After lots of confusion due to its marketing and advertising, Tom Cruise’s new film “Digger” was released last Friday, October 2. Most audiences went into this movie not knowing much about it because of the abstract and unclear trailers that were released in the lead-up to its premiere. I was one of those audience members, and I have to recommend that others go into it with the same confusion and lack of information. However, if you want to know more before you decide, keep reading.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the satirical comedy film stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an aging oil tycoon who chooses to prioritize profit over environmental and safety concerns. His decision to ignore warning signs leads to disaster, and he has to figure out what to do next while advising the president, Compson (John Goodman). Rockwell also has people advising him, including his half-sister/business partner Emma (Sandra Hüller) and his head of environmental safety, Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed).
The beginning of the film is intriguing enough, but not anything that will blow you away from the start. About a third of the way in, however, the film takes a turn and another element is added. Without giving away this novel element, I will say it levels up the film and demands more attention and engagement from the viewer.
This turning point is hugely important and necessary as it moves the film into a different dimension. If the film had not gone in this direction and had instead continued with how it began, it would not have been as entertaining a film or as successful in delivering its central message. “Digger” chooses to break out of expectations and take a risk, thus becoming a film worth seeing and worth speaking about because of what it represents and the unique way it represents it.
No matter how one feels about Cruise as a person, it has to be acknowledged that he did a wonderful job portraying Rockwell, with a specific monologue capturing that audience’s attention in such a way that my eyes felt glued to the screen. However, the overall stand-out for me was Ahmed; his portrayal of Ganesh as a scared and anxious scientist worried for the state of the world is impressive and a perfect foil for Cruise’s Rockwell. And though I can’t reveal what characters these actors play, the film also stars Jesse Plemons (“Friday Night Lights,” “Bugonia”) and Sophie Wilde (“Talk to Me,” “Babygirl”).
Overall, the film has had very mixed reviews, with viewers on opposite ends of the spectrum calling it either a success or failure, and it has not done very well at the box office. The film’s distributor, Warner Bros., has leaned into this by using some of these polarizing reviews in a promotion urging viewers to “decide for themselves.”
Personally, I agree with Warner Bros. I enjoyed the film a lot, but it is quite clear that it’s not for everyone. If you do decide to watch it, though, I urge you to give it a chance and wait until the very end to form your own conclusion; the film deserves it.
Senior Emily Myers is a Copy Editor. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.