Martin McDonagh's 'Wild Horse Nine' Premieres in Venice to Strong Reviews, Malkovich Acclaim
Martin McDonagh's fifth feature as writer-director, Wild Horse Nine, had its world premiere on September 3 at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, screening in the official Competition section (La Biennale di Venezia). The film held its public screening at 19:30 the same evening, capping a day that began with a press conference where critics praised the picture (Deadline).
Searchlight Pictures, the film's distributor, had signalled the premiere a day earlier through its official social media channel (Searchlight Pictures, Facebook). The Venice slot places McDonagh's film alongside Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard, both world-premiering on the festival's Thursday programme (Associated Press, via Kens5).
The film is a dark CIA tale set in Santiago, Chile, in 1973 (The Hollywood Reporter). John Malkovich plays Chris, a veteran CIA agent whose career in US intelligence interventions spans Guatemala, the Congo, Indonesia, and the Bay of Pigs during the 1950s and 1960s. Sam Rockwell plays Lee, a hot-tempered sidekick mentored by Chris. Steve Buscemi rounds out the agency hierarchy as MJ, head of South American operations.
The cast also includes Mariana Di Girólamo, Ailín Salas, Tom Waits, Parker Posey, and Paola Giannini. The film is rated R and runs 1 hour 58 minutes. It is a co-production of the United Kingdom, the USA, and Chile (La Biennale di Venezia).
For Rockwell and McDonagh, this is a reunion across two stages. Rockwell won an Oscar for his performance in McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and previously starred on Broadway in McDonagh's 2010 play A Behanding in Spokane.
Early reviews from Venice were generally positive, with near-unanimous acclaim for Malkovich's performance (Deadline). The Daily Telegraph gave the film a full five stars. The Playlist graded it an A-. The Guardian was more measured, awarding three out of five. Indiewire was the toughest, handing out a B- and calling the film "unconvincing."
For audiences who want to judge for themselves, Wild Horse Nine has a US release date of Friday, November 6, from Searchlight Pictures.
