McDonagh, Malkovich and Rockwell talk up CIA drama Wild Horse Nine ahead of UK release
Director Martin McDonagh and stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell discussed Wild Horse Nine, a 1973-set CIA drama, in interviews around its Venice premiere and BFI London Film Festival screening. McDonagh praised Malkovich's performance and linked the film's politics to the present day.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Wild Horse Nine, the latest film from writer-director Martin McDonagh, stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA officers Chris and Lee, who are sent from Santiago to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup. Evening StandardN “stars opposite Sam Rockwell, 57, as CIA officers Chris and Lee, who shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The GuardianLC “Chris and Lee are fresh from plotting the 1973 coup in Chile and are spinning their wheels on Rapa Nui” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1Chris has cancer and asks Lee for one last favour, to shoot him in the head on the island; the Guardian says Chris also claims to know who killed JFK, and his bosses fear he will reveal "the Dallas parts" of his story. The GuardianLC ““Shoot me in the head on Easter Island,” he says.”“His bosses are terrified he’ll mention “the Dallas parts” of his story.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2The film premiered in Venice, where the Guardian reports it received a 13-minute ovation, and has since screened in the UK at the BFI London Film Festival; it opens in UK cinemas in November. The GuardianLC “which goes on to receive a rapturous 13-minute ovation at the premiere” Read at The Guardian ↗ Evening StandardN “During the UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival”“is out in UK cinemas in November.” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Centre · 1At the London premiere McDonagh, 56, told the Press Association that Malkovich's performance is "worthy of three Oscars" and that "I don't think anyone else this year could beat him"; Malkovich, 72, has been nominated twice, for Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, but has not won. Evening StandardN ““It’s worthy of three Oscars.”“Malkovich has been nominated twice for a best supporting actor academy award for 1984’s Places In The Heart and 1993’s In The Line Of Fire.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Left · 1Rockwell won his Oscar for McDonagh's 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and in the Guardian interview praised Malkovich as charismatic and dangerous, while Malkovich said the pair rehearsed each scene "at least a thousand times". The GuardianLC “Rockwell won an Oscar for playing the bumptious small-town deputy in McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”““Sam and I did each scene at least a thousand times.”” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1McDonagh described the film as more mournful than In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin, saying "Maybe this is my first old-man movie", and said he wrote GUILT and REGRET at the top of the first page of the script. The GuardianLC ““Maybe this is my first old-man movie.””“the film-maker wrote GUILT and REGRET at the top of page one” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2McDonagh said the film was not deliberately political but mirrors the present day; in the Guardian he noted that the shoot coincided with Donald Trump's strike on Venezuela and argued that, unlike "old-timey fascism", abuses are no longer kept secret. Evening StandardN ““A lot of what happens in the film is sort of mirroring what’s going on in the present day.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ The GuardianLC “The difference is that with old-timey fascism, you at least had to keep it secret.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1McDonagh also said he believes in a JFK conspiracy and does not think Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman, a view Malkovich shared, saying about 60% of Americans do not believe the official story. The GuardianLC “Was he the lone gunman? I don’t believe that for a second.””““Well, I think 60% of the American public don’t believe it,” he says.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Centre · 1Co-star Steve Buscemi told the Press Association the film is timely, describing it as being about "relationships", "connections, regret, redemption" and telling its story largely through humour. Evening StandardN ““The backdrop is political, but it’s really a film about relationships, and it’s a film about connections, regret, redemption.” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- A long, colourful interview profile set at the Venice premiere, mixing banter between the two actors with McDonagh's views on politics, Trump and the JFK assassination.
- Emphasis
- Personalities, the actors' chemistry, the film's politics and conspiracy themes, and Malkovich's disillusion with voting.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the BFI London Festival screening, Buscemi's comments or the UK release date in the text read.
- Charged language
- “old-timey fascism”“fascist pig”
- For example
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““Nixon was more of a fascist pig.” — The Guardian
“the Energizer Bunny versus the all-seeing Sphinx” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A short awards-buzz news item built on the director's red-carpet praise of Malkovich, with the film's politics as a secondary point.
- Emphasis
- Oscar prospects, McDonagh's quotes to the Press Association, Buscemi's comments and the November UK release.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the interview's discussion of Trump, fascism and JFK conspiracy theories.
- Charged language
- “worthy of three Oscars”
- For example
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“Malkovich’s performance has been tipped to bag him his very first Oscar” — Evening Standard
““I don’t think anyone else this year could beat him.”” — Evening Standard
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Wild Horse Nine stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA officers Chris and Lee in 1973.
- The film is directed by Martin McDonagh, who is 56.
- Rockwell won an Oscar for McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
- McDonagh sees parallels between the film and present-day politics.
Martin McDonagh person
Presents the film as his "first old-man movie" about guilt and regret, and says its political parallels with today were not deliberate; praises Malkovich's performance.
““Maybe this is my first old-man movie.”” — The Guardian
““It wasn’t deliberately set out to be out there but I find that kind of fascinating too.”” — Evening Standard
John Malkovich person
Describes demanding rehearsal and a long shoot on Rapa Nui, doubts the official JFK account, and says he has not voted since 1972.
““Sam and I did each scene at least a thousand times.”” — The Guardian
““Could the official story be true? Yeah, I guess. So could Keebler elves.” — The Guardian
Sam Rockwell person
Praises Malkovich as a perfect sparring partner, recalls enjoying the Rapa Nui shoot, and says he still votes "with faint hope".
““I vote with faint hope. Hoping Obama will come back.”” — The Guardian
““We had a great time,” he says.” — The Guardian
Left2 articles
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Sympathetic Affectionate, anecdotal interview piece that treats the film as a death-haunted, politically resonant work and gives space to McDonagh's remarks on Trump and fascism.
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Centre1 article
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Martin McDonagh says John Malkovich deserves three Oscars for Wild Horse Nine
Celebratory Promotional awards-season report centred on McDonagh's praise for Malkovich and the film's timeliness.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 9 Oct 05:00 First The GuardianLC ‘Old-timey fascism was kept secret. Now you don’t have to hide it’: Martin McDonagh, John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell on Wild Horse Nine
- 9 Oct 19:28 +14h 27m Evening StandardN Martin McDonagh says John Malkovich deserves three Oscars for Wild Horse Nine
- 9 Oct 20:49 +15h 49m The Hollywood ReporterLC John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell Buddy Up for London Film Festival Premiere of ‘Wild Horse Nine’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.