About the film (courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures):
The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
It is hard to resist banging the drum when an A-list actor delivers a performance so spectacular and completely unhinged that no one could have anticipated it. Naturally, in a review covering Digger, the star in question is Tom Cruise. The mind instantly drifts back to the iconic role of studio executive Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder (2008), a blistering character that stole the show from an already stacked ensemble. That unforgettable figure—from the balding scalp and prosthetic forearms down to the vulgar, hip-thrusting dance numbers—sprang entirely from Cruise’s own imagination. He channels that exact same ferocious, chaotic spark into the titular role of Digger Rockwell.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, celebrated for triumphs like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) and The Revenant (2015), constructs a madhouse narrative where humanity teeters on the edge of catastrophe due to its own reckless ambition. Describing the setup as wild feels like an understatement; the premise of Digger is delightfully unhinged. Rockwell operates as an ultra-wealthy, megalomaniacal industrialist convinced that he alone can rescue civilization from an ecological disaster of his own making. The sheer scale of his hubris fuels a narrative engine that never lets up, blending tragic existential dread with razor-sharp satire.
Audiences might struggle initially to find solid footing amidst the rapid-fire tonal shifts, but that disorientation is entirely deliberate. The storytelling in Digger throws viewers right into the deep end, demanding patience as the bizarre puzzle pieces begin locking into place. That said, there’s zero of that kind of puzzle-piecing-togetherness from the cat angle perspective. I’ll leave at addictively bizarre.
Anchoring this spiraling narrative is a powerhouse supporting cast featuring Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman, Sophie Wilde, and Jesse Plemons. Goodman brings an imposing, yet sometimes comical, presence that counters Cruise’s frenetic rhythm, while Hüller and Ahmed inject genuine emotional gravity that keeps the broader absurdity of Digger grounded.
Aesthetically and structurally, Digger occasionally hints at the meticulous, deadpan symmetry of a Wes Anderson project, yet it carries the gritty tension unique to Iñárritu. Beneath the eccentric dialogue and biting dark comedy lies an unnerving mirror held up to contemporary society. There will be legion of folks taking a silent offense to actions and/or characters of this movie.
Digger functions as both a caustic farce and a cautionary alarm bell regarding modern corporate greed and unchecked egos running rampant. The pacing keeps the viewer off-balance, yet the thematic depth becomes significantly more rewarding the longer it lingers in the mind. Stories in the news may start to hit differently once you begin to gain a different perspective.
There are plenty of surface-level laughs born from physical comedy and sharp wit, but the real payoff arrives when unearthing the darker philosophical layers buried underneath. Between Cruise’s magnetic, fully uninhibited lead work and a stellar ensemble firing on all cylinders, the Digger experience leaves a lasting impression that demands to be dissected mentally for a good while after.
Digger is in theaters starting Friday, October 2nd. Get your shovels so you can uncover just what in the heck is going on.
