Film Review: WILD HORSE NINE (2026): John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell Are Great Together in This Comedic Drama Set in the Early 1970’s

Wild Horse Nine Review

Wild Horse Nine (2026) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Martin McDonagh and starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Mariana Di Girólamo, Parker Posey, Tom Waits, Ailín Salas, Jaime Omeñaca, John Heffernan, Poppy O’Shaughnessy and Paola Giannini.

Martin McDonagh’s last film, The Banshees of Inisherin, was one of this decade’s greatest triumphs, and it’s easy to hope for perfection yet again from the brilliant filmmaker. One thing is certain about the writer/director’s latest picture, Wild Horse Nine, and that’s the true quality of the performances by John Malkovich and, to a slightly lesser extent, Sam Rockwell in the film. Malkovich may just do some of his most profound work ever in the new movie, playing a lonely, dying CIA assassin named Chris. Matching his notes in earnest supporting work is Rockwell as Lee, a married assassin who has killed about 1/8 or so of the number of people Chris has murdered.

Set on Easter Island in the 1970’s before the 1973 Chilean coup, the story is frustrating for a bit. Chris is putting a tape together, but it becomes clear through the things he says and does that he’s a “live wire.” When Chris and Lee meet two young ladies (Mariana Di Girólamo and Ailín Salas) in a waiting room in the early part of the movie, Chris comes right out and suggests that he and Lee are CIA agents (“We’re totally the CIA,” he says), leaving the young ladies baffled at the way Chris ends up trashing their hopes for a better future through observations on their beliefs and attempts to march and protest. later in the movie.

It’s a surprise when the women reappear because it seems that they wouldn’t want to give Chris the benefit of the doubt regarding his disturbing beliefs. McDonagh has a very specific agenda, so don’t think scenes happen without having very particular reasonings behind them in this film.

Some of Malkovich’s lines are poetic, but the movie puts him in a difficult spot, with his character having a short time to live. Steve Buscemi’s MJ, Chris and Lee’s drug-shooting boss, warns Lee to not have any ideas about taking Chris off Easter Island. Chris’s number is up, and MJ wants to take him out once and for all. One problem with that is that Chris wants to die in Venice, Italy, a request that Lee would like to accommodate, but this film may have other plans in store for these characters.

A fine scene has Chris sitting beside Salas’s well-played, hopeful character, Alicia, in a scenic area, and when Chris begins to lie to her, she catches on immediately, However, later on, when Chris tells her some hardened potential truths, she is horrified to listen to them. Chris doesn’t care about all the baloney anymore. He’s ready to let it all out, and he knows exactly who killed Kennedy. Well, maybe. Maybe not. I’ll leave you to discover.

Chris is at a true crossroads in life where he may be crossing over to the other side. He wants to get to Italy and Lee cares that he does, indeed, get there. One problem is that MJ and his team may not be treating Lee’s wife (Parker Posey) so well. When the wife and Lee are talking, she wonders where their kids are frantically. Could there be consequences to Lee caring about Chris and trying to help him live out his last days as Chris wishes? You bet. McDonagh wouldn’t have it any other way.

Wild Horse Nine also brings back Di Girólamo’s well-conceived character, Monica, for a few solid scenes, but the fact that the movie throws in so many plot twists often makes it feel like a little bit of overkill at times. Also, the structure can be a bit unfocused at times. Malkovich doesn’t care because he’s going all in with the performance of his lifetime as Chris. Rockwell throws himself into his own role as well, and the magic created on-screen between the lead characters is nothing short of astonishing.

Yes, the film is really good, but it’s also a lot to take in. This film’s revealing dialogue makes us want to try to respect two assassins who don’t have the necessary traits to make them likable but are, indeed, likable because the personalities of the actors who play them spice them up significantly. These two guys have hearts, even though they’re vicious men in many ways because of what they do.

Wild Horse Nine benefits from a moving, but brief, scene with Tom Waits’s character being called by Chris late in the picture. They are estranged family members and Chris calls to say his farewells. For a moment, we forget that Malkovich is playing the character he is playing and start to focus on the predicament of the character, which is heartbreaking because of the limited time he has left on Earth. Malkovich gives his character dignity despite the fact that Chris has lived a very strong, lonely, cold life, filled with horrible things. Malkovich is brilliant and the audience will find his character fascinating.

There’s no doubt that Malkovich is deserving of an Oscar nomination here, but Rockwell may be hitting too close to home for his own nomination to happen. Rockwell is fine and does some powerful work, but Malkovich becomes pretty much the whole show. It’s his movie to own, for better or worse. Rockwell has to take a back seat to Malkovich’s showy work, which is understandable, given the quality of the screen legend, Malkovich’s wonderful turn.

Wild Horse Nine throws in a few unnecessary, specific details, but is still a stark, politically charged reflection of the setting and the time period the movie places itself in. Every scene has a purpose, but when Malkovich is off-screen, it feels kind of wrong because he’s everything this movie encapsulates. Expect to be moved by his very precise, superlative and very diligent work in an otherwise very good, loosely historical, picture, which sheds light on a very turbulent time in history.

Rating: 8/10

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