'Digger' Review
Release Date: 10/02/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Comedy. Drama.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Tom Cruise delivers a respectable turn in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film Digger. Some viewers may feel that is the only redeeming factor in this entire film, but more on that later. For an actor of Cruise’s status to have the temerity to make such an ambitious swing is easily the strongest aspect of Digger. This is a polarizing film, and frankly, it should be.
Art, especially in film and television, has lately been over-critiqued and over-analyzed, with so many people inserting their politics and projecting their values onto the canvas. Digger is undoubtedly a film covering values and politics, filtered through a satirical lens. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film pulls off this magic trick so deftly that it challenges viewers not to dissect the art, but rather experience it.
This is a hostile film that hurtles itself off the screen, berating us with “inconvenient truths.” Cruise’s Digger is a hostile, short-tempered bastard, an oil magnate whose company is responsible for a global disaster after he heedlessly ignores multiple warnings about his massive, volatile oil rig exploding. He has the American president (John Goodman) in his pocket and in his ear as Digger argues with his chief scientist (Riz Ahmed) about next steps for relief, growing more reckless and defiant as a cataclysmic event approaches.
This film is not easy to sit through and will be an endurance run for some viewers. About a quarter into the film, Alejandro G. Iñárritu makes an interesting choice that completely changes how the movie will be experienced. By recontextualizing the film's narrative, this choice changes how we view the stakes of what is at play. It is a bold choice, to say the least, and parts of it work, but parts of it certainly don't.
Cruise is the film's centerpiece. But the supporting cast around him is exemplary in their performances. Ahmed is easily the most relatable, with his comedic timing and sweet pragmatism. Goodman is virtually unrecognizable as the sardonic and ailing commander-in-chief. Sandra Hüller is a bolt of lightning, striking hard but sparingly, and Jesse Plemons commands an incredible scene late in the third act.
The craftsmanship on display is exquisite. Technically, Digger is a sparkling feat of cinema, with crisp Vista Vision aspect ratios and Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography. Cosmo Sheldrake's bouncy score lifts it all the way through.
Digger is a bold piece of filmmaking that took Alejandro G. Iñárritu a decade to realize. His story, married to Cruise’s electric performance, delivers instant-classic moments, particularly a 10-minute monologue in which Digger berates a delegation of world leaders on why his brand of “evil” is not only justified but wanted. This scene is one of the best moments in Cruise’s already lengthy career and might secure him some gold statues at year’s end.
This film is difficult to describe because its revelations are meant to be experienced on the screen, and not read here. Is such an experience worth having? I would argue yes, with the gamble being your patience, open-mindedness, and willingness to let the art pass through instead of making it reflect what you want to see. Cruise’s impassioned performance and the technical mastery on display are worthy elements that merit attention, even if you end up hating the place it took you.
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