Martin McDonagh’s latest has definite echoes of his first feature, In Bruges.
Irish director Martin McDonagh has made some great films – Seven Psychopaths; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Banshees of Inisherin. But his first film, 2008’s In Bruges, is probably his best. And it’s interesting to note that his next film, Wild Horse Nine, shares a lot of narrative elements in common with In Bruges. You’ve got a couple of dangerous guys in a kind of mentor-mentee situation, stuck in an unfamiliar place, wracked with ennui and wrestling with guilt and regret. And there’s a fair chance one is supposed to off the other.
Wild Horse Nine Teaser
What’s the plot?
As the official synopsis tells us:
Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter island by their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). Amongst the Island’s iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’s newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.
All else aside, dirty US interference in South America certainly seems like a timely topic.
Who’s in it?
- John Malkovich as Chris, an aging CIA officer and Lee’s mentor.
- Sam Rockwell as Lee, a CIA officer and Chris’ protégé.
- Steve Buscemi as MJ, a CIA higher-up stationed in Chile.
- Mariana di Girolamo as a student Chris befriends.
- Ailín Salas as a student Chris befriends.
- Tom Waits as Chris’ brother.
- Parker Posey as Marge, Lee’s wife.
- Paola Giannini.
- Samuel Wayt.
When’s it out?
Wild Horse Nine hits Australian cinemas on November 5.
What’s the vibe?
Not everyone’s into bleak, existential black comedies. But if you are, you’re probably already on the Martin McDonagh train, in which case you’ll already have this one penciled in.
