Photo Credits: Digger Movie
The new film from Alejandro G. Iñárritu, “Digger,” premiered in theaters over the weekend, and it left audiences conflicted. The film opened in Los Angeles, two weeks prior to its wide theatrical release, to audiences starkly divided over the film, with some calling it “a cinematic catastrophe” and others “a cinematic masterpiece.”
The film features Tom Cruise in his first film since “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” and John Goodman in possibly his most memorable performance since “The Righteous Gemstones.” The pair worked with Iñárritu, who is known for his more recent films “Birdman” and “The Revenant.”
Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), one of the most powerful men in the world, has unleashed one of the most devastating environmental atrocities onto the world. It is now up to Digger, President Compson (John Goodman), and Dr. Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) to stop it from causing any more damage and to distract the public from their involvement in causing this global disaster.
Iñárritu creates a grim alternative future where the hunt for oil has hit a critical peak, and the men in charge of finding a solution are incompetent and dangerous. Tom Cruise serves as the ringleader to this bureaucratic circus and delivers a fantastic performance as the “charismatic” tycoon as he leaps through hoops, oftentimes flaming, to escape the consequences of his actions.
Alongside Cruise is John Goodman portraying the hot-tempered President Compson, equally tasked with “saving his own ass,” as well as suffering from grizzly medical issues of his own. Goodman’s performance stands out, as his presence looms over the film with the character’s intensity and sometimes bumbling stupidity.
While the actors shine in this dark comedy, the best part of this film, as is typical of Iñárritu films, is the cinematography. Oscar winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (“Birdman,” “Children of Men”) lends his creative eye, and he makes each frame come to life with dazzling shots that fill the frame and demand recognition from each corner.
The only spoiler I will share is this: the rumors about this movie being a musical are false. However, the film takes a much more ambitious turn, and creates a well-crafted, non-linear narrative that surprises and entertains. Without a doubt, this twist is what has divided critics; however, I considered the film’s weakest point to be the pacing, as there were times the plot seemed to stand still. There are moments of built-up energy, but almost nowhere for it to go as the viewer is transitioned suddenly to the next scene.
Iñárritu delivers another classic for its time with the movie “Digger.” Tom Cruise and John Goodman have managed to dig out some early awards buzz with their fantastic performances and hilariously disgusting chemistry. The film is a spectacle that demands the biggest screen, and it is sure to earn Emmanuel Lubezki another Oscar nomination this January.
Digger is an ambitious dark comedy that explores the devastating aftermaths of a corrupt, incompetent government, and explores these results in a wholly unexpected type of non-linear format. Digger is available now in theaters.
