Digger is a dark comedy released Oct. 2, Staring Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a narcissistic, greedy, and ignorant oil supplier whose dangerous oil project causes a massive glacier to split and head toward land thus causing a worldwide meltdown. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu known for The Revenant and Birdman.
Cruise takes on a much different role from what audiences are used to throughout his career which was one of my favorite aspects of the film. Cruise delivers a powerhouse performance that will for sure have his name in the Oscar conversation. Cruise commands every scene and does a great job at getting the audience to not like his character. While also playing in extremely well into the film’s comedic parts.
The film has great comedy that feels much needed in Hollywood right now. But the style of comedy the movie used may not be for everyone. Digger goes for a darker satirical style of comedy that makes light of very serious situations that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Digger also touches on many relevant issues, the most prominent being about how money and power mixed with ignorance can lead to people in power making catastrophic decisions. But where I feel Digger loses me is that the movie has too many messages at times, and is confused with what it wants to be. It feels as if the writers behind the film had too much to say and couldn’t focus on one message that they wanted to convey. Leading to what can feel messy and unfocused at times.
Despite this, Digger has great dialogue and fantastic character dynamics that are hilarious and emotional. It’s new, original, and unlike anything else Hollywood has produced in the past decade. Without spoilers Digger subverts the entire direction of the film in the first half leaving many viewers including myself shocked at the direction the film took. I think for that reason alone and the giant swings the film takes, make it worth the trip to the cinema. However, Digger is not perfect. It is what most would consider to be a slow movie and definitely has some unusual scenes that not everyone will find appealing.
So, is Digger worth seeing? I say yes but keep in mind that the film takes a unique approach. If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise or just want to see a movie with mind blowing plot twists Digger is perfect for your friday night cinema trip.
Written by junior Luke Sweeney. Edited by staff writers for the Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.