Humanity is messy. It is ridiculous and funny and cruel. Most easily put, it is complicated and no writer-director has been better at showing this over the last decade than Martin McDonagh. Whether it be the dark depths of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri or the complicated humanity of The Banshees of Inisherin, McDonagh has consistently delivered every emotion in less than two hours.
Wild Horse Nine falls uniquely into the director’s wheelhouse while expanding the affected range of the story. Where his previously mentioned outings dialed into isolated human stories and their complexity, this outing somehow both drastically increases the story to global scale yet remains tightly knit in the principal characters narrative by dropping government agents into the tumult of early 1970s South America. Each must deal with their own personal life struggles, each other, and their cloak-and-dagger profession.
The emotional range covered in Wild Horse Nine impressively ranges from tears of laughter to that of emotional release. The fourth time (at this point) feels like the charm for McDonagh to receive his first Oscar for Original Screenplay. The visual accompaniment to the story with McDonagh’s regular cinematographer, Ben Davis, is also impressive both in vibrance and in texture fitting the timeframe in ways that would be easy to overlook. All direction for the film is amazing!
Another repeat for McDonagh is Sam Rockwell, who won his only Oscar in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and very well might be nominated again for Wild Horse Nine. Hilarious and deep, Rockwell’s work here is natural and as engaging as humanly possible for a ridiculous yet grounded character. His ability to project shines through even in shots without dialogue. The only reason this isn’t the acting watermark is his co-star.
That co-star is the incomparable John Malkovich. Where Rockwell is “likely” to be nominated, Malkovich should win his first Academy Award. He is brilliant in Wild Horse Nine. Gut busting hilarious to jarringly emotional. It feels like the kind of performance that is built piece by piece from a legendary career. Taking his funniest roles, layering them with intense villains, and heart the size of an oil rig. It is a dynamic performance sure to earn the envy and admiration of the Academy members.
Wild Horse Nine is unquestionably one of the best films of 2026. If you’re a fan of high-quality writing, direction, and performances, it should be THE favorite of the year. I don’t often look forward to emotional films, but I cannot wait to see this picture again and again when it hits theaters on November 6th.