Digger First Reaction: Tom Cruise and Riz Ahmed Shine in Iñárritu's Bold Swing, but the Film Doesn't Fully Work

I wanted to love Digger, the new Alejandro González Iñárritu film starring Tom Cruise, and I walked out of the theater not knowing what I felt about it. I think the performances and the photography are going to be the ones that really stand out, but the movie just didn't work the way I wanted it to.

Going in, I looked at the trailer and thought this was going to be a Les Grossman come to life part two type scenario. It's not that.

Iñárritu takes a crazy swing with Digger

On one side, Iñárritu is a genius, and the way the movie looks is stunning. The director of photography did an incredible job of making it gorgeous. He takes such a swing at something really crazy here, and the risk he takes shows you the kind of filmmaker he is and why he's one of those people you rush out to see.

I just don't know if the movie works the way it wants to. Compared with the trailer, the narrative changes pretty quickly once it starts, and I don't know if I was prepared or on board for that. By the time I did get on board, it might have been too late.

Tom Cruise goes all in, and Riz Ahmed steals scenes

With Tom Cruise, "there's no one with his kind of energy and there's no one with his kind of commitment." He goes all in on this role and brings it alive, as he always does. He's got a crazy southern twang going on, plus other things I can't spoil, and a lot of intensity in his eyes. It shows why he's one of the best.

Riz Ahmed is a big standout too. I didn't even realize he was in the movie, and then "every scene that he's in he steals."

The humor and the Wes Anderson side of Digger don't land

I don't think the humor really lands, and I don't know if Iñárritu does comedy that great. There's a lot of satire, and sometimes it works, but other times it didn't have me engaged. I wished they hadn't done that thing at the beginning, because I don't know if I took it as seriously. By the end, though, I thought, "I'm on board now, but I wish I was on board earlier."

At times it felt like an Iñárritu movie mixed with moments where he was going for a Wes Anderson type of thing. The Wes Anderson side didn't work for me. I wanted him to stay with his own style, because that's what really works and that's who he is.

A second viewing could change my mind either way

This could be one where a rewatch makes it better or worse. I don't know. I also don't really know who the audience is. If they're going for box office, which I don't think they are, I don't think they'll achieve it. If they're going for awards, they could hit it on certain things. I'm bummed, but I think the performances and the photography are what will really stand out.

Are you planning to see Digger, and do you think its early change in direction will pay off?