I’m not immune to hearing or reading certain buzz or takeaways on films before I see them. I try to avoid it as much as possible so it doesn’t inform my own opinion or affect my expectations in any way but still, it can bleed through. The price of being online, I suppose. So, I was at least tacitly aware of the talking points around “Digger” before I sat down. I heard it was a mess; the word on the street was that “Digger” was pretentious, cynical, and too long. After having seen Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new movie, I can say that all those criticisms are valid—and yet I loved it nonetheless. Yes, this parable of politics and art is so smug that it occasionally feels like it was written in morse code with the amount of winking going on. But “Digger” is also brilliant, powerful, gorgeous, unique, and thoroughly interesting.
Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is an aging fossil fuel magnate whose operations have garnered him untold riches and influence, while also placing the Earth in an increasingly precarious situation. When his latest endeavor in Greenland results in a runaway glacier, Digger works with his Environmental Safety Chief, Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), to brief the U.S. President (John Goodman) on the impending disaster heading to Europe. Plans are made and talking points established, but it’s uncertain what effect (if any) they will have on the possible catastrophe.
There’s much more to “Digger”—including an entire massively important narrative component that I wasn’t aware of and has been hidden in the marketing. Admittedly, that plot synopsis doesn’t sound too enthralling, but the less said about the gestalt of the film, the better the experience will be. Iñárritu (who co-wrote with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman) has crafted an amazing movie that perfectly reflects our troubled times, and that brings with it a lot of cynicism. I think that darkness—which is embedded amongst laughs, farcical elements, and beautiful stylish tricks—could be a major turnoff for many. But in “Digger”’s defense, it feels earned and honest, not like some edgelord posture but instead gallows humor at the degree of how fucked up is the state of…everything. I would say that it’s “Dr. Strangelove” meets “Asteroid City” but about climate change and corrupt political machines rather than Cold War fears.
Cruise delivers a multi-layered performance that is incredibly engaging to watch. Yes, it is occasionally buffoonish and outstripped…but there’s also a purpose behind those moments, as “Digger” reveals through its runtime. Ahmed is tremendous as the much put-upon ex-EPA scientist who has hitched his wagon to one of history’s greatest monsters, constantly trying to do good but ultimately stuck in the corner of the devil. His thorough exasperation and rage feel like the conflicted conscience of most of society these days, and the actor takes on that mantle very well. The rest of the cast is suitably hilarious and dedicated to their roles as politicians, generals, yes-men, Digger’s family, and more—each marching forward to oblivion even while assuring others the next step won’t be as bad.
It also helps that “Digger” looks phenomenal, with gorgeous cinematography from DP Emmanuel Lubezki and impeccable production design by Dennis Gassner and Richard L. Johnson. This is a lush world full of theatrical staging and imagery that will be revisited and lauded for decades. Yes, the jazzy score by Cosmo Sheldrake is bit distracting, but that’s a minor note compared to the luscious vision that is realized on screen. And yes, some scenes go on too long and the film as a whole kind of overstays its welcome as it belabors its points. But subtlety isn’t always the best approach, especially when the message is such a damning and furious screed that the filmmakers feel compelled to shout it a few times. And even if it isn’t particularly subtle, “Digger” is undoubtedly very clever and powerful with moments landing like a bomb on audiences when you realize what is going on.
If there is a message to “Digger”—and it is a downer—it’s that art won’t save us. Art comforts, soothes, entertains, delights, distracts, informs, enrages, inspires, and provides catharsis for us but the real work happens outside of the theatre. Film, plays, music, books, paintings…all of it serves a purpose and is beneficial to society in a whole host of ways. But to actually make change in our world, that lies in political offices, corporate boardrooms, the streets, and more. If we want a better future, we can’t simply do shadow puppetry and feel like we accomplished something. People need to go from seeing art to being inspired to act on that impulse and not rest on (ultimately) empty gestures. Time is running out, after all.
“Digger” is a moving yet intellectual piece of art that is masterfully rendered. Iñárritu and company have crafted a powerful and (sadly) timely film, one that feels prescient even if it also feels like it’s already too late in its dire warnings. It is a pretentious and cynical look in the mirror, but it earns that over-intellectualism and self-smugness with its excellent compositions, storytelling, and more. It’s easy to dismiss all of these as damning negatives, and I totally understand folks that don’t vibe with it. But for those who do, they’ll find a surprising amount of emotional depth in this brilliant movie. “Digger” is not devoid of heart. It just happens to have a broken one.
4 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Starring: Tom Cruise, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D’Arcy, Sophie Wilde, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman
