In Wild Horse Nine, John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell make for a dangerous odd couple as friends and CIA operatives on holiday at Easter Island. It’s the typical jaunt: driving around to see the “Big Heads,” reflecting on life by writing one’s memoirs, flirting with younger women by telling them they would soon be tortured to death in a military coup… Fast, funny, and wickedly good, the latest from Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin) is a must-see.
Malkovich plays an aging (and dying) killer who wants to spend his remaining days on Earth musing about his past accomplishments (which may or may not involve assassinating JFK) and visiting Easter Island’s wild horses. The fact that he can’t remember half the things he says or does just adds to his charm. Rockwell tries his best to keep him in line, but it’s largely a failed effort.
Both actors are at the top of their game here, maximizing their charisma and supercharging their chemistry with one another with nonstop banter that hits hard and evokes near-constant laughter from the audience. Or at least from me, and who is more important than that?
McDonagh’s script is sharpened to a needle point, every line landing with precision and impact. Even when things start to take a darker turn, he can’t help but load the script with cracks and quirks and whatever else he has pondered up.
Beyond the two leads, the rest of the cast is sublime. First, it’s great to see Steve Buscemi play an irritable asshole once again–just a week ago I watched him in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, a small but quality role that nonetheless made me wish for a more classic, hardline Steve Buscemi performance. His role here is perfect for him and a delight to watch.
Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas are also excellent as two idealistic students who have multiple chance encounters with the peculiar duo. At first they serve as foils for Malkovich to unload his treacheries for comedic effect, but McDonagh utilizes their characters well; the two actresses more than meet the task.
Wild Horse Nine is pretty flawless from start to finish; even in the third act, when the movie crashes its various plot points together into something more than just a buddy-comedy-drama-with-guns, McDonagh stays laser focused on the end goal. The movie remains funny while elevating to something more, the climax rewarding in multiple ways.
Arguably McDonagh’s most accessible film, Wild Horse Nine is another well-made picture from the drama. Hell, while it not only may be the best movie he’s made, it certainly is one of the best movies of the year.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.