Joey Magidson
Talking about Digger without spoilers is incredibly difficult, I’ll just say that up front. So much of both what works and what doesn’t work here is contained within an element of the film that we as critics have been asked not to reveal. So, I won’t, but just know that a future article will be needed to fully get into the movie and what it’s actually about. The massively big swing that filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu and star Tom Cruise are taking here is worthy of admiration, even if I think said swing does miss. I didn’t find the flick particularly clever or enjoyable, though some visuals are actually stunning, while Cruise overcomes the makeup to do pretty good work.
Digger is a mess, though rarely a boring one. You were never going to get a bore pairing Cruise with Iñárritu. At the same time, their enthusiasm for the material doesn’t really translate. It’s a little over two hours of listening to people who don’t know how to tell a joke telling you the same joke, over and over again. The comedy and the satire largely doesn’t work, save for the occasional bit that lands. It’s actually in the more dramatic elements that we see the successes of the film emerge, especially when all the cards are on the table. This is a potentially good movie turned into more of a mediocre one due to it shortchanging the drama for repeated attempts at dark comedy.
Digger Rockwell (Cruise) is a wealthy oil tycoon with a massive government drilling contract. Waking up in his mansion, he’s immediately more concerned with the wellbeing of his ancient cat Maggie than the urgent messages he’s receiving from employees. One discouraging visit from a veterinarian later and he’s finally on a video call with one of his scientists, Sandy Clarkson (Danny Kirrane), who’s warning Digger about the potential environmental calamity they might be about to cause. He waves away his concerns, only for a massive explosion to trigger an even bigger disaster than he was warned about. With President Compson (John Goodman) and his advisors en route, scientist Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) begins laying out the scenarios, which are not good.
As things go from bad to worse, Digger tries to control the narrative and fix the mess he’s caused, balancing Ganesh’s warnings and Compson’s demands with the urgings of his business partner and sister Emma (Sandra Hüller). Throw in a cowardly Vice President (Michael Stuhlbarg), plus an angry public, and Digger has to find a way to overcome this disaster. There’s a lot more going on here, but to discuss any of that is to engage in massive spoilers, so just know that everything you’ve seen, as well as what I’ve detailed here, is just basic set up. The real movie kicks in afterwards.
Tom Cruise has one of his most challenging roles in decades here, so to see him overcome the makeup to deliver a strong performance is quite pleasing. Even as the film around him fails to really work, you’re consistently captivated by him. Cruise has a few big monologues that land in a major way. While the makeup is omnipresent, there’s still a performance here, so it’s more than just a redo of his Tropic Thunder gimmick. I wish the movie had let him dig deeper (no pun intended), but this is still the sort of role we’ve been wishing he’d take for years. Riz Ahmed is best in show amongst the supporting players, going from a meek man of science to someone who really lays into Digger Rockwell. Ahmed is always good, so this is no surprise, but he really does hit all the marks. I wish John Goodman had more to do, with the same going for Sandra Hüller. In addition to the aforementioned Danny Kirrane and a wasted Michael Stuhlbarg, the supporting cast also includes Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman, Mercedes Hernández, and Sophie Wilde, plus Jesse Plemons in a mysterious role that’s only revealed late in the game.
Director/co-writer Alejandro G. Iñárritu never fully gets a handle on tone here. The screenplay he penned with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman (Berman and Iñárritu also share a Story By credit with Jez Butterworth) is all over the map, constantly making the same points over and over again. Iñárritu and company don’t wait long to reveal the hook/twist of this story, to the point where I actually think it’s a mistake to be hiding it, but once we understand what’s actually going on, one part of it becomes far more interesting than the other. Iñárritu does direct the hell out of this one, with some great visuals (go figure, Emmanuel Lubezki is great at his job), as well as amazing production design from Dennis Gassner, but the pacing becomes very slack. Cruise and Iñárritu are a good fit together and seemed to embolden each other, so if nothing else, it’s quality casting. The score from Cosmo Sheldrake is very different, which mostly works, and the ending actually lands really well, but getting to the finale is a bit of a chore. This is a slightly over two hour flick that plays like a nearly three hour one. It’s fascinating, sure, but frustrating too, in equal measure.
Digger does not really work, as stated above, but it’s also the sort of interesting failure that’s eminently worth seeing. I don’t think it’s a successful film, regardless, but I do think audiences, especially on opening weekend, are being set up for something they will not be receiving. It would not surprise me in the least if this movie receives an F CinemaScore. Now, oftentimes an F goes to high quality cinema that gave audiences something different than expected (Mother! is a good example of how this can be a pearls before swine situation), as it measures expectations in relation to satisfaction. Here, this is at best a flawed work, but hiding its central conceit is only going to annoy folks. Regardless, if you see it, you’re seeing it for Cruise, who is very good, and to see what Iñárritu has up his sleeve.
SCORE: ★★
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