Martin McDonagh would kill for a joke. Just look at the body count in his movies. Black comedy is a lethal genre and he’s the expert. Wild Horse Nine, the Irish filmmaker’s fifth feature, combines choice elements from his first, In Bruges (two hit-men take a trip) and his last, The Banshees of Inisherin (island mayhem).
It is 1973. In Santiago, Chile, the CIA has been preparing the coup against President Salvador Allende that will result in the Pinochet dictatorship. CIA buddies Lee (Sam Rockwell) and Chris (John Malkovich) are fooling around with a home-movie camera before setting off on holiday. “I’m a big-shot in the CIA,” says Chris by way of introducing himself, “a veteran of Guatemala, 1954 – success. The Congo, 1960 – success. The Bay of Pigs, 1961 – less successful. Dallas, 1963…” Lee asks in return, “What do you regret?”
