeal of Wild Horse Nine. 

Because of how the story unfolds, not everything is as effective as the central relationship; plot threads involving a long-buried mystery and Lee’s wife and kids feel like, if not afterthoughts, then anecdotal to the driving story. And there does come a point where you have to wonder how often McDonagh will deploy the same odd couple dynamic. But when it works this well, and you’re this good and finding the right voices to carry the tune, why deviate?

Wild Horse Nine is another superb film from a filmmaker who’s a master tone setter. The rhythm of the film, its biting humor and keen observations about the cyclical nature of the world and how it breaks and breaks again to reveal the rotted underbelly, is fueled by the steady presence of its two leads. Friendship on the edge of the world, on the edge of change, in a world where horses and moths should deserve a spot in heaven, where anyone in uniform is a threat, and the coldest of us still have tears left.

Wild Horse Nine is out now.