Directed and written by Academy-award winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Banshees of Inisherin), Wild Horse Nine follows CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup. The longtime partners wrestle with their pasts; their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi); and current conspiracies among the island’s iconic statues. Chris makes friends with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas), which threatens to send everyone’s trip sideways (116 min.)
Editor’s note: Anna and Glen Starkey are exploring Greece, so Editor Camillia Lanham and former New Times marketing guru Dora Mountain are filling in this week.
Camillia I love John Malkovich. His weird quirks, deliberately slow pacing, his shaky voice, the way he walks hunched over with a hitch in his step. He’s got a good match in Rockwell, as CIA partners Chris and Lee. The duo play off each other with verve and vigor in this offbeat buddy flick full of dark humor, vintage vibes, and island views. Those views! Are we going to Easter Island, Dora? The film begins in Chile, and we quickly learn that Chris and his boss, MJ, are not fans of one another. As the partners await their flight, we learn that something is off with Chris, who is inappropriate in an edgy sort of way. We also meet the idealistic young students, who our protagonists piss off immediately. I was chuckling from the beginning. And those 1970s clothes! Love.
WILD HORSE NINE
What’s it worth, Camillia? Full price
What’s it worth, Dora? Full price
Where’s it showing? Regal Arroyo Grande, Fair Oaks Theatre, Colony Cinemas 10, Downtown Centre
Dora You’re immediately drawn in by the sharp dialogue and humor. Malkovich starts off hot and continues that tone throughout the movie—creating laugh-out-loud moments of both humor but also amazement. The costume and production design were great, outmatched only by the sweeping cinematic pans of the island and the Moai statues. The location contributes to the theme of isolation as you begin to discover more about Chris, his chosen path, and work. The director gives us characters beyond mere brashness, with a Momento-esque plot unfolding. You learn of Chris’ terminal illness and the mystery of the characters’ connections to one another. And, yes Cam, we’re going to Easter Island! But it’s called Rapa Nui.
Camillia It is isolated and lonely. As Chris works through his own inner demons, Lee does his best to support the partner he’s spent so much of his life working beside while dealing with a home life that isn’t all that great. MJ hovers in the background, meddling, ordering, and persuading. We learn about the CIA’s past missions—including a big one conducted by Chris (that I won’t reveal here) that MJ insists on keeping secret forever—as Chris records what he hopes will become his memoir. The interplay between the three of them provides most of the fodder for the film with the young ladies popping up again and again, near the statues, at the beach, at the hotel.
Dora “She’s life and I’m leaving it,” Chris says, speaking of one of the students. This character seems to serve as his chance to help guide someone younger, to give them the knowledge to shape their lives as he reflects on his own. He reckons with and attempts to rationalize his past actions as he searches for freedom—something embodied by the island’s wild horses. In true McDonagh fashion, the focus is on the friendship between these two men. Although you gain fragments of their history, it’s clear that their chosen paths have bonded them and impacted other personal relationships. A scene between Chris and his brother illustrates the loneliness he’s endured because of his professional life, where he works for “the greater good” and that work can adversely impact the people in his life.
Camillia The climax is rewarding. It’s sad, but it left me satisfied. I loved the film because it’s my kind of film: dark humor, some action, good actors, stylized, fun dialogue, cool cars, and, of course, horses.
Dora Each actor in this film is outstanding throughout, but in the final moments with Chris and Lee, you truly feel the struggle, friendship, and love—all carried within a few silent looks of understanding about what is to come. I teared up, feeling their connection and the gravity of how it affects each of them. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey normally write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 12-19, 2026.
