The release of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger is nearly upon us, and the first reactions to the mysterious Tom Cruise movie have begun to emerge after a recent screening. It’s still hard to say exactly how this one will land with the general public, but it sounds like the movie might be more than a little divisive once it’s unleashed.
The reactions seem divided, with some calling it a masterpiece and one of Cruise’s best performances to date, while others describe it as an enormous mess that takes too many big swings. Either way, I can’t wait to check it out.
Digger First Reactions
Courtney Howard said, “#DiggerMovie RIPS! Iñárritu creates powder keg cinema, exploding in blistering heat & dazzling fireworks. A masterfully compelling, electric & audaciously assured satirical farce. Tom Cruise gives a brilliant, boldly invigorated, tour de force performance. Riz Ahmed, a standout!“
Simon Thompson adds, “#DiggerMovie is an audacious vision executed on a grand scale, but the pertinent sociopolitical satire is far from a home run. It wins most with its stellar ensemble cast, who are 100% committed, and its incredible set and sound design—a lavish, sometimes stodgy, eccentric curio.“
Although he admits the film doesn’t always land, Jeff Ewing said, “#DiggerMovie is an ambitious, often surreal tour de force. The script is often funny but there’s a timely, rare undercurrent of anger in its satire. Tom Cruise is excellent and complex, and it will continually surprise you. It doesn’t always land, but when it hits, it’s brilliant.“
According to Jim Hemphill, “‘Digger’ not only showcases Tom Cruise’s best performance since ‘Magnolia,’ it’s one of the most visually inventive, conceptually audacious, and unpredictable studio movies ever made. Takes so many bold aesthetic swings it makes “Bardo” look like an episode of ‘The Golden Girls.’“
It’s not all raves, as Joey Magidson said, “Digger is a mess. Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu are taking a massive swing here, but despite some great production design and a commitment to their big choices, not a whole lot works here. Cruise is good and Riz Ahmed is a highlight, but man this wasn’t enjoyable.“
Clayton Davis also wasn’t blown away, although he respects the effort. “‘Digger’ is not what people are expecting — and how audiences react may be the ultimate test of Tom Cruise’s star power. I respect the swing and what Alejandro González Iñárritu is going for. Tom Cruise and John Goodman are delivering stellar work (Sophie Wilde might be best in show for me), and the production design and cinematography are impressive (we’ve missed you, Chivo). In the end, not all the dots connect, and I wish the film leaned harder into the absurdity and satire it kept reaching for. Shocker! The divide on this one is going to be wide.“
Matt Neglia said, “DIGGER is not at all what it seems on the surface. What begins as an over-the-top comedy of gigantic satirical proportions suddenly turns into a meta, somber commentary on the bleak state of the world we’re inevitably heading toward, our inability to stop it, and what we’ll likely do in its aftermath. This is Tom Cruise’s most dynamic and interesting role in years, and it provides him plenty of space to preach to the back row but not enough to dig deeper and deliver a performance that could’ve had far more power and nuance had Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ambitious split narrative not been so imbalanced in favor of its zany but empty theatrics. Nobody else is given enough material to fully flesh out their characters either, leaving us with a highly cinematic (The production design, cinematography, sound, and makeup are all aces), bizarre, self-admittedly unfunny, and boisterous warning about the current state of the world, but with not enough depth or humanity to help us care or make any sense of it. Less of a bang and more of a hollow misfire.“
All About Digger
The film stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, the most powerful man in the world, who races to prove he is humanity’s saviour before the disaster he unleashed destroys everything. And no, it’s not a musical.
The film also stars Sandra Hüller (Project Hail Mary), Jesse Plemons (Bugonia), John Goodman (The Connors), Riz Ahmed (The Phoenician Scheme), Michael Stuhlbarg (After the Hunt), Sophie Wilde (Babygirl), Emma D’Arcy (House of the Dragon), Robert John Burke (Robocop 3), Burn Gorman (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), and Pip Torrens (Preacher).
Digger is set to be released in theaters on October 2.
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