Martin McDonagh Jokes About His Past – as a Hitman – and Calls ‘Wild Horse Nine’ His Most Political Film: ‘There’s Too Much Artistic Neutrality and Too Much Saying Nothing’

Martin McDonagh is taking a stand with “Wild Horse Nine.” “This is probably my most political film. That’s why I find it very exciting to be releasing this monster into the world,” he said at the Zurich Film Festival. I’m excited to be doing the opposite with this one.” In his new black comedy, two CIA agents (played by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell) travel to Easter Island before the 1973 Chilean coup.

However, it feels surprisingly timely. You can actually hear lines that I thought were about 1973 being interpreted by a modern audience as being about Venezuela a few months ago or other places around the world,” he noted. I love that it has a resonance I wasn’t necessarily aware of in the writing of it.” McDonagh, who received A Tribute to… Award at the fest, looked back on his past during a masterclass.

But with the hopes of being a writer. Part of that was not wanting to have a real job or a boss. That has remained with me until now,” he said.

He wrote radio plays, all of which were rejected – “Mostly by the BBC. But I don’t bear a grudge” – and then became an acclaimed playwright. Things would happen that you wouldn’t usually see on stage.

Like cats exploding [in ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’].” Seeing Al Pacino in “American Buffalo” by David Mamet was a pivotal moment. He just came on stage and blew the whole theater away. It was this combination of a play, full of energy and swearing, amazing dialogue and this movie star who, well, you’d realize what acting really was when he was on stage.” McDonagh still writes “without the camera in mind,” but he enjoys the freedom of writing scripts.

But the muscle memory is still there.” The transition to cinema wasn’t exactly easy. Maybe I thrive not on encouragement, but anger,” he said. Still, his 2004 short “Six Shooter” won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.