Martin McDonagh brings together Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and Academy Award nominee John Malkovich for his fifth directorial effort, “Wild Horse Nine,” produced by Searchlight Pictures. McDonagh also writes the film’s screenplay.
Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d’état, the story follows CIA bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi) as he dispatches officers Chris (Malkovich) and Lee (Rockwell) from Santiago to Easter Island. Amid the island’s iconic statues, the longtime partners confront their dark pasts and today’s conspiracies. Meanwhile, Chris forms a bond with two rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas), which threatens to derail everyone’s trip to this remote paradise.
For many cinephiles, Martin McDonagh is one of those directors who take lengthy hiatuses, but when he returns, audiences know they are in for a treat. His previous film, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” received nine Oscar nominations, and I thought for sure it would clean up in the acting department. While that didn’t win Oscars, McDonagh knows how to direct actors to the gold.
The trailers paint “Wild Horse Nine” as one thing, but it’s about something else, which I won’t spoil. John Malkovich arguably delivers a career-best performance, a bold claim given his already wildly eccentric filmography. His character goes through a lot, but he excels in his dialogue delivery.
Malkovich has always had a quiet intensity, with underlying method of acting, while tapping into wry wit in a critically dangerous situation. Sam Rockwell also shines in his third collaboration with Martin McDonagh. Rockwell, who first came to my attention with a bit part in 1991’s underrated New Jack Swing comedy “Strictly Business” and continues to shine with the Meisner technique, makes for a great scene partner with Malkovich.
The two actors, about seventeen years apart, have an organic chemistry that would normally read as student and teacher, but here they come across more like brothers. Sitting in the theater, I smiled when they weren’t together, and my smile widened whenever they reunited on screen. And while it’s a role that he could do in his sleep, Steve Buscemi also brings his quirks to the role of “M”. One of my favorite jokes in the film involves Buscemi, and you’ll know it when you see it.
The women in the film are also solid. Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas bring out Chris’s human side, and it’s always a treat to see Parker Posey in a supporting role. As Awards Season continues, time will tell whether another actor will pass Malkovich as my Best Actor pick for 2026. With this solid mix of jokes, heart, and violence, “Wild Horse Nine” is worth saddling up for at your local cinema.
Final Grade : A-
“Wild Horse Nine” is scheduled for a wide theatrical release in the United States on November 6, 2026,
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