David R. Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Mariana di Grolano’

Wild Horse Nine

Director: Martin McDonagh

Cast: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Parker Posey, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Ailin Salas, Mariana di Grolano

Running Time: 1 hour and 56 minutes

Film Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Ever since John Malkovich first appeared on screen as the evil and seductive Valmont in Stephen Frears captivating French drama Dangerous Liaisons in 1988, his career has taken off and now in his latest prolific film role as the semi-retired CIA operative and killer Chris in director Martin McDonagh’s ambitious and brilliant film Wild Horse Nine, his immense talent shines through.

Wild Horse Nine premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival with Malkovich walking off with the best actor prize and in this film, a superb comedy drama set in Easter Island just before the coup in Chile in 1973, the performances are terrific.

Starring opposite Malkovich is the younger and brasher Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Lee Chesterfield, also a CIA operative and sparring partner for Malkovich’s uncompromising and political incorrect world view.

What elevates Wild Horse Nine beyond just a casual buddy movie, is the crackling script by Martin McDonagh with echoes of his superior writing talent which shone through in his earlier films such In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin.

With a playwright background, Martin McDonagh’s script is superb, giving all the best lines to Malkovich when he warns a young Chilean to shoot anyone in a uniform because they are coming for her. His warning is real as the brutal military dictactorship of Augusto Pinochet seizes power in Chile in September 1973.

On the surface the narrative which mirrors an exotic holiday on Easter Island, is a film about two guys one who is dying and another who is about to embrace life full on. On a deeper level, McDonagh’s script criticizes covert government interventions and the brutality of military dictatorships or basically absolute power which goes unchecked.

Oscar nominee John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, Places in the Heart) chews on every brilliant, witty and lethal comment that McDonagh’s writes for his character offering depth, pathos and perfection in which as an actor Malkovich deserves every accolade.

He deserves a Golden Globe Award, Oscar and a BAFTA in the 2027 awards season. Malkovich is perfection as a self-reflective evil man looking back on his own sinister past just at the moment before his definitive demise.

The best scene in the film and there are many, is the one where Malkovich’s character Chris phones his estranged brother Jim, played by Tom Waits (Cotton Club, The Old Man and The Gun). The setting for the phone call is momentous. Cinematically brilliant.

Wild Horse Nine has some great cameo roles including Golden Globe nominee Parker Posey (The White Lotus) as Lee’s exasperated and drunk wife Margie, all garish and hysterical.

What elevates this film is the stunning location adding a mystical quality to Easter Island, a location so unique and exotic that it becomes a character on its own in a razor sharp story which incisively examines friendship, brutality and subterfuge.

As much as this film is political, it is purely character driven but Wild Horse Nine is brilliant and uncompromising, a dark and nefarious character study of the people responsible for the big events in history, the ones that don’t make the headlines.

Beautifully shot, Wild Horse Nine deserves Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for John Malkovich and most importantly best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh.

Vivid and eccentric, director Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine gets a film rating of 8.5 out of 10 and see it for the mesmerizing John Malkovich – his masterful performance grounds this film. Highly recommended viewing.