Martin Mcdonagh Talks ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ a Conspiracy Comedy With Malkovich
WHO:
NPR - John Malkovich plays Chris Carlisle, a CIA operative; Sam Rockwell plays his younger partner, Lee Chesterfield; Steve Buscemi plays the CIA’s South American bureau chief; Parker Posey plays Lee’s wife.
Rolling Stone TV Movies - Martin McDonagh is the filmmaker behind *Wild Horse Nine*.
Rolling Stone TV Movies - John Malkovich stars in *Wild Horse Nine*; the article describes his performance as one of his best.
NY Post - John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star in *Wild Horse Nine*.
Moviefone - Martin McDonagh wrote and directed *Wild Horse Nine*.
Moviefone - The cast includes John Malkovich (*Con Air*), Sam Rockwell (*Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*), Steve Buscemi (*The Big Lebowski*), Tom Waits (*Seven Psychopaths*), and Parker Posey (*The White Lotus*).
Moviefone - McDonagh is identified as the director of *The Banshees of Inisherin*.
WHAT:
NPR - The film depicts Chris and Lee exploring Easter Island, with little action until the final act.
NPR - Chris’s wife is described as openly unfaithful and boozy; she makes occasional hectoring phone calls to Lee.
NPR - The film uses a comic-Western approach, with slower, more drawn-out dialogue than McDonagh’s usual style.
NPR - Carlisle has terminal cancer and early-onset dementia, and asks Lee to arrange a quick, painless death on Easter Island; Lee refuses.
NPR - Carlisle tells two Chilean college students, “We came down here to destabilize your democracy, and it is going great.”
NPR - The film portrays Carlisle as involved in efforts to topple democratically elected leaders in Guatemala and Congo, and in a planned operation in Chile.
Coming Soon - *Wild Horse Nine* is a co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Chile.
Coming Soon - *Wild Horse Nine* is now playing in theaters and is distributed by Searchlight Pictures.
MovieWeb - *Wild Horse Nine* features a dying CIA officer who deflects with jokes until he can no longer do so.
Rolling Stone TV Movies - *Wild Horse Nine* is described as part conspiracy thriller and part buddy comedy, featuring two angry men.
NY Post - *Wild Horse Nine* is described as a dark spy comedy.
Moviefone - *Wild Horse Nine* is a political comedy.
NY Post - The article asks whether *Wild Horse Nine* is streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video; the supplied text does not state whether it is available on either service.
Moviefone - The film is already earning Oscar buzz.
WHERE:
NPR - Most of the film takes place on Easter Island, also known by its Indigenous name, Rapa Nui, more than 2,000 miles off Chile’s coast.
NPR - The story begins in Santiago, Chile.
Coming Soon - *Wild Horse Nine* is set shortly before an event not specified in the supplied article text.
WHEN:
NPR - The story begins in 1973; the Chilean military coup that would overthrow President Salvador Allende and install Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship was months away.
NPR - Carlisle and Lee travel to Easter Island for a week’s vacation.
Moviefone - The article says *Wild Horse Nine* opens in theaters on November 6th. The article does not specify a year.
WHY:
NPR - Chris’s terminal cancer, early-onset dementia, and steady morphine use loosen his tongue.
NPR - Lee refuses to help Chris die because he loves him.
NPR - The CIA’s South American bureau chief monitors Carlisle and Lee because Carlisle is becoming a liability.
Rolling Stone TV Movies - The article characterizes the film as a story about two angry men; it does not provide a reason for their anger.
HOW:
MovieWeb - Martin McDonagh reverses the premise of *The Banshees of Inisherin* in *Wild Horse Nine*.
Moviefone - McDonagh’s film was written and directed by him.
(UPDATED November 6, 2026 23:59 UTC)
Martin McDonagh’s dark spy comedy *Wild Horse Nine* stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. Set in 1973, the film follows two CIA operatives traveling from Chile to Easter Island. A dying agent asks his partner to arrange his death, but his friend refuses.
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(UPDATED November 6, 2026 22:06 UTC)
Martin McDonagh’s *Wild Horse Nine* stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA operatives. The dark spy comedy follows a dying officer asking his partner to arrange his death. Set around Chile’s 1973 coup, the story unfolds largely on Easter Island.
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(UPDATED November 6, 2026 20:01 UTC)
Martin McDonagh wrote and directed *Wild Horse Nine*, a dark spy comedy now playing in theaters. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star, alongside Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey. The political thriller follows angry men and a dying CIA officer who masks trouble with jokes.
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(UPDATED November 6, 2026 17:03 UTC)
Martin McDonagh’s *Wild Horse Nine* is a dark spy comedy starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. The conspiracy thriller follows a dying CIA officer who masks his troubles with jokes. With a political-comedy edge, the film is already drawing Oscar buzz.
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(UPDATED November 6, 2026 16:04 UTC)
Martin McDonagh’s new film, *Wild Horse Nine*, is a dark political spy comedy. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star in the conspiracy thriller, already generating Oscar buzz. The film opens in theaters on November 6, bringing two angry men together.