If you thought Tom Cruise was taking a break from stunts, well, technically he does jump off a boat in Digger. The biggest stunt in the new film from Alejandro González Iñárritu, however, is the Russian nesting doll structure of the story.
Cruise is Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon whose company causes a potentially world-ending disaster thanks to his unscrupulous drilling practices. He’s also someone else.
To fully discuss the film’s triumphs and flaws is nearly impossible without exposing the narrative structure employed by Iñárritu and co-writers Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman. Yet the film is best enjoyed unspoiled.
On the surface level, Cruise’s Digger is one of the most fascinating characters in film to come along in a while. He’s loud, bombastic, cartoonish-yet-authentic, and doesn’t give a f- about the polar bears.
His menace comes from his pure lack of humanity, the only traces of which are exhibited by his bond with his dying cat Maggie, whom he cares for more than the entire human race. It’s hard to argue Cruise could have picked a better acting showcase for his return to non-action, non-franchise filmmaking.
His monologue speech given in an assembly of world leaders will have your eyes glued to him even as chaos unfolds around him, and the scene screams “awards reel.” He gets a shoe thrown at him, though unlike Bush he doesn’t dodge it.
Digger believes, “perception is reality,” a not-so-subtle nod to the alarming increase of people refusing to believe facts in favor of their own “truths.” If Digger, the character, wants to shape our perception, then so does Digger the story.
There are no weak links in the entire cast, though Oscar-nominated Sandra Hüller is criminally underutilized as Digger’s half-sister Emma. There is also Sophie Wilde’s Hannah, the only person who poses a real challenge to Crusie on screen but is relegated to the film’s b-story.
No, the main story is about the boys’ club destroying the planet, and unfortunately that translates to the film as a whole.
John Goodman and Riz Ahmed give awards-worthy performances as President Compson and Dr. Ganesh, who are like the Id and Superego to Digger’s Ego, respectively. Compson is ready to burn it all down in a religious-like fervor while Ganesh is the only sane one in all the madness until he too is broken.
Jesse Plemons as Kenny, whose real identity is better left unspoiled, also has a knockout Greek chorus moment summarizing the whole meaning of the film. It doesn’t matter in the end what you think of Digger (well, it probably does a little).
What matters is that you leave knowing you cannot turn a blind eye to the destruction happening around us every day that will one day turn into something unignorable.
It’s a great message, but it feels a little sanctimonious at this point in human history. After all, what can one person do when corporations are treated better than people and the tide of government corruption feels more like a tsunami?
Iñárritu doesn’t offer any real answers or solutions, just preaching in a very beautiful VistaVision package shot by the talented Emmanuel Lubezki.
The other part of the film, the one we can’t talk about, is perhaps meant to humanize the story but falls flat in comparison to the kinetic dark comedy of Digger’s story. It’s a quieter Cruise that feels too muted in comparison.
Digger is an enjoyable ride that marks a new acting high for Cruise, but its meaning melts away like the ice caps under any scrutiny.
Digger is in theaters on October 2.