In his newest, highly anticipated black comedy, Oscar-winning writer-director Martin McDonagh trades the remote Irish island and small-town Missouri of his last two films (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, THREE BILLBOARDS…) for the tropical shores of Easter Island. Set in the early 1970s, just before the coup in Chile that overthrew Salvador Allende, WILD HORSE NINE follows a pair of eccentric CIA agents with a history of meddling in global events.
Like any excellent buddy film, contrasting personalities are key. Chris (John Malkovich) is an aging, eccentric officer in charge of mentoring Lee (Sam Rockwell), the brash, foul-mouthed protégé who just wants to enjoy the exquisite scenery. Conspiracies abound, paranoia ensues, and their trust in one another is pushed to the limits by their handler MJ (Steve Buscemi). Along the way, the duo cross paths with two rebellious young women, and the encounter spurs the ailing Chris to look back on his actions as a spy, unsettling Lee and threatening to derail the assignment. What was supposed to be a typical case of foreign intervention begins to spiral out of control. With the cast rounded out by Tom Waits as Chris’ brother and Parker Posey as Marge, Lee’s wife, WILD HORSE NINE is a darkly funny story with McDonagh’s signature incisive dialogue slyly commenting on the contemporary political climate.
“McDonagh has outdone himself again, getting to a place in his career where he can blend humor, history, trauma, human connection, and political issues all at once without feeling saccharine…. WILD HORSE NINE is intelligent, superb filmmaking by all involved.” —Ryan McQuade, Awards Watch “Somehow Malkovich himself holds the film’s many contradictions in exquisite balance. He’s never been better.” —Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine “McDonagh’s greatest instinct has always been his ability to regard deeply flawed characters with curiosity and compassion while refusing to let them off the hook. Here, that tension produces a bleak, laceratingly funny, and profoundly moving miniature tragedy about karma, friendship, and the stories people tell themselves to survive their own actions.” —Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist “A bittersweet hangout film about lonely, crumpled men facing up to mortality, dealing with the consequences of violence and chewing the fat to outlandishly funny effect…. You might even shed a tear for these morally repugnant people; they’ll definitely make you laugh. Regime change shouldn’t be this entertaining.” —Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
