Wild

Whether in Missouri or Bruges, an isle off the coast of Ireland or a speck in the Pacific Ocean, a Martin McDonagh movie whisks audiences someplace remote for a detached view of the mess we’ve made of civilization. Human society continually tries to organize itself around religion, politics, empathy and law. His whip-smart and violent comedies are insights into why it keeps failing.

“Wild Horse Nine,” an exemplar of the format, is about two CIA agents, Chris and Lee (John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell), enjoying a getaway on Easter Island. It’s 1973 and the men are stationed in Santiago, Chile, where the U.S. has spent millions of dollars on a propaganda campaign to prevent the socialist Salvador Allende from winning the presidency. When Chileans vote for him anyway, Richard Nixon gives secret orders to “kick them in the ass,” empowering Henry Kissinger to tank the country’s economy, raise inflation, fund paid protesters and stoke extremist polarization.

“We came here to destabilize your country, and it’s going great,” Chris brags to a pair of flabbergasted young Chilean women, Monica and Alicia (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas), fellow tourists who gape at this Yankee old-timer in dismay. In a few months, a military coup will install Gen. Augusto Pinochet as dictator and begin to disappear liberal dissenters. The folk singer Victor Jara (Aron Hernández), the Woody Guthrie of Chile, is also in Easter Island to play a show and he, too, will soon be machine-gunned by the Army. McDonagh doesn’t show us this (and the soundtrack leans more on Jara’s mentor, Violeta Parra). But he’s definitely hoping you leave the theater and look him up.

Chris likely doesn’t have that long to live himself. The aging spy is suffering from several diseases including dementia, impaired judgment and a mildly guilty conscience — a fatal combination for a blabbermouth who claims to know the whereabouts of the rifle that may have shot John F. Kennedy. Some of what Chris says is a lie; some is addled and confused. His scariest statements are unapologetic facts about the CIA’s involvement in removing other progressive leaders in the Congo and Guatemala. Chris describes overthrowing governments as casually as if he was recalling yesterday’s lunch.

Only classic screwball comedians have delivered dialogue as blithely as Malkovich does here, with zingers that float off unburdened by the heaviness of the real world. He’s marvelous in this. His rogue is as destructive as his villains in “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Con Air,” but carries himself with the lightness of his self-mocking performance in “Being John Malkovich.” While Malkovich gets the best lines, Rockwell gets the best reaction shots, staring aghast at his pesky colleague. Yet, McDonagh himself doesn’t have quite as light of a touch as usual. One of Chris’ digressions about how he’s becoming kinder to insects is terrific, until the script goes one sentence too far and forces the character to blurt out the subtext: He’s nicer to Chile’s moths than to its people.

Ostensibly, the duo are on vacation. Narratively, one has evaded punishment for an outrageous crime and the other has been ordered by their boss, MJ (Steve Buscemi), to assassinate his friend before the truth escapes. The plot is so similar to McDonagh’s 2008 feature film debut, the masterpiece “In Bruges,” which starred Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as exiled hit men, that the filmmaker should sue himself for plagiarism. I’ll forgive it only because “In Bruges” is one of the best movies of the 21st century. (And anyway, both films already owe a debt to John Steinbeck’s sympathetic galumphs George and Lennie in “Of Mice and Men.”)

In transplanting the setting from “Bruges’” moody, gloomy medieval hamlet to a sunshiny island populated by free-roaming ponies, McDonagh teases the idea that this is a western with a twist: a moral showdown told from the perspective of the hired guns who claim they’re too ignorant to take blame. (He even finagles an excuse to cut to Monument Valley.) Together, Chris and Lee have killed over six dozen people, but never for personal reasons — they’re employees. “Maybe I should have learned more about the places I went into,” Chris muses. Staying dumb allows him to pretend that he’s not John Wayne massacring the Comanches. He’s just the horse underneath John Wayne who doesn’t have any control over where he’s told to go.

McDonagh gets a kick out of making us enjoy palling around with sinners as they chitchat about the correlation between democracies and good cheese. Like him, they refuse to retire their favorite retrograde insults which, at this point, feels like McDonagh’s own in-joke for himself. I suspect it amuses him that audiences get more upset when one of his characters says a slur than when that same character shoots someone in the face.

No filmmaker working today is as merciless with a quip. Debating the power of mass protest with Monica and Alicia, Chris says, “Marches are just the place where we can get the cleanest photos of you without you knowing,” a punchline that lands with a wallop in today’s era of constant surveillance. We cringe at Chris’ aberrant chattiness and recoil from his stony confidence that men like him and Lee will continue to control the world, an assurance as implacable as Easter Island’s monolithic statues. Occasionally, cinematographer Ben Davis even lines up those centuries-old face carvings behind Malkovich to note their resemblance to his imposing profile.

Doom engulfs the movie much like the water circling the stunning coastline. The script’s air of inevitability prevents it from mustering up much suspense. Even when the danger ripples all the way to Lee’s wife (Parker Posey) back in the States, the tension drains away. You expect McDonagh to play around more with Chris’ memory loss and morphine addiction than he does; meanwhile, another junkie beat is so convenient that I can’t believe the film even tried to get away with it, and nearly succeeds.

“Wild Horse Nine’s” darkest prank is convincing us that a charming scoundrel like Chris should have a say in how and when he dies — a privilege he didn’t grant his own victims. What’s the use of punishing a terminally ill man? But that, McDonagh suggests, is how life actually works. Normal westerns mete out justice. This tropical one refuses.

Democratic and independent voters could play the spoiler in a battle between two Republican incumbents vying for a solidly red congressional seat in Orange and Riverside counties.

Thanks to redistricting, Reps. Ken Calvert of Corona and Young Kim of Anaheim are pitted against one another in Congressional District 40, a newly redrawn territory that consolidates Republican voters in an area stretching from Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Anaheim Hills in Orange County to Woodcrest, Menifee and Murrieta in Riverside County.

Democratic leaders remade the district map as part of an overall effort to boost their party’s numbers in the U.S. House of Representatives after President Trump cajoled Texas into carving out districts more favorable to Republicans.

While considered deep red, District 40 still claims many Democratic and independent voters who could help sway the outcome.

“The question is, who are the Democrats going to support?” said Jon Fleischman, former executive director of the California Republican Party. He expects about half of the Democrats to not vote at all.

Self-identifying conservatives make up 33% of the district compared with liberals’ 27%, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. More independents lean Democratic (36%) than Republican (16%), according to the institute.

Democrats, so far, seem less than enthusiastic about their choices.

“I don’t care who wins in the 40th,” said Orange County Democratic Party Chair Florice Hoffman, who skipped voting in the race. “They’re both two bad choices, so I will not spend any time telling Democrats to go out to vote for either one of them.”

Kim may cast herself as a collaborative politician but if you look at her record, “she’s not any better than Ken Calvert. They both ran as 100% Trump — and really that’s how she votes,” said Hoffman, who lives in Orange.

Calvert topped the June primary, earning 35% to Kim’s 21%. Democrat Esther Kim-Varet came in third with 17%, followed by several Democrats and an independent.

Calvert, 73, retained about half of his constituents in the redrawn district. Kim, 64, kept about a third of hers.

Americans 4 Security PAC, which has spent more than $6 million backing Calvert, sent out fliers highlighting Trump and Kim’s ties, the Orange County Register reported. One mailer quoted Trump thanking Kim, while another announced: “Young Kim 100% pro-Trump.”

Political experts said these mail pieces are intended to dissuade Democrats from backing her.

With polls showing Democrats likely to take back the House, Los Angeles political consultant Jorge Flores said Kim’s reputation for working with others could help her among Democrats and independents deciding between two conservatives.

“Whether she convinces voters that she’s actually the right choice, I think it’s a steeper climb,” said Flores, who worked with the independent candidate in the primary.

The Democratic Party branches in Orange and Riverside counties make no mention of the race in their official endorsement guides.

Kim and Calvert are similar when it comes to backing Republican policies, Fleischman said, noting that both support Trump and have voted together about 95% of the time.

He described Young as someone who tries “to put together coalitions” while Calvert is “set in his ways.”

“Young probably has a better case to make to [Democrats], but it’s just too hard to tell,” said Fleischman.

A general election with two Republicans facing each other in a House seat is highly unusual. It’s a product of the state’s “jungle primary,” which advances the top two candidates, regardless of party, and Proposition 50, the voter-approved ballot measure that allowed the new congressional district lines.

Elected in 1992, Calvert is the longest-serving member of California’s Republican delegation in Congress.

Kim, known as a prolific fundraiser, was elected in 2020. She’s raised $10 million in direct donations, compared with Calvert’s $7 million.

Calvert sits on the House Appropriations Committee, where he chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The Americans 4 Security PAC attacking Kim counts two executives from Miami-based Palantir, whose software is used by the U.S. military, among its donors.

Before the primary, Kim stripped her campaign website of “America first” branding and references to Trump.

Chris Pack, a Kim spokesperson, said last month that she was “proud of her work with President Trump to deliver results for Southern California,” arguing the campaign’s messaging is focused on Calvert’s record.

In a social media post this week, Kim hammered Calvert as a career politician. She supports legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks, wants to enact term limits and portrays herself as a pragmatist.

“What kind of Republican do you want representing you?” Kim said in a recent NBC4 interview.

Calvert’s campaign, meanwhile, labels Kim a RINO, or Republican in name only, a pejorative used to describe a disloyal conservative. She co-sponsored legislation to censure Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, although Democrats widely viewed the move as a slap on the wrist.

Calvert’s campaign has pointed to Kim’s 2021 vote with Democrats to repeal a Trump-era rule that rolled back methane-emissions regulations.

Calvert, who appeared this week at a rally in Murrieta alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), labels himself a consistent conservative.

“People know exactly where I’m at,” he recently told Spectrum News. “I haven’t changed a bit in the 30 years, and so I’ll continue to give people the kind of common sense governance that they deserve.”

One minute I’m cycling through an expansive dusty pink stretch of heathland with sloping sand dunes in the distant horizon, the next I’m winding through a fragrant Scots pine forest as sunlight filters through the branches of red-barked trees to make a kaleidoscope of white shapes on the trail floor ahead.

I’m in Hoge Veluwe National Park, a 5,400 hectare (13,000 acre) nature reserve in Gelderland, about an hour and a half from Amsterdam. It’s crisscrossed by 25 miles (40km) of cycling paths, and around 2,000 free-to-use white bikes are available for visitors to explore the ever-changing scenery.

I’ve been flitting back and forth to the Netherlands for years and have lost count of the times friends there have raved about the park and the wider Veluwe region, a forest-rich ridge of hills and diverse landscapes, stretching 37 miles, north to south. Finally I’ve come to see for myself and explore on foot and on two wheels over a few days – adding in a dash of culture at some of its historic towns and museums too.

My trip starts at Natuurcentrum De Ginkel, a charming nature and visitor centre near Ede outside Arnhem. Here I meet nature guide Hanna Pol who takes me into the forest. “Veluwe is very biodiverse,” says Pol quietly as we walk past verdant oak, pine and birch. Trees with autumnal tawny-coloured leaves line one side of the path and wildflowers, with pops of bright yellow sunflowers and vivid red poppies, the other. Pol reels off some of the wildlife here: roe deer, five types of woodpecker, beavers, wild boar and wolves. As we crunch through a carpet of fallen leaves, we spy a small brown frog on a log, a woodpecker dancing around a tree, and the outline of two rust-red deers in the distance.

We make our way to the wildlife observation area, an enclosed building with curved windows and a theatre-style set of wooden chairs. “The deer pass this way every night to eat,” says Pol. “Once we saw a really big fight break out.” She’s seen wolves too – they returned to the country in 2015 after about 150 years and it’s a controversial topic, with farmers worried about their livestock. We don’t see the elusive creatures, just a solitary bright white buzzard perching on a tree. On the shelves behind us, an assortment of skeletal remains includes antlers, skulls, the teeth of a wild boar and the foot of a deer.

That night I stay in a stylish and sleek cabin with floor-to-ceiling views of the forest at Buitenplaats Petersburg on the edge of the park. It’s a peaceful haven of lodges with fairy lights strung around the woods and an enchanting Italian restaurant, Il Lupo, with an outdoor terrace.

Besides its unspoilt natural wonders, Veluwe has plenty of other attractions. I visit Paleis Het Loo, a 17th-century royal palace in Apeldoorn, once the summer residence and hunting lodge of William of Orange III and his wife Princess Mary II Stuart. It’s an impressive building with ornate rooms, a staircase with the second biggest mural in the Netherlands, formal symmetrical gardens and an underground museum which tells the story of the Dutch royal family.

Hotel de Echoput, a family-run modern hotel nearby, surrounded by the forest, is my home for the night. Its Grand Bistro Echo is a treat, with a menu that focuses on local ingredients – I enjoy fried mushrooms with a creamy Dordogne sauce and a vegan cheesecake with basil and white chocolate.

The next morning, after a brisk walk in the woods with barely a soul around, I visit the historic Hanseactic city of Harderwijk, on the shores of Wolderwijd lake. I wander the narrow cobblestone streets, medieval city walls and Old Town Hall with guide Marianne van Limbeek. “Harderwijk means hiding place for shepherds,” she tells me. We bump into Hendrik Kaper, a local street organist wearing a flat cap who treats us to a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody on his portable wooden organ.

But it’s in Hoge Veluwe national park that I find the greatest sense of serenity – though one day a small adder with a dark zigzag stripe stops me in my tracks. Come outside peak times, as I have, and you might have some of the trails to yourself.

Within the park lies Kröller-Müller Museum, a revered national art museum and sculpture garden founded by art collector Helene Kröller-Müller, who along with her husband, shipping magnate Anton Kröller, bought vast amounts of land in Veluwe (their private estate was later donated to the state). My timing is great as all 88 of its Vincent van Gogh paintings are on show together for the first time since 1984 (until 3 January).

The sculpture park is one of the largest in Europe, and I stroll around the surrounding open grass and into the forest and stumble across various artworks (there are about 200 pieces dotted around). A short cycle away is Jachthuis Sint Hubertus, the former country residence of the Kröller-Müller family with a watchtower more than 30m tall (apparently Helene loved afternoon tea at such lofty heights) surrounded by a lake with a very athletic bunch of jumping carp.

I stop at Restaurant De Hoge Veluwe at Park Paviljoen for an early pasta dinner on the terrace before the sky turns a moody grey and rain looks imminent. Fortunately it’s only a 15-minute cycle to Otterlo, a pretty village with clusters of fairy lights and bunting decorating red brick houses and Vakantieoord Het Lorkenbos, a charming holiday park surrounded by trees. My bungalow is cute and, feeling as if I’m in a twinkling winter wonderland, I light a candle and look up the Dutch word for cosy. It’s gezellig – a perfect description of how I feel after my nourishing break in this wild and restorative part of the Netherlands.

The trip was arranged by Visit Veluwe. Entrance to Hoge Veluwe national park €13.85 per adult. Cabins at Buitenplaats Petersburg from €110. Camping at Het Lorkenbos from €23 a night, bungalows from €320 for two nights. Double rooms at De Echoput from €169. Omio provided train travel: Eurostar runs from London to Amsterdam

ROMEO Beckham’s girlfriend Kim Turnbull has suffered a nasty injury after being bitten by a wild dog on holiday.

The model, 24, shared a photo of her getting a rabies vaccination after the unfortunate incident.

She told fans on Instagram: “I just fed this stray dog and it was blowing away from him and I went to fix it and thought I was taking it back and he bit me.”

Kim shared a clip of the four-legged animal standing on the beach, while she also showed off the bite mark.

She wrote over the photo: “Best believe I went back and fed him a second time after he bit me.

“Now he’s back. Is he apologising right now or does he want more food.”

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Kim was then forced to have emergency treatment by getting a rabies jab.

She wrote: “The most on brand move I could have pulled.

“Rabies jab is on the way for all friends messaging concerned.”

Earlier this month, the Beckham family rallied together to support Victoria’s Paris Fashion Week show in a heart-warming family snap.

But as the Beckhams supported Victoria, her eldest son Brooklyn was nowhere to be seen.

Posing for a sweet family snap, the entire clan stood together and smiled, as Victoria gushed over the support she received.

David and Victoria stood in the middle, with youngest child Harper by their side.

Romeo and Kim stood on the left hand side, Cruz and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel stood on the other side.

Victoria shared the snap online, writing alongside it: “To my friends and family, I feel so blessed to have you all by my side xxx.”

The Beckhams were all in attendance for the launch of Victoria’s new clothing collection in the French capital – with Brooklyn the only absent child of the famous couple.

Despite also being in Paris for fashion week, Brooklyn, who has publicly fallen out with his family, has shown no sign of an olive branch, instead attending other events with his wife, Nicola Peltz-Beckham.

Brooklyn let loose on his family in a scathing social media post in January, with things remaining tense ever since.

Brooklyn said at the start of the year that he did “not want to reconcile” with his family, and accused his parents of “controlling” the narrative.

His initial statement read: “I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.

“Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

He then went on to recall the night of his wedding and how his mother danced in an “inappropriate way”.

OUR Spotlight On column uncovers the top things to see and do in the best holiday destinations, as well as lesser-known spots, in the UK and abroad.

This week, we’re shining the light on the already well-lit destination of San Diego, which sees more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey recently visited, and said: “I love exploring Belmont theme park, which dates back to 1925, which felt like going back to the 50s with wooden rollercoasters and spinning ice cream rides.

“Then hop over to South Mission Beach for some insane sushi at Cannonball overlooking the ocean, before a drink in Part Time Lover, a very cosy listening bar with a vinyl shop at the back.

“Save time for Barrio Logan too, named one of the best neighborhoods in the world with fantastic independent stores and street art.”

Here are some of our other top tips.

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MUST SEE/DO

You’ll want to take advantage of that glorious weather.

So head to La Jolla Cove which was recently named the best beach in the USA in the Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.

The shoreline is home to crystal-clear waters that are ideal for snorkelling in – keep your eyes peeled for wild sea lions slouched on the rocks and sand, too.

If you’re not much of a snorkeller, grab yourself a kayak from one of the many rental stores or indulge in one of the gorgeous clifftop hiking trails that will take you along the coast.

HIDDEN GEM

Ditch the tourist attractions and crowded shores. Instead you should make a beeline for North Park, where the locals and creatives hang out.

Make sure you come thirsty as this area is crammed with independent coffee shops and some of the best craft beer in the States.

Make sure to admire the colourful murals splattered along the streets and pop into the vintage stores for a souvenir.

Take a look at the historic Observatory North Park ahead of your visit as you may time if perfectly to catch one of the regular gigs,

BEST VIEW

Take a stroll from Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, just south of Ocean Beach.

This dramatic 1.5-mile stretch of rugged coastline is one of San Diego’s most spectacular viewpoints, where you can watch the Pacific waves crashing into rock arches while the sun sets beyond the horizon.

If you’re not one for a nature walk, then Mister A’s is a cracking rooftop restaurant perched high above downtown with sweeping panoramic views across San Diego, the bay and the flight path into the city’s airport.

Cocktails are being continually shaken and the atmosphere is warm and buzzy.

RATED RESTAURANT

Exciting new openings are cropping up all over the city, including Ikaria in La Jolla which is due to open towards the end of this year.

The restaurant is inspired by the Greek island which shares its name and will feature a vibrant Mediterranean menu alongside wine tastings session and cooking classes.

For a slap-up brunch, Morning Glory is set a few streets back from the waterfront, near the Harbor View area, and stars in the Michelin guide for good reason.

Decorated in hues of candy floss pink, with mirrored furniture and a champagne vending machine, it’s got an air of Palm Springs about it.

Star dishes include the indulgent souffle pancakes and fried chicken and waffles.

BEST BARS

Swap your cocktail for a pint from one of San Diego’s independent breweries – after all, this city is known as the IPA capital of the world.

Mujeres Brew House in Barrio Logan is run entirely by women and offers a whole host of craft pours including crisp lagers and bold West Coast IPAs.

It hosts regular events, live music sessions and pop-up food stalls in a casual but lively setting.

HOTEL PICK:

The 4* Pearl Hotel in Point Loma is affordable and elegant, with retro-inspired furniture and decor that make it feel like its from another era.

It’s quickly become one of San Diego’s coolest places to stay with stylish rooms, excellent cocktails and easy access to both downtown and the beach.

Rooms cost from £115 per night based on two people sharing a double. See thepearlsd.com.