Digger Review: Tom Cruise Is Masterful, but Iñárritu's Oil Satire Lands at 2.9 Out of 5

Digger, the new Alejandro González Iñárritu film starring Tom Cruise, gets a 2.9 out of five from me. Cruise is masterful and the film looks beautiful, but a narrative switch early on cost me my investment, and by the time I accepted what this movie was, it was over.

This is a spoiler free review, and a very tough one to write. Alongside Cruise, the cast includes John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons and so many more.

Digger's trailer is not really the movie, and that is on purpose

There has been a lot of back and forth about what this movie even is. What I will tell you up top is that what you see in the trailer is not really what the movie is. That is also done on purpose.

The idea is that Cruise plays an oil tycoon, and his people find themselves in a major catastrophe and have to figure out how to make it work. It is a satire on American business, politicians and all of that. The film sets up quickly how big and animated Cruise is at the start and what kind of character he is.

Tom Cruise is masterful, and Riz Ahmed steals scenes

Let me go with the absolute positive right away: Tom Cruise is masterful in this. He commits to every single moment, whatever he is asked to do throughout the movie, across different circumstances. He is just wonderful.

Riz Ahmed is another major standout and steals a lot of the scenes he is in. He plays a scientist whom Digger has to rely on, not only to tell him what is going on, but also to be honest with him in general. Jesse Plemons is also in this, and as always, he is great.

An early turn in Digger asks you to commit, and it cost me

Something happens within the first 20 or 30 minutes that immediately asks you to either commit with the film or accept that you might not enjoy where it is going. I am trying to be as careful as I can here. When that moment came, I found myself wondering whether a scene still had as much impact now that I knew what I knew, compared with how it would have played if I had not known.

By the end, I finally accepted what this was, and then my reaction was that now it is over. That left me asking whether I need to see it again. I do not know if a movie should do that, making you see it a second time in order to really appreciate it. I know that happens a lot, and sometimes maybe you need a second viewing. But I think a movie should lock you in right away, because there were times I was just not invested anymore.

That switch in the narrative simply did not work for me inside the overall storyline, and I am just telling you that it messed with my psyche. I am not claiming I would have done it better. I am just telling you that, seeing it with a critical eye, that is the way I felt.

Digger should be seen in IMAX, and its music and cinematography deserve nominations

It is shot beautifully. Someone asked me whether they should see it in IMAX, and if you are planning on seeing it in a theater, I do think it should be IMAX. Both the music and the cinematography should be nominated regardless of how the movie ultimately does at the box office. It should be recognized for how wonderful it looks.

It should also be recognized that Iñárritu takes major risks, tries different things and maneuvers around certain norms. I do not think they always work, but he tries, and you can tell why he is one of the best directors working today.

Iñárritu's comedy does not land the way Wes Anderson's does

One thing I do not think is among his strengths, though you can argue with me: "I don't think that he does comedy well." There are moments where the film is supposed to land as satire, you can feel it going for a real big laugh, and it just plays weird and feels strange.

At times it looks like he is almost trying to do a Wes Anderson thing. Anderson lands, not all the time, on certain quirky performances, quirky faces or quirky shots, and when Iñárritu tries it, it does not land the same way. There is a lot of strangeness going on, though that is also happening on purpose.

Who is Digger for? My 2.9 out of 5 verdict

To me, this movie just does not find its way. I wanted it to. I was intrigued and never bored. When I finally got on board at the end, thinking "Oh, that's what they did," it was a little too late. Will I see it differently next time, knowing everything I know now? I might, because there is a lot of cool stuff in there.

But it is so wacky in certain areas, combining two different styles and almost two different narratives, that I do not really know who this movie is for. Maybe the intent is award nominations; I do not think that is the purpose, but they are certainly marketing it that way. Either way, "this is not a mass audience movie. It just isn't." It is a big budget movie that does not speak to general audiences.

So overall, I am going 2.9 out of five, just under three. I do not know if my score changes a year from now. I wanted to love this movie, and I thought I was getting something different.

Are you planning to see Digger, and will you go for the IMAX experience?