Rockwell/Malkovich play great duet

If you see the trailer for Wild Horse Nine, the new movie teaming John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, you may think that you’re in for another comedy about a couple of wise-ass characters. But if you notice that the movie has been directed by Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin, In Bruges, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), you’ll put yourself in the right frame of mind for an unlikely but engaging mixture of dark comedy, political cynicism, and sentiment focused on a couple of CIA assassins. Perfectly paired, Rockwell and Malkovich play a finely calibrated duet. Malkovich portrays Chris Carlisle, a veteran CIA agent who has taken part in many operations, including the Congo, Indonesia, and the Bay of Pigs. Chris is a mysterious figure who can be both off-putting and sympathetic; he’s marked by sadness and a disease-induced loss of memory, and Malkovich delivers what qualifies as one his best big-screen performance. Fresh and funny, Malkovich gives life to one his…

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