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Director: Martin McDonagh 
Stars: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures

“I’ve killed people in countries you can’t even spell.”

After his routine 4-5 year gap between films, Martin McDonagh makes his anticipated return with Wild Horse Nine. Imaginatively titled, the latest dark comedy of McDonagh won’t require much imagination as to what should be expected. Once again, McDonagh places his viewer with the pleasure of absorbing the bickering and loving conversations between two male central characters; this time being John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell.

Chris and Lee (Malkovich and Rockwell respectively) are a wacky pairing of CIA agents whose latest assignment takes them on a trip to Chile, right on the cusp of the 1973 coup, with a trip to Easter Island thrown into the mix.

Placed there to have an involvement in the future of Chile’s leadership, the assignment diverts slightly when the relationship of Agents Chris and Lee takes a turn on Easter Island. A veteran CIA agent living with a terminal condition, Chris generally doesn’t give a f*ck anymore, often blowing his cover for the fun of it. Much to the dismay of their superior, CIA Chief (Steve Buscemi) MJ, wants this to be Chris’ last assignment.

Of course, the spectacle of the occasion is the relationship between Chris and Lee, whilst the stellar performance of John Malkovich is a spectacle in itself. McDonagh’s presentation of this relationship does an excellent job of exploring the varying dynamics throughout the film. From bickering co-workers to an almost father-son relationship, this ever evolving pairing only works with the strongest commitment from both performers.

Much of the tone and atmosphere within Wild Horse Nine is dictated by its dialogue and moments of absurdity, of which there are a few hilarious instances. Chris’ thorough determination that MJ is a junkie/addict secures many laughs throughout. However, quite often early on, there is a feeling that there is an overreliance on vulgarisms and profanity – literally just swear words, but the continued usage suggests that the placement is there for comedic effect alone, and whilst funny at first, that style of humour soon wears thin.

Ultimately, Wild Horse Nine doesn’t feel like the strongest work from Martin McDonagh, yet entails some of the finest performances from his directed works. Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi deliver as expected, whilst John Malkovich is able to pull off his best performance in 25 years.