Martin McDonagh Praises John Malkovich in Wild Horse Nine

Martin McDonagh has praised John Malkovich's performance in Wild Horse Nine, expressing the view that the actor deserves three Academy Awards for his work in the film. The espionage comedy, starring Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as longtime CIA partners, premiered for London audiences at the BFI London Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank.

The film has attracted significant awards attention following Malkovich's performance, which earned him the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival. The project reunites McDonagh with a darkly comic style while exploring political intrigue, aging, and the complicated history between two intelligence agents.

According to a review published by Far Out Magazine on Oct. 2, Wild Horse Nine follows CIA operatives Chris, played by Malkovich, and Lee, played by Rockwell. Their superior, MJ, portrayed by Steve Buscemi, sends them to Easter Island after assigning them a mission connected to the 1973 Chilean coup d'état against socialist President Salvador Allende.

The story unfolds against the island's monumental Moai statues, where an encounter with Chilean student activists Monica and Alicia, played by Mariana Di Girólamo and Ailín Salas, complicates the agents' relationship. The encounter also threatens to expose the political conspiracy surrounding their assignment.

McDonagh's film combines espionage with political satire and character-driven comedy. The Far Out Magazine review compared its focus on an uneasy partnership with the filmmaker's earlier work In Bruges, while describing Wild Horse Nine as a more reflective story about mortality and the consequences of past actions.

Malkovich plays Chris as an eccentric, aging operative whose detached manner increasingly strains his relationship with Lee. Rockwell's performance provides a contrasting energy, balancing irritation and humor as the pair's shared history becomes more difficult to ignore.

At the London premiere, Rockwell joked about the filmmaker's appearance while explaining his decision to join the project.

"Martin's annoyingly handsome but very talented," Rockwell said.

He then explained that the screenplay was the main attraction. Malkovich also kept his response brief when asked what drew him to the film.

"What drew me to the film is reading the script," Malkovich said.

Buscemi, who plays CIA bureau chief MJ, described how he prepared for the role and relied on McDonagh's writing to understand the character's position within the intelligence agency. He also emphasized the pressure facing the fictional supervisor, who answers to higher-ranking officials.

"I don't know any CIA agents, but Martin recommended a book, which was helpful to a certain extent. But really, I get everything I need from the script. It's so well-written from Martin and working off the other actors [helps], because when it comes right down to it, [MJ] is a boss and he has bosses and he's under a lot of pressure," Buscemi said.

The actor also expressed confidence that the film would connect with audiences beyond the London screening.

"I think they'll get a kick out of it. I think they'll enjoy it. I think audiences all over will get a lot out of it because it's so well-made. It's Martin McDonagh, and it's got a great cast, and it's a great story," Buscemi said.

The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs from Oct. 7 through Oct. 18, 2026. Its program includes screenings of Artificial, Bunker, Behemoth!, Ink, Club Kid, A Long Winter, Ray Gunn, and Paper Tiger.