The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
‘Digger’ is the latest film from Alejandro G. Iñárritu, a rather unusual black comedy that brings to mind ‘Dr. Strangelove’ in its satire and the director’s own ‘Birdman’ in its style and presentation. Tom Cruise plays a wealthy businessman caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of events surrounding the climate crisis, with Iñárritu using the story to take aim at the political leaders and corporate bosses who have failed to do anything meaningful about it. It’s a bold and eccentric film, full of exaggerated characters and performances, although the story takes a rather unexpected turn that changes much of what initially appears to be happening.
I really liked ‘Digger’, although I did find its structure frustrating at times. There’s a significant change in direction about a third of the way through which, for me, came almost completely out of nowhere, and it takes until the final third for much of what follows to really start working. As a result, the middle section feels rather disjointed, with characters and events that only make sense in retrospect, and I suspect this will make the film a tougher sell than it might otherwise have been. In fact, I think I’d have been perfectly happy watching the more straightforward story it initially appeared to be telling, before Iñárritu decided to take it somewhere considerably stranger.
The performances are terrific throughout, with the cast embracing the film’s exaggerated tone and occasionally bringing to mind Peter Sellers in some of his more eccentric roles (‘Dr. Strangelove‘ of course!). John Goodman and Riz Ahmed are particularly good among the supporting cast, but it’s Cruise who really impresses. He’s a fine actor who has spent much of the last 30 years largely fronting action movies, and this is a welcome reminder of just how good he can be when given something different to work with. There’s one extraordinary monologue in particular that I suspect could secure him an Oscar nomination on its own, although the film’s mixed reception might make his chances of actually winning rather more difficult.
Iñárritu is clearly exasperated by the response to the climate crisis, particularly the political leaders and corporate bosses who are both ill-equipped and morally unwilling to tackle it, and I think he makes a compelling case, albeit in a rather unusual way. There’s no doubt that ‘Digger’ is scattershot, bold and frustrating in equal measure, but I didn’t really mind that, as I was largely invested in what was happening, even if that sudden change in direction did throw me off course for a while. It’s not an entirely successful film, but there’s plenty here that I enjoyed, and I appreciated Iñárritu attempting something so different.
Rating: 4/5
Directed By: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons
