WILD HORSE NINE Review

"Do you ever get paranoid you're not being paranoid enough? No. I'm always the perfect level of paranoid."

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin McDonagh hasn't made a ton of films. Whenever he's not directing a feature film, he's on the theatre stage directing a play of his. But when Martin does switch back to directing for the silver screen, the Academy Awards tend to take notice. Whether it's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri or The Banshees of Inisherin, the guy's work generates a lot of talk about his writing and storytelling.

So, here we are, with Wild Horse Nine, witnessing another year of Martin McDonagh likely getting a round of awards attention. Sometimes, I hear awards buzz for certain films, and I feel they're blown out of proportion. But honestly? I think this film deserves the praise it's been getting since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The film focuses on two CIA agents, Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell), as they're dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, M.J. (Steve Buscemi). As the duo reflect on their dark past and current conspiracies, Chris befriends a pair of rebellious students while on the island. However, his newfound connection might send everyone's trip down the drain.

Wild Horse Nine relies on Martin's "bag of tricks" he's been using in his films. Every filmmaker eventually has to use his or her trusty bag to tell his or her stories. Some might call him out on that, but I think there's a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. Thankfully, this is done in a way that feels similar to something like The Banshees of Inisherin, but has its own personality and style to it.

If anything, I'm starting to like this side of Martin where he's addressing themes of regret and depression, but it's told through a mature lens. Prior to his last two films, the filmmaker did dabble in some serious ideas, but there wasn't that balance of tone like there is with his newer films. Martin also adds a twist-and-turn narrative structure to the story, and I honestly didn't see a few of the reveals coming. After all, why make a spy thriller and not throw in a few surprises along the way?

Another aspect I want to shine a light on is the performances, particularly from John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. At first, I was a little confused why Martin didn't bring back Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who gave terrific performances in In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, to play these parts. Now that I have seen the film, I'm glad the director went with a completely different duo, as they fit pretty well playing these bickering, oddball characters.

A few months ago, John was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor by the Venice Film Festival, a deserving win in my opinion. It might even be his best performance in a while, as he's playing such a complex character that you do empathize with. At the same time, there's this snarky, (a bit too) honest side of him that does get him into a bit of trouble. I found Sam Rockwell to be really good in this role. He might even be better than his Oscar-winning performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Without delving into spoiler territory, I'll say there's a heartbreak to Lee that Sam does a great job selling without getting too melodramatic about it.

The other supporting roles are quite fun to watch, whether it's Steve Buscemi or Tom Waits in his small part. I liked Parker Posey as Marge, who's Lee's estranged wife and has some funny scenes on the phone with Lee. I also want to give a shoutout to Mariana di Girolamo, who plays Monica and befriends Chris during their time on Easter Island. She's really good playing off his character and is able to hold her own as an actress working alongside a veteran like John.

Of course, I want to praise Martin McDonagh's screenplay, as I've always felt he's been improving his writing skills more and more with each film he's done. Some filmmakers would rely on overwritten dialogue to tell their stories and pray that their actors are able to pull it off. And while Martin does rely on countless monologues and speeches in his films, I feel that they work in this setting and he's relying on other aspects of filmmaking to tell his stories. Whether that's through the patient pacing by Academy Award-winning editor Mikkel E.G. Nielsen or the subdued score by Academy Award-nominated composer Carter Burwell, the director does a great job allowing us to absorb this environment without losing the plot of the film.

There are some comedic conversations scattered between our leads, but there's also an emotional subtext that's presented in a way that stuck with me. I've always seen Martin McDonagh as another Quentin Tarantino wannabe, so it really surprises me to see him becoming more mature with his storytelling. His more dramatic style fits the context of his recent films. If this becomes a new side of the director, I'm all the way in. I wouldn't even mind if Martin wanted to tackle the action genre, as you do see some of that in the finale. It's small in scale, but he's surprisingly good at it.

Wild Horse Nine is a terrific film that's filled with amazing performances by the ensemble and has an engaging story for me to chew on. Martin McDonagh may be repeating some of his material he's been mining for quite some time, but it works really well for me, as there are enough new elements added that it doesn't feel like a complete retread. I'm stoked to see what his next film will be about, and which actors will be a part of it. One thing's for sure: if this is the type of quality we're getting from this upcoming award season, then I think we're in for a wonderful time at the movies!

🍿 SCORE = 82 / 100