Wild Horse Nine premiered September 3 at the Venice Film Festival with a 13-minute standing ovation, and John Malkovich walked away with the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. The film, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, is now positioned as a multi-category contender heading into its November 6 theatrical release from Searchlight Pictures.
The film follows CIA officers Chris (Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell), deployed from Santiago to Easter Island before the 1973 military coup that ended Salvador Allende's presidency. The ensemble includes Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey. Carter Burwell composed the score.
"The nicest thing is the film getting attention," McDonagh said at the Venice press conference. "And the film has several terrific performers, and it's beautifully written and directed. That's what matters to me."
After Venice, the film screened at Telluride as a surprise patron selection, then at TIFF before arriving at San Sebastián this week. According to Awards Radar's September 18 roundup of the fall festival season, Malkovich leads the Best Actor race and Rockwell is positioned as a significant Best Supporting Actor contender. McDonagh figures in both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay conversations.
Malkovich has two prior Oscar nominations, both in the Best Supporting Actor category. Wild Horse Nine is his first leading-role campaign. The film holds a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 58 critics. Searchlight is also running Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! as a separate Best Picture contender, making this potentially a two-film awards season for the studio. Wild Horse Nine opens November 6.