A One Mann’s Movies review of “Wild Horse Nine”. (From the 2026 London Film Festival). (2026, 5*, NR).
Of all of the films on my LFF list that I was looking forward to, Wild Horse Nine was at the top. As the Searchlight logo came up (to Alfred Newman’s bombastic 20th Century fanfare) I was electric with anticipation. Three of my favourite actors: Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi. One of my favourite directors: Martin McDonaugh’s last film – The Banshees of Inisherin – was my favourite film of 2022. And I have to say, I was not disappointed. This gave me a smile on my face for the entire runtime, and a tear in my eye for a surprisingly emotional ending.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are two CIA agents in Santiago, Chile, set with the mission of “destabilising democracy” there: this is 1973, on the cusp of dictator Augusto Pinochet taking power. The erratic and irascible Chris drives his handler M.J. (Steve Buscemi) completely mad. Ahead of the coup, the pair go off on a very personal mission to Easter Island where the plot thickens.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This film has not yet received a classification by the BBFC, but I would expect it to be a 15 based on scenes of violence and strong language. Curiously, the ‘warnings’ board at the LFF added “sex” to the list and I was thinking… Chris & the student Monica (Mariana di Girolamo)… surely not?! Thankfully, this proved not to be the case!)
Talent:
Starring: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Parker Posey, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, Tom Waits.
Directed by: Martin McDonagh.
Written by: Martin McDonagh.
Running Time: 1h 58m.
Review:
Positives:
- The film in anchored by a terrific double act between John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. Chris (Malkovich) is the very definition of a loose cannon, spouting off about their CIA jobs and the famous world figures he’s helped murder around the world (Patrice Lumumba, JFK!). Lee is the oil being constantly poured on the troubled waters. The pair reminded me of the coupling of Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys. The pair bicker and banter, but you sense a deep level of comradeship and even love between the colleagues.
- It amused me greatly that – ignoring the palm-lined beaches for a minute – the landscape of Easter Island looked so much like Northern Ireland. At one point, I suspected that McDonaugh had returned to Inisherin and just stuck up lots of fake “big heads”! I can’t think of any other movie that was filmed on Easter Island (edit: actually 1994’s Rapa Nui was too!) so that’s a big plus for the film.
- Chris has severe problems with his memory, to the point that he can’t even remember asking Lee to bring him to Easter Island. He is protecting an important historical McGuffin, but leaves himself messages on slips of paper: “Don’t Trust Lee” is one of them. Chris is a brilliant larger than life character, never shying away from being extremely rude to all and sundry. I commented after Elsinore that Andrew Scott should have the Best Actor Oscar sewn up… and I will still stick to that. But I think Malkovich is in with a very strong chance of upsetting that. He is simply brilliant! A nomination at least is surely guaranteed.
- By comparison, Sam Rockwell is more of a straight man in this to Malkovich’s excess, but he again delivers to the point that I think he should be in for a Best Supporting Actor nom. The way in which he gives a nonplussed, exasperated look to the things that Chris says is just priceless. Comedy gold.
- The script is extremely funny and sharp as hell. Do Dinosaurs and Moths go to heaven?… just the good ones, obviously? There are some highly quotable lines in this film:
- “You only have to taste American cheese to understand why we lost Vietnam”
- “Who invented the Molotov cocktail?”
- “So you killed some people – so fucking what?” – when Chris queries if he will go to heaven when he dies.
- “Do a terrible thing for the greater good” – about their joint history of assassinations.
- “I’m at the perfect level of paranoia” – Lee.
- “Marches are just the places that we can get the clearest pictures of you without you knowing”.
- It was difficult to understand how this film was going to end, but it was perfect – a touching moment that put the cherry on a perfect cake.
Negatives:
- I’m not sure the film needed the call to his brother Jim (Tom Waits). Taking us away from the action on Easter Island felt like a distraction.
Summary Thoughts:
One of my films of the year for sure. Will McDonaugh make it 2 out of 2 for my Best of the Year Top 10? Yes, I think so!
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Haw_sznA5aQ.
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