TORONTO (AP) — Stop me if you've heard this before. Martin McDonagh has unveiled a dark comedy of mischievous wit and melancholy soulfulness, and it's immediately been hailed as one of the best movies of the year.
Yes, the British-Irish writer-director of “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “In Bruges” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” has been here before. But McDonagh's latest, “Wild Horse Nine,” is also something different and more provocative.
The film, which has played to standing ovations across the Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA officers who have recently laid the groundwork for the 1973 coup in Chile. But they're now taking a trip to Easter Island, as one says, “to see the heads” — the Moai stone sculptures. Chris (Malkovich) is dying of cancer and increasingly loose-lipped about his colorful CIA past, including a presidential assassination.
Their conversation, as is typical in McDonagh's brilliant, barbed dialogue, is laced with deeper ruminations on regret and death, with more absurd digressions mixed in. In one memorable scene, Chris traces a connection between democracy, homosexuality and good cheese.
“I wanted those guys to feel like an old married couple in a way,” McDonagh says.
He recently met a reporter for coffee in Toronto to talk about “Wild Horse Nine” and why he's so eager for the conversation it might generate. Searchlight Pictures releases the film Nov. 6.
McDonagh: Very much. I love to travel. I like traveling alone. It always prompts some kind of thinking. Bruges was just a weekend trip for fun and the town became a character literally while I was there. Fifteen years ago I went to Easter Island with the hope that something similar would happen to the Bruges scenario. It looked like a beautiful backdrop to some kind of story to tell but it took a bunch of iterations of it before it became what you saw.
McDonagh: Maybe things seem much more cinematic. I never had any desire to write something set in London, for instance, and I never have. I don’t see it with fresh eyes. I do like traveling around America. I used to get trains around America a lot. It feels like a CinemaScope window across the West. I feel like finding the place is going to be key to my next project, which I don’t have right now. Part of that is: Where do you want to spend six months of your life? South of France sounds good! And where is cinematic that hasn’t been captured before?
McDonagh: The odd couple talking thing, I did three or four versions of that. They were talking fine but there was no purpose or reason for them to be there. But I had always been fascinated with what the CIA did in Chile in the 1970s. When I thought about that, everything fell into place. It wasn’t just two cranky old guys talking.
McDonagh: I don’t think they’re as classy as John. I think we’re painting way too good a picture of the CIA. He’s erudite. He’s got a sense of humor. He regrets stuff. And I don’t think they do.
McDonagh: Even while we were still editing it, it felt more and more like it was a commentary on the modern day, especially with a lot of the recent stuff that Trump’s been doing. It wasn’t the direct purpose of it, but I kind of liked that it felt that way. The tragic thing is: history keeps repeating itself, and more and more stupidly and less and less secretively. They kept their horrible stuff secret back then. It’s like they don’t care what people think about it anymore. I think that’s a darker place we’re in now. Shame doesn’t come into it.
McDonagh: Whether or not I agree with it or not is for a later chat. I’m not saying the pacifist version is wrong or doesn’t work at times. But I do think the CIA and KGB and most vicious governments around the world are more happy with polite protest marches.
McDonagh: He can be ultra dangerous and you feel scared of him more than most. Maybe Joe Pesci. I was scared the first time I had a Zoom with him. But also his dexterity with comedy. But mostly knowing that in the silent moments you’d see acres of sorrow and regret when he’s seemingly not doing anything — when he’s just looking out of a window or listening to a Dictaphone or smoking a cigarette.
McDonagh: Not at all. In fact, I had kind of forgotten that whole section of that film until I rewatched it a few months ago. I hope that they don’t think I stole the whole memoir-of-a-CIA-guy bit from him. (Laughs) But John’s so good at everything that history is going to repeat itself.
McDonagh: It’s not but it’s completely generous. I think it’s still one of his best-ever performances. It’s not as showy as some of the previous things I’ve done with Sam or some of Sam’s other brilliant work. But there aren’t many who could convey the love that’s there without bawling his eyes out. You feel like it’s an equal two-hander at the same time as John’s character will always be the lead.
McDonagh: John’s got a lot of me. I like the outrageousness and the danger of where he goes sometimes. In my more sarcastic, anarchistic moments, I find that sort of stuff funny. He’s an awful guy, he’s done awful things. But on top of that, I do feel like he says a lot of funny stuff that I agree with — even if it’s just cheeses. (Laughs) A scene like that, you know you’re being naughty but I think the principle of it is actually sort of loving and weirdly pro-democratic, pro-gay and pro-cheese.
McDonagh: That’s gone away! (Laughs) I realize after a year or two I’m fundamentally lazy. But this feels like a quite short time between.
McDonagh: But it does combine vacation time on an island with making a movie. (Laughs) That’s what I’m going to do next. Tahiti, 1900, two blokes.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, left, and director Martin McDonagh pose for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Wild Horse Nine' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
Martin McDonagh poses on the red carpet for the film "Wild Horse Nine" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
President Donald Trump suggested that the European Union allowing Canada to become an associate member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond to the proposed move by imposing more tariffs on the bloc.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home to campaign for the midterm elections, but not without a scathing rebuke from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie for all the unfinished business. Massie’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran and his bipartisan effort to release more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation are being left behind.
Here's the latest:
U.S. stocks are rising Thursday and recovering most of their losses for the week.
Falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market helped Wall Street reverse many of its moves from the prior day, when the Federal Reserve hiked its main interest rate for the first time in years and suggested more may be ahead as it tries to get the nation’s high inflation under control.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and was on track for just its second rise in the last nine days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 213 points, or 0.4%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% higher.
Stocks got a boost after the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil slid 2.3% to $103.38. That’s down sharply from the nearly $110 it reached earlier in the week on worries that the war with Iran will keep oil bottled up in the Middle East instead of going to customers worldwide.
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As concern rises over the risks of artificial intelligence, hopes for any kind of global approach depend on cooperation between the U.S. and China — superpowers that seem only to be more skeptical of each other’s AI strategy.
AI governance is expected to be on the agenda in a meeting planned for next week in Washington between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The topic has gained urgency in both countries, with American tech leaders saying that averting worst-case scenarios for rogue AI depends on a degree of cooperation with China.
But both countries are vying for a decisive advantage on AI, with Trump warning that any efforts to regulate the technology would help China. That sets up a meeting in which any agreements might be superficial but a possible start to something larger.
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U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican defending her seat in a competitive South Florida district, is out with a new ad criticizing Trump’s deportation campaign.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar says in the ad. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
With just over six weeks left until Election Day, some Republicans have begun to subtly tweak their campaign messages to downplay their connection to Trump as they compete in close races against Democrats.
Salazar joins some GOP candidates in battleground districts who’ve taken a bolder approach — publicly breaking with the president. For example, two Iowa Republicans this week voted with Democrats and a few other dissident members of their party on an Iran war powers resolution.
Countries are embracing clean power and taking steps to use less energy because of the war against Iran, but it’s not yet enough to help address climate change.
When the U.S. and Israel launched the war in February, some backers of renewables opined it could drive a green transition as oil and gas prices spiked. So far, more than 30 governments have enacted policies to move away from fossil fuels or improve energy efficiency. Yet at the same time, global emissions of greenhouse gases increased slightly and investments in clean energy fell compared to the same period last year.
The Associated Press talked to a dozen experts who said that while the Iran war appears to be helping the adoption of clean energy, the world is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. They said it will take more time for new policies to show results.
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Carney has repeatedly urged what he calls middle powers to resist economic coercion. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, he warned that when countries negotiate alone with a dominant power, “we negotiate from weakness. We accept what is offered.”
Trump rebuked him the next day.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s ambassador-designate to the EU, said Ottawa wants “to get as close as we possibly can” to Europe while increasing Canada’s independence.
While associate membership remains to be negotiated, Canada has already taken a major step. This year, it became the first non-European country to join the EU’s 150-billion-euro ($173-billion) SAFE defense procurement program, giving Canadian companies access to joint procurement as Europe increases defense spending.
The two sides have also discussed closer cooperation on energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and digital trade.
The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study.
A report by Protect Democracy found that 34.8 million people — about one in 10 Americans — now live in a different district than they did during the 2024 election cycle. And about one-fifth of all Americans now live in a district where more than a quarter of voters are new to the district compared with the last election cycle.
The findings display the stark overhaul that partisan redistricting fights kicked off by President Trump last year have caused for Americans across the country. The new congressional maps are increasingly drawn in ways that favor partisan politics over factors like geography and shared communities. That raises concerns among scholars about how the country’s hyperpolarized politics are affecting American democracy.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday embraced the prospect of his country becoming the European Union’s first associate member, saying closer ties with the continent would ensure no country could control Canada’s markets or undermine its sovereignty.
Carney’s speech to the European Parliament repeatedly extolled cooperation between Europe and Canada — but the relationship with the U.S., which has defined Canada’s economy for decades and has increasingly soured, hung over the address.
Trump’s tariffs, demands for economic concessions and repeated talk of making Canada the 51st state have pushed Ottawa to reduce its dependence on its neighbor and seek a far deeper economic, security and political relationship with Europe.
Carney told the parliament he welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal, unveiled Wednesday, though he acknowledged that “associate membership” remains to be defined.
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The singer, a Kennedy Center honoree in 2008, questioned the closing of the performing arts center for repairs and called the ongoing controversy surrounding its operation “galling and painful to witness.”
The award-winning superstar said in a statement to The Associated Press that renaming the National Cultural Center after President John F. Kennedy in 1964, following his assassination the previous year was “a fitting choice, because he was a true champion of the arts.”
“Since then, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has stood as one of America’s great cultural venues,” she said. “I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees. For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than a career recognition. It represented a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy.”
She opposes attempts to add President Trump’s name to the center, adding, “You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that if the United States impose additional sanctions on Russia, it would hinder the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Peskov’s remarks come after the U.S. House on Wednesday passed a broad package of sanctions targeting Russian officials and key pillars of the country’s economy as lawmakers look to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to wage the war against Ukraine.
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. It represents the most ambitious effort to support Ukraine since Trump’s return to the White House.
“We are, of course, monitoring the passing of this document. This falls into the category of unfriendly actions. And, of course, the U.S. imposing some additional sanctions would definitely complicate the efforts to find a peace settlement in Ukraine,” Peskov told reporters during his daily conference call.
Fencing went up Wednesday around the main Kennedy Center building, a day after the Trump-aligned board voted to close most of the performing arts center for repairs. A Democratic congresswoman who is a trustee quickly sought an emergency court hearing to prevent what she called the “unlawful closing.”
The board’s vote Tuesday came after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
The Republican president had said in a social media post that the closure was needed for safety repairs. But he said the repairs, which Congress has allocated $257 million to cover, would only happen if the board was permitted to move forward with plans to add his name to the building.
Activists who've opposed the closure said there's been no vehicle or pedestrian access to the building Wednesday. An Associated Press reporter who approached the main building was told by a security guard that it was closed.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is closing up the House early, sending lawmakers home Wednesday to campaign for the midterm elections after what he claims is the most productive Congress in decades.
But not without a scathing rebuke from GOP Rep. Thomas Massie for all the unfinished business.
Massie’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran and his bipartisan effort to force the release of more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation are all being left behind, blocked from votes.
“We’re calling off Congress? And we’re in the majority?” Massie railed from the House floor.
“I’m trying to get justice for the Epstein survivors,” he said. “I’m trying to stop a war.”
Massie, the renegade Republican from Kentucky, seized control of the chamber for a blistering hourlong speech criticizing Johnson, the Republican majority and the work he said the speaker is refusing to conduct to lower prices for Americans and hold the Trump administration accountable.
“Why would we be canceling days when the country is burning?” Massie said. “We should stay here for every day that’s on the calendar and we should debate.”
Johnson insisted “the House has done its job.”
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President Donald Trump suggested that the European Union allowing Canada to become an associate member could be a “hostile act” and threatened to respond to the proposed move by imposing more tariffs on the bloc.
Trump conditioned his threat Wednesday on the “intention” of European leaders, saying that, “If it’s a good intention, that’s fine. If it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.” He also suggested the U.S. could cut off trade with Europe in certain areas.
Trump called the prospect of Canada joining the EU “laughable” and called America’s neighbor a “terrible trade partner.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday embraced the prospect of his country becoming the European Union’s first associate member, saying closer ties with Europe were meant to ensure no country could control Canada’s markets, impair its sovereignty or undermine its freedoms.
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President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Gastonia, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
