Digger is another one of those films that is impossible to …well, dig into without spoilers.
Consider this your warning.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I’m pretty sure there are only two main reasons one would dig a hole: to search for something or to bury/hide something. Throughout the first half or so of Digger, it felt like director Alejandro González Iñárritu (also one of the co-writers with Sabina Berman and Nicolás Giacobone) was in the former category, getting distracted by other things on the way to the main objective. That is until…
Well, before that, the premise (at least shown in the trailer) is that of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise). One day, an explosion happens at one of his oil drilling sites, destined to cause catastrophic proportions according to his head of environmental safety (Riz Ahmed). As news of this spreads to a table of all white men, including the President (John Goodman), the film seems destined to follow in the satirical footsteps of imitables like Dr. Strangelove. The difference is that this one is trying for laughs that never happen.
Then, something transpires rather suddenly (again, please stop reading if you don’t want spoilers). When Digger and the President are gazing out the window, a tree falls over, and a giant head pops out, trying to fix it. It soon becomes clear (though I admit it took me time to catch up) that all the action is actually taking place on stage, as a final dress rehearsal for a play called “Fossil Fools”, depicting what made the real futuristic world this film is set in what it is.
Just by watching the original trailer and ads for the film, I doubt anyone was expecting this twist. In a way, it is somewhat refreshing to have an original element of this sort for the film, but it seemed so abrupt that it took me out of the movie for a bit before I could appreciate what was happening. Thankfully, as we are entering the home stretch, we do get a speech by the play’s producer (the always reliable Jesse Plemmons) that does what can be done in reeling it all in (albeit in a mega meta way).
It is the speech by Cruise about halfway through (maybe earlier) that all will remember. This is the first non-Mission: Impossible role he has had in some time, and more proof of how he, as an actor, likes to “go for it”. Even if what he sputters out is gabble gook, he still shows a form of vulnerability in not caring if he offends others or not. The “it” he is going for is the Oscar.
Parents, the film is R mainly for swearing and sexual references. It is also most likely too confusing for nearly any teenager these days, but I could be wrong. High School and above.
One cannot deny the sheer ambition of Digger, even if it is an overall swing and a miss. This, despite some memorable performances by Cruise and others (what a year for Sandra Hüller).
I may be in the “mixed negative” camp of my view of the film, but I still find myself wanting to see it a second time.
Still, even if the film spends a lot of time digging for what it is about, Iñárritu needs to remember that the deeper you dig, the dirtier the result.
Overall:
