‘Digger’ Review: A Gigantic Swing and a Miss
Digger is the most interesting film to release in 2026. Not because of its quality, but because, with all its marketing, posters, and Tom Cruise hype, when I sat down to watch the film, I soon realized I knew absolutely nothing about it. Outside an AMC Dolby theater, a few of us mused about what the film might be. Austin Powers and Don’t Look Up came up a couple of times.
As we sat down, a disclaimer opened the film, kindly asking the media to withhold any mention of plot specifics for the sake of viewer enjoyment. Within thirty minutes or so, it becomes crystal clear why they asked for it. The gist: Digger is intentionally holding its cards close. And the reveal will likely be perplexing on impact.
What is Digger about? Can we say anything about this movie?
As seen in the trailer, Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a disgruntled oil tycoon who speaks with a Southern drawl and wears PJs around his house like Hugh Hefner. He also has an unhealthy obsession with his cat, who is literally hanging by a thread to life. If the cat has nine lives, it clearly asked for a loan and spent twelve.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu injects a lot of humor here. For a while, it almost feels overly silly, like Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) trying to make a Wes Anderson movie. Soon, people in his company panic because a pipe is bursting underneath a glacier. Digger says to ignore it. The rig then ignites, ejecting a deadly glacier toward a highly populated area.
And, well… that is about as much as we can say about the plot of Digger. The crazy part is that this really isn’t a good explanation of the plot. And if that sounds confusing, wait until you see the movie. It’s quite disorienting because the film offers a few surprises that make it challenging to judge on a single viewing. For this reason, whatever I have to say or anyone online says about the film, take all the quick reactions with a grain of salt.
A cryptic explanation of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film
Once Digger shows its hand, it touches on something more abstract. The extra layer beneath Digger may or may not be brushing up against the theatrics of global politics, not just from a bureaucratic standpoint but even from a disaster-relief perspective.
We see this every day in Congress, when elected officials should take severe matters seriously but instead engage in political theater, like a WWE wrestling match, to appease voters. One scene, in particular, demonstrates the notion so well, as Tom Cruise’s Digger barrels into scathing rhetoric against a crowded room of angry constituents.
The difficulty is that some plot developments are so jarring that it’s difficult to grasp whether Iñárritu’s film constructs something meaningful or if the movie is a mess. Some have lobbied criticisms at the film, saying it’s only about “global warming.” Given the massive swings here, that seems like an unthoughtful reaction.
Digger explores numerous ideas beyond its message about corrupt billionaires amid global nightmares. But for all its ideas and ambition, Digger swings so hard that it inevitably loses its viewer before it can make an impact. Still, the film has a chance to make an impression in some award categories.
The case for Riz Ahmed and Tom Cruise
The film will likely maintain Oscar conversations, especially regarding Riz Ahmed as Dr. Ganesh, an environmental scientist and adviser to Digger Rockwell. An exchange between Ganesh and Digger is delivered with such emotional intensity that it almost feels like Ahmed has been dying to get the words off his chest for years.
The same can be said about Jesse Plemons as Kenny, an investor in one of the film’s best scenes, demonstrating Plemons’ ability to perform remarkably affecting dialogue.
Cruise delivers one of his best performances in years and does everything he can to hold the foundation together. However, the lead actor race is already shaping up to be a bloodbath, so it’s unclear whether Digger’s divisive nature might disrupt that momentum.
Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography (Children of Men) is visually magnificent, as always. The screening was in Dolby, but one can easily surmise it was shot on film given the prowess of the framing. Dennis Gassner and Richard L. Johnson’s production design matches the photography, conveying the absurd extravagance and artificiality of wealth and power in every set.
Digger (2026) film rating and final thoughts
Even so, for all its award prospects, Digger is too ambitiously jarring for its own good. It is deliberately designed to throw the audience off balance, and for that reason, the first viewing is less than satisfying. Digger may require multiple viewings, especially if you revisit it with a more in-depth understanding of what it’s trying to do. For example, the world wasn’t ready for Speed Racer in 2008, but it has since earned the respect it deserves.
That being said, the first viewing of Digger did not work for me personally. One can easily feel what the story is reaching for, but it doesn’t quite gel together. Who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind one day.
Digger releases in theaters on October 2, 2026.
Also check out: Primetime Review: A Stylish Descent Into Network TV
