Wild Horse Nine: Martin McDonagh's CIA comedy with Malkovich and Rockwell reaches cinemas

Two CIA agents on the eve of the coup

Wild Horse Nine, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, sends two CIA operatives to Chile in 1973, when the agency is working to destabilise the country's young democracy after the election of Salvador Allende. John Malkovich plays Chris Carlisle, an ageing agent who has killed roughly seventy people in various parts of the world and now has terminal cancer. Sam Rockwell plays Lee Chesterfield, his handler and friend, whose loyalty is repeatedly tested. Their boss MJ, played by Steve Buscemi, grows increasingly anxious that Chris may expose the agency's secrets.

MJ sends the pair from Santiago to Easter Island, where they meet two female students played by Mariana Di Girolamo and Ailín Salas. Chris, who wants to see the island's famous statues before he dies, has been threatening to write a tell-all memoir, and MJ wants Lee to keep an eye on it. The film also has Lee look for a piece of evidence linked to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, something Chris may or may not have had a hand in. ANSA notes that the Kennedy killing is cited several times in the film.

The politics behind the comedy

Courrier international reports that the coup of 11 September 1973 was actively supported by the United States. In an interview with ANSA, McDonagh said the film deals with CIA operations in Guatemala, Congo and the Bay of Pigs, and argued that the agency is questioned far less than the KGB, which he said is widely discussed. According to Le Soir, the theme of American interventionism has interested McDonagh since his teenage years, when he first heard The Clash's Washington Bullets. The film mixes grotesque humour with a sobering account of the damage done by covert operations.

Critics on the comedy and the performances

Reviews focus on the blend of genres. The Scotsman's Alistair Harkness gave the film four stars and called it the director's best work since In Bruges. RTE described it as a twisty comedy caper, a critique of US foreign policy and a political thriller, and framed it as a quirky companion piece to In Bruges. Le Monde gave the film its recommendation to see it and called it an absurd yet delightful fable set in Chile in 1973. Le Soir argued that the film opens a more melancholic chapter in McDonagh's filmography, following In Bruges, Three Billboards and The Banshees of Inisherin.

Vulture, the culture site of New York Magazine, praised the sharp dialogue, and Courrier international reports that the Anglo-Saxon press has applauded the film. Malkovich's performance drew the most attention, with reviewers pointing to how he blends melancholy with comic excess. Rockwell is generally described as the straighter of the two leads, playing the partner who keeps the plot moving.

Venice premiere and release dates

The film was presented at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, where Malkovich won the Coppa Volpi for best actor. According to Courrier international, it reaches French cinemas on Wednesday 4 November. In Italy it arrives in cinemas from 5 November, distributed by The Walt Disney Company Italia.