Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger is a movie that works best when you know as little as possible. Whatever you think the film will be based on its trailers and marketing, chances are you’re wrong. Discovering what Iñárritu is actually doing is a major part of the fun.
At the center is Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, delivering one of the most eccentric and over-the-top performances of his career. He is as ridiculous as the advertisements suggest, but Cruise never lets the character become a caricature. Instead, his natural charisma remains intact, and Digger reminds us that beneath the thrills and stuntwork, Cruise is an exceptional actor.
He’s hardly alone. The supporting cast is fantastic, and Iñárritu gives his ensemble many chances to shine. Rather than existing merely in Cruise’s orbit, characters have substantial moments of their own, including memorable monologues that let performers dig into the material. As a result, everyone brings their finest work, and the performances fuel the film.
What surprised me most about Digger is how funny it is. Its biting satire often reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, finding comedy in the ludicrousness of people confronting an increasingly outrageous situation. Iñárritu pushes that ridiculousness far enough that you sometimes wonder exactly what you’re watching—and that is the point.
Tom Cruise delivers an eccentric, charismatic performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s sharp and beautifully crafted satire.
That uncertainty may be the movie’s biggest hurdle for some audiences. For a considerable stretch, I had no idea where the story was heading. Still, the film asks you to trust it. Thankfully, once the pieces begin falling into place, earlier choices feel more deliberate, revealing how carefully Iñárritu constructed the story.
Beneath the nonsense is a sharp examination of wealth, power, ego, capitalism, and environmental responsibility. Here, Digger filters these enormous subjects through characters whose confidence in their own importance becomes as ridiculous as the circumstances around them.
Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is equally deliberate. The movie is beautiful to look at, but its imagery never feels beautiful just for beauty’s sake. In keeping with the rest of the film, framing, composition, and camera placement consistently feel purposeful, working with Iñárritu’s direction and the performances rather than distracting from them.
Overall, Digger is a big, strange swing that just manages to hold everything together, and for me, that is exactly why it works. It’s a fantastic, biting satire driven by strong performances and sharp filmmaking. Go in blind, accept the absurdity, and enjoy the ride.
Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Digger hits theaters on October 2nd.
