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‘Wild Horse Nine’ Gets Rapturous 14-Minute Standing Ovation At Venice World Premiere - Deadline
Entertainment and CultureBy Nada Aboul Kheir, Zac Ntim9/3/20261 min read
Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine received an almost 15-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival after its world premiere.
✨ Key Highlights
_- Martin McDonagh's first feature in four years, Wild Horse Nine, premiered Thursday evening at the Venice Film Festival, drawing a 14-minute, 44-second standing ovation in the Sala Grande.
- McDonagh attended alongside lead actors John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Parker Posey, with Rockwell mouthing "wow" at the crowd's reaction and he and Malkovich drawing especially loud applause.
- Among those in the audience were McDonagh's partner Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Rockwell's partner Leslie Bibb, and the screening generated frequent laughter, echoing earlier press screenings.
- Set just before the 1973 Chilean coup, the film follows Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA agents Chris and Lee, sent from Santiago to Easter Island by bureau chief MJ (Buscemi), where they confront their pasts and unfolding conspiracies.
- Chris's bond with two rebellious students, played by Mariana Di Girolamo and AilÃn Salas, threatens to upend the group's stay on the remote island.
- McDonagh said his inspiration stemmed from a longtime fascination with the CIA and the fate of Salvador Allende's Chilean government, adding that people tend to question the agency's activities less than they should and that he likes to challenge authority.
Martin McDonagh’s first feature film in four years, Wild Horse Nine, premiered Thursday evening at the Venice Film Festival, where it earned a rapturous 14-minute, 44-second ovation from the audience