US actor John Malkovich has close, longtime friends, but unlike his character Chris in the new dark comedy “Wild Horse Nine,” he thinks there are limits on what one can ask them to do.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin McDonagh, the movie follows two CIA spies in the lead-up to the US-backed 1973 coup in Chile. As the spies played by 72-year-old Malkovich and Oscar winner Sam Rockwell visit Easter Island against a tense sociopolitical backdrop, veteran agent Chris asks his partner to end his life as he knows his days are numbered. McDonagh, a playwright and director, has been nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars three times, most recently for 2022’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.
The actor, who has been nominated for an Academy Award twice but never won, has generated significant Oscar buzz for his performance in “Wild Horse Nine,” especially after winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Malkovich said he was drawn to the project by McDonagh’s script. “He’s a terrific writer of dialogue,” Malkovich said. Steve Buscemi, who plays the CIA’s Latin American bureau chief in “Wild Horse Nine,” said the film hinges on the characters, rather than the plot.
