Venice (AFP) – With "Wild Horse Nine", a black comedy about two CIA agents sent to Easter Island shortly before the Chilean coup of 1973, British-Irish director Martin McDonagh, in the running for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, delivers his film "without doubt the most overtly political", he declared in an interview with AFP.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 5:11 p.m. Modified on: 09/03/2026 - 5:52 p.m.

In the filmmaker's fifth feature film, shot largely in the sumptuous landscapes of the volcanic island of Polynesia, John Malkovich, 72, plays Chris, a cynical American intelligence agent tormented by his conscience in the run-up to the US-backed overthrow of left-wing Chilean President Salvador Allende. He is accompanied by Lee, his lifelong partner, played by Sam Rockwell.

“The idea that, ultimately, America is not always interested in democracy fascinated me,” added the director, who first found success as a playwright.

The fact that the character of Chris, overcome by remorse, undertakes to write his memoirs allows him to evoke his past operations, from Guatemala to the Congo, via Cuba or the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

"I've been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has done over the last 50 or 60 years," Martin McDonagh said at a press conference on Thursday.

“We know what the KGB is, but we probably question the activities of the CIA less than we should,” he added.

“I am generally not a very political filmmaker. Some of my pieces have been, but this is undoubtedly the most overtly political film I have made,” the director of “3 Billboards – The Vengeance Panels” told AFP.

The scathing humor that runs through the film from start to finish, relying largely on the eccentric duo formed by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, allows us to receive the dark message with greater lightness.

"Funny and dark"

“I wanted it to be as entertaining as possible, and for all this political aspect to subtly insinuate itself into the story. But I also wanted the film to be about a man's guilt and regret about the horrible things he has done,” Martin McDonagh told AFP, defining his work as “always both funny and dark”.

“And this association (between the two CIA agents) had to be almost a love story between these two guys (...) who worked together, who went through beautiful and horrible things,” continued the director, whose previous film, “The Banshees of Inisherin”, was nominated nine times for the Oscars in 2023.

The film is set in 1973, but its depiction of American interventionism in Latin America resonates strongly today, at a time when United States President Donald Trump has implemented an aggressive agenda aimed at dominating the Americas region.

"Honestly, when writing it, I wasn't trying to comment on the current world or the current political scene, but (...) since it was finished and I saw it with the public, the links with the present era seem quite tangible, and I find that very interesting", estimated Martin McDonagh.

In January, U.S. forces overthrew and arrested Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's left-wing authoritarian leader, and the Trump administration has since struck deals to control much of the country's oil reserves.

“One of the scary things is they don't even seem to be trying to drive it underground anymore,” Martin McDonagh told reporters. “In the 70s, these horrible people at least had the intelligence to keep their actions secret.”

© 2026 AFP

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