Digger review

DIGGER: 

TOM CRUISE SHINES IN MESSY COLD WAR SATIRE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Tom Cruise in Digger

 

            Tom Cruise (Top Gun 1 and 2, Mission: Impossible franchise, Edge of Tomorrow) does a Les Grossman-style transformation into an oil tycoon in Digger, the new film from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (21 Grams, Birdman, The Revenant) and his first theatrical directing effort since 2015’s The Revenant. The movie certainly looked interesting when I first saw the trailer in front of Avatar: Fire and Ash last year. I think Iñárritu is a very ambitious and exciting filmmaker, with Birdman and The Revenant being among the best films I saw in 2014 and 2015, and Tom Cruise kinda doing what he did in Tropic Thunder and completely transforming himself into a character,r which got me intrigued. 

            Well, I can gladly say that Digger definitely gets a lot of points for ambition, but wow, what a spectacular trainwreck of a film this is. People have been comparing this to Francis Ford Coppola’s incredibly divisive Megalopolis, which came out a couple of years ago, and I can see where they’re coming from,m except this movie didn’t break me. 

            The film is set in the future and follows aging oil tycoon, Digger Rockwell (Cruise), who colludes with U.S. President Compson (John Goodman-The Big Lebowski, Argo, 10 Cloverfield Lane) to allow Rockwell United to extract oil in Greenland and Alaska. However, when his company accidentally causes a potential world-ending disaster, the world turns to Digger as humanity’s last hope to save the planet. 

            The film also stars Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Venom, Sound of Metal) as Dr. Nirav Ganesh, Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, Project Hail Mary) as Digger’s sister Emma Rockwell, Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Lincoln, The Shape of Water) as Vice President Eddie, Jesse Plemmons (Black Mass, Killers of the Flower Moon, Bugonia) as Digger’s nephew Kenny Rockwell, Robert John Burke (Tombstone, Rescue Me, The Last of Us) as Fitzgerald, and Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers, House of the Dragon, Mothering Sunday) as Lina. 

            Overall, Digger has a lot going for it, and whether you like or dislike it in the end, it’s worth seeking out on the big screen, but man, I found this movie so enjoyably bad through its misdirection, hammy writing, and cartoony performances. This is like the corny war satire of Dr. Strangelove mixed with the pretentiousness of Megalopoli,s and I just had a ball. 

            I will give this movie credit for being a well-made production with dazzling cinematography and set design; it’s a massive-looking film, and I appreciated it on that level. That is one of the things I praised about Megalopolis; for as much as that movie failed, it was an impressive achievement, and this film is the same way. 

            The performances are strong,g particularly from Tom Cruise, John Goodman, and Riz Ahmed; everyone is bringing their A-game and chewing the scenery. This is a very cartoony movie, like Dr. Strangelove, and it seems Iñárritu and the cast are trying to channel that film’s over-the-top zaniness with their performances, and it certainly makes it entertaining to watch and listen to; I was never bored during this. 

            I’ll also give the movie more credit for going in a completely different direction regarding how this story is told. I won’t say what it is, though it is very similar to another one of Iñárritu’s films; if I say the title, it’ll give it away, but it was an interesting curveball the film threw. 

            Alright, let’s talk about what really sinks this film: the script and the dialogue. The performances are good, but these actors are saying some of the dumbest shit ever written,n to the point where it became hilarious. Talking about being in a green dildo of a pickle and John Goodman saying he has cancer in his asshole repeatedly, I was flabbergasted and could not believe this was from the same person who brought the exceptionally brilliant Birdman. 

            The movie also doesn’t do a great job of getting people emotionally invested in any of the characters despite the actors giving their all. Nobody is particularly likable in this film, and it is possible to do a movie with unlikable characters, but still keep the audience invested in what’s happening; Digger doesn’t do that, and you’re just left with a bunch of dipshits yelling at each other comically for over two hours. 

            I don’t think Digger is a very good movie, but it will certainly lead to some fascinating conversations amongst those who see it. I appreciate the ambition and creativity that went into the production, and the topics the film explores are important, but through hammy dialogue, unfocused direction, and a narrative that ranges from confusing to absurd, it gets more and more stupid to the point where Warner Bros.’ final film as an independent studio becomes “So Bad It’s Good”.