Wild Horse Nine

ComedyCrimeThriller

In cinemas 2mo later · Theatrical Nov 6, 2026 (US)

★ Shortlisted by Ariane, dani, Frances, Mitch Allen, williamtremblay

Programme: Special Presentations
Year: 2026
Runtime: 118 min
Country: United States of America, Chile
Language: English
In cinemas: Nov 6, 2026 (US)

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris and Lee are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ. Amongst the Island's iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.

From the TIFF programme

Two CIA agents (John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell) are sent on a mission to Easter Island, where one faces an existential crisis over his past actions, in Martin McDonagh’s latest dark comedy.

Saturday, September 19: This screening will be presented with open captions.

In his newest, highly anticipated black comedy, Oscar-winning writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, TIFF ’17; The Banshees of Inisherin, TIFF ’22) trades the remote Irish island and small-town Missouri of his last two films for the tropical shores of Easter Island. Set in the early 1970s, just before the coup in Chile that overthrew Salvador Allende, Wild Horse Nine follows a pair of eccentric CIA agents with a history of meddling in global events.

Like any excellent buddy film, contrasting personalities are key. Chris (John Malkovich, TIFF ’25’s Sacrifice) is an aging, eccentric officer in charge of mentoring Lee (Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, TIFF ‘17’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MIssouri), the brash, foul-mouthed protégé who just wants to enjoy the exquisite scenery. Conspiracies abound, paranoia ensues, and their trust in one another is pushed to the limits by their handler MJ (Steve Buscemi, also at this year’s Festival in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York).

Along the way, the duo cross paths with two rebellious young women and the encounter spurs the ailing Chris to look back on his actions as a spy, unsettling Lee and threatening to derail the assignment. What was supposed to be a typical case of foreign intervention begins to spiral out of control.

With the cast rounded out by Tom Waits (TIFF ‘12’s Seven Psychopaths) as Chris' brother and Parker Posey (TIFF ‘14’s Ned Rifle) as Marge, Lee's wife, Wild Horse Nine is a darkly funny story with McDonagh’s signature incisive dialogue slyly commenting on the contemporary political climate.

ROBYN CITIZEN