There are some people who, when they think of Tom Cruise, think of his action roles. For the last decade, it’s all he has been doing. From Mission: Impossible to Jack Reacher, he hasn’t shown much variety. For others, they think of some of Cruise’s more wilder roles, which range from Tropic Thunder to Magnolia. While I adore Tom Cruise in a large range of his roles, it goes without saying that directors are able to get the most out of him as an actor when he gets to portray someone that’s a satirical take on someone from our world.
With Digger, Alejandro G. Iñárritu manages to bring back this version of Tom Cruise but also opts for creating one of the most divisive and polarising movies of the decade. Iñárritu has questionably made some weird films in the past, like Birdman, but that was barely crossing the line of weird. This time, he takes it all the way and creates the biggest risk of directing a film that will flop in the box office but also be talked about for the rest of the year, with the likelihood of being a cult classic in the next decade.
Although Digger is officially out, it’s a movie that shouldn’t be spoiled for anyone. For that reason alone, this entire review will do its best to be spoiler-free. From what you’ve probably already heard, there have been dozens of walk-outs, people calling it the worst film of the year or even one of the worst films they’ve ever seen. In my honest opinion, Digger is a movie that’s proof that everyone should head out to form their own unbiased opinion.
Digger follows Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), an oil tycoon who discovers that his project in Alaska has created one of the biggest disasters that Europe has ever seen. If he doesn’t stop it, the threat could reach America and the rest of the world.
The first half hour of Digger tells you everything that you need to know about Rockwell. He doesn’t really care for anyone besides his already decaying cat that’s on his last legs. Every room in his house is larger than the last, with grand painted portraits hung about the place and a walk-in wardrobe filled with cowboy boots. There’s nothing subtle about this man; he’s loudly spoken and, like with any man that has enough power, wants to be the guy with the biggest dick in the room. He has people in his life who care for him, like his half-sister, Emma Rockwell (Sandra Hüller), who has his best interest at heart. Digger Rockwell doesn’t care, though; he knows best.
Iñárritu creates a hilarious film which starts when Rockwell ignores all the warnings that one of his paid staff tells him about. Instead of taking the issues seriously, he boasts about creating jobs for thousands of people. Well, all those jobs he’s created are now gone, as after the call ends, an explosion occurs which sets off a glacier heading for Europe. There’s not been a better use of comedic timing in a film this year until Digger. They know when to land all their punches.
It’s the scene that follows which really allows you to understand the people this film is trying to mock. When President Compson (John Goodman) and a bunch of other men, clearly in politics, arrive at Digger’s house, they try to figure out a way to contain the issue. To help is Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), a scientist and Digger’s Head of Environment (which Rockwell wasn’t aware of). Despite Ganesh laying out all the facts and all the possible outcomes, these men refuse to understand. Instead, they question his ethnicity and where his parents originate, as if that changes the credibility of his words.
It’s because they’re Americans that they believe they know what’s best compared to someone that’s qualified. Instead, they decide that blowing up the glacier is the best cause of action despite being warned that it’ll increase the severity of the disaster. If you’re a little bit familiar with American politics and the brashness of some of their “funny” characters, then you’ll know exactly what direction Digger is heading. Let’s not forget America’s strong belief in faith and how the power of religion will protect them over the literal facts, staring them right in the face.
This portion of the story doesn’t hold back on how it portrays these stereotypical Americans; it can get chaotic with its take and the satire, but in the right moments, Digger still remains grounded, and Tom Cruise’s performance, which ends up being his Magnum Opus, helps with that balance. It’s 30 minutes into the movie where they reveal a plot twist that unveils layers of Digger and showcases something bold, creative and brilliant. The truth behind Tom Cruise’s character highlights the complexity of their behaviour, and it also starts to create satire on the people watching the film… us.
Digger essentially does a lot of holding your hand to make sure that you can understand what’s going on, and what’s going on is quite a lot. To some, it’ll seem like a convoluted mess that doesn’t know what type of movie it wants to be, but I’d argue that Iñárritu and Cruise know exactly what Digger wants to be. It’s a film that questions the morals of the people that ruin the world and the people who watch it burn and do nothing about it. This very movie is face-value proof of that message. It’s one that resonates with me, and while usually, I’d find myself seeing all of this as a film with nothing new to say, it’s how Iñárritu conveys that message through the use of Digger Rockwell that allows for the movie to work perfectly for me.
Tom Cruise might give his best performance since Magnolia, operating on the same wavelength as Les Grossman and Frank T.J. Mackey, but Riz Ahmed absolutely blows the water out of the glacier-infested ocean with his performance. At times, he outperforms Cruise, which is an achievement within itself. During the film, Cruise delivers a monologue that he completely rips through. It’s without a doubt one of the best sequences in a film all year, followed by a conversation between Cruise and Ahmed which loses you in this absurd, zany, outlandish satire of our world. With performances like Goodman, who delivers on a grand scale, and Jesse Plemons, who perfectly ties together the message of the film, it’s a movie that shouldn’t be missed.
You can love Digger. You can hate Digger. For a movie that’s become one of the biggest talking points of the year for cinema, it does exactly what it was intended to do. It’s a messy film that’s likely too convoluted for its own good. It tries to achieve so much with the plot twists and the messages it sends across, and for a lot of people, these will come across muddled or not land as intended. In the end, that wasn’t the case for me, and Digger operated on a level that I was able to tolerate and work with. Iñárritu and Cruise deliver a reflection of the people in control of our world and the people who helplessly watch. As a collaborative team, they take the biggest possible swings imaginable and create what I’d perceive as their greatest masterpiece yet.
