‘Wild Horse Nine’ Review – McDonagh’s Latest Turns Wild To Mild Despite John Malkovich’s Dynamite Performance [TIFF 2026]

After a couple of smaller movies early in his career, Martin McDonagh’s last two films, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), made waves at the Academy Awards, with the former being a major Best Picture contender during its awards cycle. The critically acclaimed director’s latest feature, Wild Horse Nine, sure to follow in the footsteps of his two prior films, follows Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell), a pair of CIA agents sent on a mission from Santiago to Easter Island in 1973. Along the way, they meet Alicia (Ailín Salas) and Monica (Mariana di Girolamo), college students from Chile who happen to be staying at the same hotel they are during their mission.

Chris and Lee are pretty typical characters, with the older Chris more open, carefree, and, frankly, loudmouthed, while Lee is the more cautious and risk-averse of the two. Malkovich brings a casual feel to every conversation Chris has that’s incredibly compelling. His performance is the crowning achievement of the film by far, and I’m not sure the rest of the movie serves him well enough.

McDonagh’s films are known for their character-driven stories and outlandish humor, and Wild Horse Nine is no different. Rockwell is functionally playing the 70s version of his character from Three Billboards, and he undercuts any time the film tries to get serious. Chris is certainly in that final, existential, sentimental phase of life that provides for moments of profundity, and Malkovich delivers some powerful moments reflecting on Chris’ life and reckoning with what he’s done over his long CIA career. Malkovich combines a sort of sweetness and carefree attitude that’s unbelievably endearing and heartbreaking at times. His frankness with strangers, despite multiple urges for him to maintain a low profile, provides great laughs and is really an insight into his mindset.

His brilliant performance is constantly stifled by laugh lines and profanity-ridden exclamations from Lee that just turn the film into a pure comedy rather than the dramedy that McDonagh is so clearly desperately trying to make. Banshees balances comedy and drama much better than this film, making this movie a frustrating watch. If Malkovich is cooking, Rockwell is often there to turn off the burner.

Another stellar performance here is Steve Buscemi as MJ, Chris and Lee’s boss at the CIA. He and Rockwell are on similar wavelengths throughout the movie, but Buscemi eats his lunch every time. His timing and line delivery are perfect in every scene, often commanding the screen with just his voice. I’d certainly love to see him take home some hardware for this performance.

The film is heavily built around its central performances, but looks amazing as well. Shot on location on Rapa Nui Island and dolled up in 70s costumes and production design, each frame is great to look at. It’s by no means the most stunning film of the year, but just by virtue of the location, there’s a lot to admire.

Wild Horse Nine has a lot going for it, but nothing winds up fully realized by the time the credits roll. Stellar performances and solid visuals can’t save its messiness. It feels like McDonagh is trying to say something about countries like America coming in and destabilizing governments of other countries, but all of this commentary comes by way of jokes without much substance to them. This leaves both potentially mature themes to be pretty shallow due to the script’s overreliance on humor and banter between its characters. It’s a complete misfire that leaves me disappointed that such a stellar performance by Malkovich is wasted on this movie.

McDonagh misses the mark with Wild Horse Nine, unable to continue the momentum from Banshees and Three Billboards, with hollow themes hidden behind overwritten rants and Rockwell emphasizing each consonant of every “F-bomb” he drops every other word. It’s clear what the movie is going for, but it winds up more mild than wild.

Wild Horse Nine held its Canadian Premiere as part of the Special Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will debut in theaters on November 6, 2026, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

Director: Martin McDonagh

Screenwriter: Martin McDonagh

Rated: R

Runtime: 118m

Before we let you go, we have officially launched our merch store! Check out all of our amazing apparel when you click here and type in GVN15 at checkout for a 15% discount!

For major deals and money off on Amazon, make sure to use our affiliate link! If you are purchasing any of the latest and best in physical media at MovieZyng, you can support us using our affiliate link.