Wild Horse Nine review — the dead souls of the CIA

MARIA DUARTE recommends a darkly funny and bitter bromance between the drug-fuelled assassins of the CIA

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SET in the run-up to the CIA-backed 1973 military coup in Chile, writer-director Martin McDonagh’s latest film is a deliciously dark comedy-drama and bitter bromance between two CIA agents who go to Easter Island on a break.

Stationed in Santiago, the two operatives and longtime friends Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are like an old married couple bickering incessantly.

Chris has no filter and is becoming forgetful, and to his bureau boss MJ’s (Steve Buscemi) horror he has announced he is writing his memoirs. The problem is that he was instrumental in the assassination of JFK in Dallas in 1963. Meanwhile Lee’s job is to babysit Chris and ensure he doesn’t go off script.

At the airport Chris reveals to two female Chilean student activists that they are CIA telling them “we came down here to destabilise your democracy and it is going great.”

Chris’s parting shot is “your country is going to get fucked” while Lee immediately denies it.

McDonagh’s razor-sharp and, frankly, laugh-out-loud dialogue is brought to sparkling life by Malkovich who gives one of the best performances of his career as the jaded veteran spy who is obsessed with moths and knows that his days are numbered.

Rockwell goes toe to toe with Malkovich and together they deliver a masterclass in acting. They are a joy to watch along with Buscemi who is on equally top form.

Through Chris’s eyes the film examines the US’s ruthlessness in instigating regime change both at home and abroad. His role in the murder of foreign leaders (including Patrice Lumumba) leads his to question his conscience and Catholic faith. Shot on Easter Island, known locally as Rapa Nui, the stunning landscapes are characterised by sweeping green hills dotted with monumental Moai statues. The island, with its magic and spirituality, is a prominent character in the film along with the wild horses.

Yet the emotional core and soul of this drama is Chris’s complex and heartwarming relationship with Lee. As it works up to its killer finale you can’t help but be moved by it.

I have seen it twice and laughed just as hard the second time. This is one of the best films of the year and a must see.

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