Wild Horse Nine – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Wild Horse Nine – Friendship & Duty: Life is … a Conversation

The journey of life is one marked by complimented moments of reflection and trepidation.  As we look at days that come and go, it becomes a line of creation that bends the familiar through an uncertain truth.  This threading of detail can spark intuitive thinking, one where storytelling can blossom in any medium, especially film.  In this review, I look at the latest character drama film.  From a familiar setup, we head off on a journey where thoughts of the past have come to rattle the present.  With strong characters and relative dialogue, Wild Horse Nine is a vivacious tale of folly, friendship and duty.

This is the story of two CIA agents, Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) on a mission to Easter Island in 1973.  As the past starts to bleed into their friendship, will these new details fray their bond or lead to a reckoning of new things.  Film is, as I’ve mentioned many times, a subjective medium.  No matter what genre or details that come about, it is always on the individual to define what is great in their eyes.  Even with varied outcomes, there are times when a film is just great.  This is that kind of film.  The story begins through unorthodox means, where we meet Chris, Lee and a few other individuals involved with a specific CIA operation in Chile (you can view the list on the film’s IMDb page – link).  We learn that they have been on various missions (through the years), having created a strong partnership through duty.  After an unexplained foray, they head off on one more mission to Easter Island.  Once they arrive, the situation starts to reveal itself (through conversation) as this visit to a tropical location becomes much less about regime change and more about the past.  As certain dominos start to fall, a test of friendship comes to the forefront, creating a journey that mixes conversation and folly into a reflective character tale.  On the surface, you see two CIA operatives that have lived many important historical markers.  This foundation is a springboard to a deeper journey, one that builds upon a unique gravitas of individual reflection.  As Chris and Lee travel around Easter Island, each scene is full of folly and wit, built by honest conversational interactions.  Through their talking, bickering and yelling at strangers, it becomes an emotional foray of personal reflection through satire and social commentary. It is a charismatic directive of saying without speaking, a creative twist of a script that is subtle and veiled in the moment.  What you see are two individuals that come to a crossroads where the personal bleeds into the professional, a journey that blends a realistic motif through a state of friendship and trust.

As more things come about through their conversations, it becomes apparent what Lee must do for Chris.  This foreshadowing is obvious but sincere, one that is placed against multiple red herrings to create an unpredictable path towards a certain end.  As the unraveling is distraught, it is also ironically comical.  The wittiness of dialogue and the strong sense of character provides an authentic grip for the audience, one where you feel the just cause at hand.  With everything coming to head, we move into a third act that is comical but endearing.  With friendship and duty at the forefront, we head into a full circle climax and epilogue.  Wild Horse Nine is a character drama that rises to the occasion.  If you are a fan of dialogue driven films or character tales, this is one for you.  I believe this is a film worth seeing at the theaters, a full price experience.

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)