Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine earned a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, with John Malkovich delivering one of his best roles in years. The film, which premiered on September 3, 2026, is the director's follow-up to the nine-time Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin and releases in UK and US cinemas on November 6.
A return to familiar territory
The film presents a classic McDonagh odd-couple pairing: two CIA agents stationed in Santiago, Chile, played by Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. They are dispatched to Easter Island, home to nearly 1,000 stone statues, making Wild Horse Nine one of the few films ever to shoot there.
Malkovich's Chris is cynical and frustrated, haunted by regrets over his past work and constantly complaining to Rockwell's Lee. When Chris befriends two rebellious students on the island, played by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas, events threaten to spiral dangerously.
Malkovich delivers a standout performance
Malkovich, 72, has the meatiest role, turning in a hilarious but heartfelt performance as a cranky, petulant loose cannon. He monologues about moths, insists their boss is a heroin addict, tells British tourists he was 'always on Ireland's side' and openly announces that he and Lee are agents working to destabilise Chile's democracy.
'Don't pull rank on me, I've been killing people since before you were born,' he snaps at Lee, revealing the core of his character's problem. Chris also threatens to write a memoir, listing previous CIA missions including Guatemala in 1954, Congo in 1960 and the 'less successful' Bay of Pigs in 1961, which concerns MJ, played by Steve Buscemi. The film also suggests covert intelligence operations were involved in JFK's assassination.
Political relevance and stellar cast
Despite the steady supply of jokes, Wild Horse Nine never cheapens its political message, which has become more relevant since McDonagh wrote it, following the US strike on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026.
Rockwell, who won the 2018 Academy Award for best supporting actor in McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is great as the exasperated Lee. Parker Posey co-stars as Lee's boozy wife Marge, though her purely phone-based role is a little underutilised. Tom Waits also appears in the cast.
McDonagh's flawless dialogue, honed by his playwriting background, delivers a stream of genuinely hilarious jokes. The film is likely to inspire audiences to declare 'bon f**king voyage,' as Buscemi's angry MJ does.
Wild Horse Nine runs 1 hour 58 minutes and will release in UK cinemas on November 6.
