Perhaps more than any other actor, Tom Cruise is someone that we want to see push himself. It’s probably years of watching him play heroic figures or triumphant underdogs that has done it, but when he plays the heel, it’s always worth relishing. We still talk about his nasty turn as Frank TJ Mackey in Magnolia, for instance, and I imagine we’ll be talking for a long time about his role as Digger Rockwell in Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s ambitious, big-swing comedy Digger, which promises to be the most polarizing movie of the year.
Digger finds Iñárritu returning to meta territory similar to his 2014 Best Picture winner, Birdman, but the exact context of it I’ll leave a secret, as it’s been kept from trailers. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, the kind of powerful oil magnate who pals around with the United States President, played by John Goodman, and has legions of loyal cronies telling him what he wants to hear at all times. It’s so bad, nobody wants to tell him that his beloved cat, a poor decrepit thing, is dying and probably should be put down. Digger lives in a home full of oddities and curiosities, almost like a rich man’s idea of what a funhouse would be.
The thing about Digger is that he’s Iñárritu and his co-writers’ commentary on the kind of evil son of a bitch that we allow to exist because he makes our lives easier. So what if he’s literally destroying the planet, and gladly so, to turn a profit? The oil he pulls out of the ground powers our homes, our cars, our smartphones, so we just let it slide. But there is always a reckoning, and when a catastrophe threatens the entire planet, Digger is put in charge of fixing the problem.
Charged with this monumental task, Digger doesn’t suddenly become our champion. Instead, he becomes even more of a defiant prick. Cruise, unrecognizable with gray hair, an old man’s withered body, and a sneer we’ve never seen before, leans into Digger’s aggressively antagonistic attitude. It’s one that he not only shares with the public and his scientists (Riz Ahmed steals the show as Digger’s timid environmental security guy), but also his family. Sandra Hüller plays Digger’s younger half-sister, who runs a company doing literally the opposite of what her brother does. Needless to say, that conflict becomes an issue during this crisis.
Digger soars then crashes down to earth based on two things: Cruise’s unforgettable performance, and a narrative choice that Iñárritu makes that sends the film into an unrecoverable freefall. If Cruise is put up for a Best Actor Oscar, a distinct possibility, the scene that will do it for him is an epic, outrageously funny extended sequence in which Digger lambasts the EU, holding court like a gladiator commanding the arena. The setup is deliberately absurd, with the standing-room-only crowd literally breaking their necks to be part of the ridiculous sideshow.
However, because of the choice Iñárritu makes, Digger completely falls apart. I think of a recent film of similar star power and prestige, Netflix’s climate change comedy Don’t Look Up, and how it was effective in conveying its message through funny characters we could relate to. Digger goes in a different direction entirely, adding a metafictional layer that keeps you at a distance from the magnate’s story and seemingly impossible ordeal, which is compelling enough on its own.
Iñárritu is swinging for the fences with Digger, and employs the right technical people to make it happen. Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is stunning, with constantly shifting aspect ratios, while the production design shifts from apocalyptic desolation to a more playful style, befitting the film’s whimsical tone.
Your mileage will vary with Digger, depending on how much you invest in Iñárritu’s big twist. It didn’t work for me at all, and I found myself checking out more often than not in the second half of the film. That said, I can also appreciate the boldness of Digger, and wouldn’t be surprised if Iñárritu and Cruise are eventually lauded for it.
Digger opens in theaters on October 2nd.
