Two CIA spooks take a break from destabilizing the Chilean government to vacation on Easter Island. But one of them might not be coming back. Wild Horse Nine is thoughtful, clever and darkly funny. But this horse will buck discerning viewers with its spats of bloody violence, torrents of harsh language, drug use, sexual dialogue and opaque spiritual messages.
Chris has always wanted to see the big heads on Easter Island.
Fortunately, it isn’t far from his work. Chris and his pal (and coworker) Lee are based in Santiago, Chile, so they hop on a plane and travel the few thousand miles of South Pacific Ocean to get there.
Hey, everyone needs a break from work now and then. Even if you’re a CIA agent whose job involves destabilizing a sovereign, democratically-elected government.
In truth, Chris needs this getaway more than most. There’s a certain level of discretion required with being a government operative, and Chris is losing his discretion faster than a prairie fire with a tailwind. Battling an illness that impacts his mental faculties, Chris is starting to let things slip. He’s been a faithful agent for the CIA for a long time … but that makes him as much a liability as it does an asset.
Lee wants his long-time friend to have an enjoyable trip. Because if Chris’ illness progresses much further, he won’t be coming back from Easter Island.
[The following sections contain spoilers.]
Lee and Chris share a genuine bond. They bicker and they fight but, truth be told, there’s not much that they wouldn’t do for one another—and this shows itself in surprisingly touching ways throughout the film.
Chris makes friends with a young Chilean woman and does his best to prepare her for the coming troubles of her home country (caused in part by his employer). Lee has a contentious relationship with his wife, to say the least, but when she and their children are in danger, Lee does what he can to protect them.
Someone attempts to make amends with an estranged family member.
Chris is Catholic. As he senses his life coming to a close, he becomes very introspective about the terrible things he has done during his life and wonders if he will make it to heaven. (When Chris shares specific concerns about the people he’s killed, Lee justifies it by saying Chris did those things to help to “free” countries.)
Throughout Wild Horse Nine, characters talk about doing a “terrible thing for the greater good.” For much of the film, this serves as a justification for Chris and Lee’s CIA work, which involves killing important political figures from other countries (and, in one notable instance, their own). But near the end of the film, the same phrase is juxtaposed with the image of Christ on the cross. It’s left open to interpretation, but the moment could be seen as turning the phrase on its head—communicating that self-sacrifice is the only truly just means of doing a “terrible thing for the greater good.”
During his spiritual musings, Chris wonders if creatures like moths or dinosaurs will be in heaven—and if the dinosaurs had souls. Lee tells him that there will be no dinosaurs in heaven, as heaven is only for humans. They also speculate on whether a Nazi could get to heaven.
A man dismisses the idea of suicide because he doesn’t “want to go to hell at the last minute.”
Chris sits in a Catholic Mass and listens to a priest’s homily—which includes the priest speaking out against the newly elected president, Salvador Allende, which angers the young parishioners in the pews (and positions the faith as opposed to the will of the people). A large crucifix hangs on the wall in the church.
A Bible and crucifixes are seen. Someone affixes a cross to the rearview mirror of a car.
Lee and his wife, Margie, don’t have the healthiest relationship. Margie openly admits to sleeping around with multiple men … and one woman. Some subtle moments indicate that Lee might be sneaking off for his own dalliances.
Chris tries to flirt with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. He clearly enjoys being around her, but their relationship, while frequently friendly, does not become romantic.
Sexual content frequently peppers the dialogue in Wild Horse Nine. Chris jokes about dating “ugly girls” and wanting to date “a dwarf.” He also says he would have liked to have been in a relationship with a woman who was addicted to heroin.
Lee is seen in his underwear. A young woman wears a revealing swimsuit.
A man bemoans that he won’t get “laid;” he says he’s been distracted by “pretty girls.” A man jokingly claims that there is a correlation between how “gay” a country is and the quality of the cheese they produce.
Lee and Chris are in the business of killing, and that business bleeds over (literally) into their Easter Island excursion. People are shot and killed. Blood flies with every bullet. A few characters are shot in the head—one instance is shown up close—and we see the splattering results. Someone kills a woman with a car. People are held at gunpoint.
Chris tells someone that she should kill “the authority” in her country which, in Chris’ hypothetical description, would include killing a young kid who wants to be in the army. He adds that only “the first six or seven [people you kill] are tough” and details the process of an assassination. There is discussion of an impending political coup, which will result in thousands of deaths.
Lee, Chris and others talk about killing people—either people they have killed or are planning to kill. Suicide is discussed. Chris pretends to shoot some of the Easter Island heads before putting a gun to his head and pretending to take his own life.
A man’s family is kidnapped, and the perpetrators threaten to kill them unless they get exactly what they want. Someone fires his gun at a car. Chris’ cancer causes him to spit up blood on a handkerchief. People talk about bombs.
A horse dies, offscreen, and we see its dead body lying in a road in a few scenes. Someone is slapped across the face.
Nearly 120 f-words are heard, with one use preceded by “mother.” The s-word is used nearly 30 times. God’s name is misused three times, paired twice with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is abused nine times. The c-word is heard three times.
Additional profanity includes uses of “h—,” “a–” and “a–hole,” “b–ch,” “d–k” and “d–khead,” “p—y” and “douchebag.” The words “retarded” and “ditz” are also used.
A sick person self-medicates with morphine and calls the drug “wonderful.” Another character sticks a needle into his arm and injects heroin, and we hear some additional references to the drug, including the nickname “smack.” A character is in a groggy haze after taking a drug. People are referred to as “dopeheads” or “junkies.”
Margie smokes like a chimney anytime she is onscreen. Other characters smoke cigarettes and drink throughout the film.
Chris tells someone that he has “always lied” as part of his job and that it’s “hard to stop.” (Though he does say that he’d like to fib less often.) Given the occupations of the lead characters in Wild Horse Nine, the film puts a spotlight on some of the CIA’s presumed misdeeds meddling in the politics of other countries and enabling the rise of brutal, fascist regimes.
Chris remarks that he was “on Ireland’s side,” presumably referencing the conflict between Irish Nationalists and loyalists to the United Kingdom in the early 1900s.
Someone considers Easter Island a “lonely place to die,” and his friend replies that it’s “lonely everywhere to die.”
Director Martin McDonagh (Banshees of Inisherin, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) delivers another witty, acerbic, character-driven story with Wild Horse Nine. The film is full of humor—biting, black and melancholic—while, somehow, keeping a bit of sweetness in a story that centers around two friends and their heartfelt farewells. The acting here is razor sharp; John Malkovich, in particular, delivers a powerhouse performance that will surely be mentioned come awards season. And the film plumbs deeper spiritual depths than you might expect.
But for all its merits, this film is beset by bursts of graphic, bloody violence, harsh and vulgar language, crude sexual dialogue, drug use, murky spirituality and, frankly, some concerning messages.
Just as Chris looks back on his life as a CIA spook with regret, discerning viewers who watch Wild Horse Nine may come away with a similar feeling.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
