Malkovich and Rockwell Star in McDonagh's Chilean CIA Thriller
The new film blends a dark comedy with a political backdrop set one month before the 1973 coup in Santiago.
By Samir Doyle ·
CIA operative Chris Carlisle arrives in Santiago, Chile, one month before the death of President Salvadore Allende. He is accompanied by his counterpart, Lee Chesterfield, for a planned trip to Easter Island. The film Wild Horse Nine, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, opens with this journey and the personal complications that arise from it.
Chris, portrayed by John Malkovich, is dying of terminal cancer and suffering from dementia. He has a morphine addiction and a sudden, conflicting urge to visit Venice instead of seeing the stone heads of Easter Island. His companion, played by Sam Rockwell, must navigate these shifting demands while managing their cover. The setting places their story against the political tension leading up to the September 1973 coup.
At the airport, Chris meets two young Chilean students, Monica and Alicia, who are also traveling to Easter Island. Chris inadvertently reveals that he and Lee are CIA agents tasked with destabilizing the country. He later warns Monica about the coming right-wing junta, urging her to leave. Monica reacts with anger rather than gratitude, highlighting the friction between the foreign operatives and the local population.
The plot thickens as Chris prepares a taped memoir of his agency activities, including claims about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The station chief in Santiago, played by Steve Buscemi, learns of this recording. He believes the memoir will compromise CIA operations and orders Chris eliminated. The station chief threatens Lee, who is cooperating under duress, by holding Lee's wife and children hostage.
Alicia, one of the students, is revealed to be a CIA mole working with the station chief. She assists in the plan to kill Chris. Chris, racked with Catholic guilt over his intent to die, coerces Lee into shooting him. He promises to leave a suicide note to protect Lee from suspicion. The character's mental instability drives these high-stakes interactions, blending the thriller elements with dark humor.
The film is presented as pure fiction, though it uses the historical context of the Marxist president's death and the subsequent military takeover as its backdrop. The reviewer notes that while the conspiracy theory regarding the Kennedy assassination is discredited, the narrative succeeds as a blend of genres. The performance by Malkovich is described as one of his better roles in a long career.
Malkovich has already received a European award for this performance and is considered a contender for future Oscar recognition. The review from John O'Neill of Allen Park characterizes the movie as a worthwhile watch despite its spurious theoretical elements. The film relies on the chemistry between Malkovich and Rockwell to drive the story forward.
The narrative structure follows Chris's physical and mental decline as he moves between Chile and Venice. The tension stems from the dual threats of his impending death and the agency's attempt to silence him. The characters' interactions reveal the personal costs of their covert work, set against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of political change.
