Martin McDonagh’s latest darkly literate, offbeat comedy drama Wild Horse Nine landed on the Venetian Lido by way of Easter Island Thursday evening, giving the world’s oldest film festival its first raucous standing ovation of 2026.
Set shortly before the 1973 military coup in Chile, the darkly comic and soulful buddy movie features a cast deep with prickly and poised character actors, including John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Parker Posey and McDonagh regular, Sam Rockwell.
During the lengthy standing ovation that clocked in at 14 minutes — the longest thus far at the 2026 edition — Malkovich looked visibly moved and emotional as he and Rockwell leaned in for several long embraces as the Sala Grande audience roared in applause. It was a night for couples as Rockwell arrived with longtime partner Leslie Bibb (who hugged him during the ovation), while McDonagh had support on the red carpet and inside from standout multihyphenate and longtime girlfriend Phoebe Waller-Bride, who looked on adoringly while clapping.
Wild Horse Nine stars Malkovich and Rockwell as Chris and Lee, longtime CIA partners stationed in Santiago who are dispatched to Easter Island by their bureau chief (Buscemi). Against the surreal backdrop of the island’s monumental Moai statues, the pair begin reckoning with their murky shared past. At the same time, Chris forms an unexpected bond with two rebellious Chilean students, played by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas — an encounter that threatens to unravel the agents’ friendship and the conspiracy in which they have become entangled.
