‘Wild Horse Nine’: What The Critics Are Saying About Martin McDonagh’s Dark Comedy

Wild Horse Nine debuted today at the Venice Film Festival with writer-director Martin McDonagh and actors John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey among those to tread the carpet for the film’s world premiere. Press had showered the film with praise at the press conference earlier in the day and now the early reviews are rolling in. The movie is largely landing very well, including some raves, but some critics also have reservations. There’s pretty much unanimous acclaim for Malkovich’s turn. Deadline’s Pete Hammond says that Malkovich and Rockwell are “superb” in a “funny and profound film”: “After several Oscar nominations and BAFTA wins for his first four films, it is nice to report that writer-director Martin McDonagh is, with his latest Wild Horse Nine, five for five…It is easily one of the year’s best films, and in its own peculiar way the most spiritual.” Watch on Deadline Film Verdict called the film a “terrific black comedy”: “Consistently great, occasionally sublime, it bounces along on big laughs and knockout performances, most notably from John Malkovich in a rare return to peak form.” Malkovich is the source of much praise across the reviews. Vulture calls his turn “extraordinary, hilarious, pathetic, transcendent in ways only John Malkovich can be”. The Daily Telegraph gives the film 5/5 stars and THR says Malkovich gives his best performance in many years. The Playlist gave the film an A-, calling it “a terrific mixture of the pathos of The Banshees of Inisherin and the dark comedic texture of In Bruges.” CineEuropa largely praised the film, saying McDonagh is in “fine form”: “Wild Horse Nine is ultimately a personal tragedy of mortality, carefully disguised as a cynical political thriller. Initially poking fun at the political spectrum’s extremes, it lands in a place where – in one of the script’s many references to Catholicism – individual sinners can redeem themselves, alongside the USA, too, if it’s self-reflective enough for a moment.” Variety pointed to similarities in McDonagh’s previous work but also praised Malkovich: “McDonagh’s pleasurable blend of genre hijinks and masculinity-in-crisis introspection is a touch familiar by now — but not to Malkovich, who seizes the filmmaker’s salty dialogue like an actor reborn.” Screen International called the film “potent” and “set for awards attention”, while The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars and expressed some reservations: “There are some laughs here, and some lively moments, but persistent, slightly jarring violent flourishes inevitably coexist with sentimentality – although that sentimentality might not erase the audience’s concern about a certain situation concerning Lee’s wife and kids, whose wellbeing at the end seems to be heartlessly forgotten about. Not a McDonagh classic, but some nice riffing from Rockwell and Malkovich.” The Wrap called Malkovich “glorious” but found the film “dull” and its political messaging weak: “Wild Horse Nine is neither endearing nor twisted enough to work. McDonagh doesn’t make these dangerous men lovable, he assumes they’re already lovable and works backwards. He’s not particularly angry about America’s insidious meddling in international politics, even though his script directly addresses the horrors this country hath wrought, so the political commentary is hollow.” Indiewire also struggled with elements, giving the film a B-, and calling it “unconvincing”. Set just before the 1973 Chilean coup, his new film stars Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA agents Chris and Lee, who are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). As the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to the remote paradise sideways. Searchlight has set a November 6, 2026 release date for the movie, which also stars Tom Waits. The film marks McDonagh’s first film since The Banshees of Inisherin, which was nominated for nine Oscars in 2023 including for directing, writing and Best Picture.