Wild Horse Nine — Montclair Film Festival Review
Source: Searchlight Pictures
I’ve seen more than 100 new releases in 2026 so far, and Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine is easily the funniest film I’ve seen all year. By the time I walked out of the theater, my face genuinely hurt from laughing so much. Normally, a second viewing can’t quite recapture the laughs of the first, but after catching it again as the opening-night selection at the Montclair Film Festival, I found myself laughing just as hard. McDonagh has mastered the art of the black-comedy crime thriller, crafting stories that are as bleak as they are hysterical, often anchored by complicated male friendships. From his feature-length debut, In Bruges, to 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, he excels at finding humor in humanity’s darkest moments. With Wild Horse Nine, the award-winning writer-director crafts one of his finest screenplays yet, resulting in a film that’s riveting, consistently hilarious, and deeply heartbreaking.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
Comparisons to In Bruges are inevitable. Both films follow two men abroad, bickering and engaging in philosophical debates about life and death, wrapped in dark humor, Catholic guilt, suicidal ideation, and unexpected poignancy. While In Bruges centered on two Irish hitmen hiding out in Belgium, Wild Horse Nine follows two American CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island. Though one could argue the film is derivative of McDonagh’s debut, its 1970s Chilean setting and the characters’ distinct personalities give it a clear identity of its own. The cultural and historical context also allows for a vastly different comedic style, making Wild Horse Nine feel like the American counterpart to In Bruges rather than a retread.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
The two CIA officers at the heart of the film are Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell), whom bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi) sends from Santiago to Easter Island. John Malkovich has never been funnier and delivers one of the year’s best performances. His impeccable line deliveries transform McDonagh’s already hilarious dialogue into comedy gold. Rockwell’s performance is his greatest work in over a decade, and the role of Lee really caters to his strengths—he’s charming and clever, and he brings a level-headedness and emotional intelligence that ground the film. The chemistry between Malkovich and Rockwell is all it takes to hook viewers in. As soon as the two start bickering at an airport, the laughs start rolling, and they rarely stop.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
At the airport, Chris casually tells two college students, Monica (Mariana di Girolamo) and Alicia (Ailín Salas), that he and Lee are there to "destabilize their democracy," prompting Lee to remind him that he can't just go around blurting out such things to unsuspecting people. At first, Chris seems to have no filter. However, we quickly discover that he may or may not be losing his memory, and their trip to Easter Island isn’t entirely what it seems. The performances are strong across the board, even from the actors who appear in smaller roles, such as Parker Posey as Lee’s wife and Tom Waits as Chris’s brother.
Without revealing too much of the plot, the premise is pitch-perfect for McDonagh’s signature blend of crime, comedy, and tragedy. The razor-sharp dialogue is outrageous and darkly funny. Recurring motifs, such as Chris's obsession with moths or horses, may seem random at first but later gain emotional resonance and narrative significance. His rambling monologues are not only humorous but also disturbing and heartbreakingly reflective, making his character feel alive and unpredictable.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
What makes Malkovich’s performance so remarkable is how effortlessly he shifts from absurdity to profound reflection. Whether Chris is musing about who invented Molotov cocktails or pondering whether there are dinosaurs in heaven while recording his memoirs, his ramblings are as revealing as they are riotous. Beneath the deadpan delivery is the wisdom of a man who has lived fully and is now reckoning with his own mortality. One particular moment that stands out is after Chris talks to Monica and then reflects to Lee, “She’s life, and I’m leaving it,” in a loving nod to Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s film A Matter of Life and Death (1946). It’s challenging to write something this witty about a character confronting their mortality that’s equally uproarious and sincere, yet somehow McDonagh pulls it off.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
Visually, Wild Horse Nine is striking without ever feeling showy. Ben Davis’s cinematography and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen's editing are refreshingly restrained, allowing the story and performances to take the spotlight. Easter Island’s breathtaking landscapes are more than just aesthetically appealing; they also reinforce the film’s central themes. The island’s isolation, vast ocean vistas, wild horses, and looming stone heads (Moai) underscore ideas of mortality, legacy, and solitude. The imagery highlights the island’s beauty and balances out the story by bringing moments of quiet reflection amidst the chaos and laughter.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
Wild Horse Nine has everything a McDonagh fan—or most movie lovers—could want: witty dialogue, pitch-black humor, entertaining action, unforgettable performances, and a story that balances laugh-out-loud comedy with emotional and philosophical depth. The film’s clever writing and precise comedic timing enable it to explore heavy and thought-provoking themes ranging from friendship, loyalty, morality, religion, politics, and mortality without losing its levity. Wild Horse Nine cements Martin McDonagh’s status as one of contemporary cinema’s most brilliant storytellers, features a career-best performance from John Malkovich, and offers a cinematic experience that’s riotously entertaining, intellectually engaging, and emotionally resonant. In addition to making me laugh for nearly two hours straight, Wild Horse Nine had me thinking, reflecting, crying, and wondering if there are dinosaurs in heaven.
Wild Horse Nine was the opening-night selection at the Montclair Film Festival on October 16, 2026. It will be released in theaters on November 6th.
