Wild Horse Nine is a 2026 black comedy action thriller film written and directed by Martin McDonagh. A co-production of the United Kingdom, United States, and Chile, it stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey. It is a fictional dark comedy/satire and is not a true story, although it is set against a real historical backdrop.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2026, where it will compete for the Golden Lion. It will be released theatrically in the United Kingdom and the United States by Searchlight Pictures on 6 November. The film received positive reviews from critics.
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Synopsis
Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat, CIA bureau chief MJ dispatches officers Chris and Lee from Santiago to Easter Island. Among the island's iconic statues, the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, while Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send everyone's trip to this remote paradise sideways.
Cast
John Malkovich as Chris, a veteran CIA officer with terminal cancer and Lee's mentor
Sam Rockwell as Lee, a CIA officer and Chris's protégé
Steve Buscemi as MJ, a CIA bureau chief stationed in Chile
Tom Waits as Chris's brother
Parker Posey as Marge, Lee's wife
Mariana di Girolamo as Monica, a college student Chris befriends and Alicia's friend
Ailín Salas as Alicia, a college student Chris befriends and Monica's friend
Paola Giannini
Samuel Wayt as a teenager
Production
In February 2025, it was reported that a film written and directed by Martin McDonagh was in development for Searchlight Pictures with Blueprint Pictures and Film4 producing and Taylor Friedman and Peter Spencer overseeing the project. It would be produced by Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Anita Overland. The film was set to star Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, and Mark Ruffalo. The same month, Parker Posey joined the cast. In March 2025, Steve Buscemi joined the cast, replacing Ruffalo after he left the project. Mariana di Girolamo, Tom Waits, Ailín Salas, and Paola Giannini are also part of the cast. Ben Davis was announced as the film's cinematographer.
Principal photography began that month, on Rapa Nui, and then, in April, continued at a rayuela club in Conchalí, the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, and the center of Santiago city. Filming wrapped on 28 April.
Release
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2026. It had its North American premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival. It was also programmed in the 'Perlak' sidebar section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival. It is scheduled to be released theatrically on 6 November 2026 by Searchlight Pictures.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.6/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a 'B-' score, calling it "prickly but unconvincing". Guy Lodge of Variety wrote that it had been a long time since Malkovich was "this engaged and affecting, in a part this perfectly tailored to his weary, wary onscreen demeanor". Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, lamenting that, as in Seven Psychopaths, Americanness can bring "more violence, more strenuous sweary machismo, less comedy, less charm" to the film. Nikki Baughan of ScreenDaily deemed the film a "solid all-rounder", highlighting the "electric performances from John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell". David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called Malkovich's performance "the real revelation", "building infinite layers into a plum role that is his best in years, ranking with his finest work".
