While his movies may not be the biggest box-office performers, it feels like an event whenever Martin McDonagh releases a new film. With his last two films, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin, earning major Oscar nominations in their respective years, lots of anticipation built for what his next project would be. Four years after his last film, Wild Horse Nine hopes to continue McDonagh’s hot streak of critically acclaimed films, and luckily for him, it did.

The film follows Chris Carlisle (John Malkovich) and Lee Chesterfield (Sam Rockwell), two CIA agents who decide to take a brief vacation to Easter Island. During their time away from work, their past comes back to bite them as they are forced to confront the traumas and conspiracies they’d wrapped themselves in.

With McDonagh’s previous five films, he has become the go-to director for delivering dark material comedically. This is once again the case for WIld Horse Nine. The film discusses Chilean history and CIA conspiracies, and how the United States could have been involved in some of history’s most notorious moments. While the movie takes these ideas seriously at times, McDonagh isn’t afraid to add levity. These moments mainly come from Chris, a man who isn’t phased by the idea of murdering someone. Lee also contributes to the film’s lighter moments, playing the straight-laced agent who’s confounded by everything about Chris. Inserting humor into tragedies can risk being tone-deaf, but McDonagh toes the line in all the best ways.

The writing behind Chris and Lee makes for two compelling protagonists, but John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell’s performances truly make them memorable. Rockwell almost always plays a sarcastic character, and while his role as Lee isn’t any different, he adds a layer of heart to the tough-skinned CIA agent that makes you care about him more than you otherwise would. While his performance is worthy of Oscar consideration, the true standout is John Malkovich, who brings tragedy and hope to his overly honest character as he grapples with mortality. With excellent comedic timing and numerous heartbreaking moments, it’d be hard to find a better performance in Malkovich’s impressive career. Steve Buchemi’s performance as MJ, the CIA bureau chief in charge of Chris and Lee, has moments of solid entertainment, but the writing didn’t give him many moments to shine beyond a couple of one-liners.

Most of the female characters are given next to nothing to work with, except Monica, played by Mariana Di Girolamo. Coincidentally appearing with Chris and Lee in the first two acts, Monica fully comes into her own in the end. While the other characters are stubborn, lost souls eager for answers, Monica acts as a free-spirited representation of optimism that breathes life into the end. When life seems at an all-time low, Monica beautifully shows how fighting for good can bring contentment, and Mariana di Girolamo portrays it wonderfully.

Like the characters in the film, it is clear that McDonagh is grappling with his own mortality, revealing how he feels he operates in the film industry and how he wants to be perceived. Every film McDonagh has made includes violence and tragedy, and with Wild Horse Nine, he is trying to figure out whether his past work had a positive impact. This adds an extra ounce of emotion, making the characters feel more like real people as the filmmaker inserts his own concerns into the character. While the storytelling structure may seem simple at face value, McDonagh’s passion and deep catharsis made it a far more complex experience.

Horses play a far more pivotal role than one would expect. Visually, they mostly serve as backdrops for the Easter Island countryside, but they also parallel the characters in the film to a T: vessels of destruction used and abused by higher powers until they lose all sense of life. Chris grows strongly attached to them throughout because of their shared experiences, giving the film another emotional layer to latch onto.

McDonagh may not be diving into new territory in terms of genre, but his introspective look at history and his creative process made for an embarrassment of riches. With compelling ensemble performances and a complex yet crowd-pleasing screenplay, Wild Horse Nine continues McDonagh’s streak of competent dark comedies bound to provoke emotion, whether happiness or deep sadness. It’s been nearly twenty years, and McDonagh still hasn’t made a bad movie. Let’s hope this hot streak continues.

Wild Horse Nine premiered as the Centerpiece screening at the 35th Heartland International Film Festival. The film will be released in theaters on November 6.

Rating: 8/10

Oscar Prospects:

Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Ensemble, Best Original Score