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‘Digger’: How Its Big Twist Saves the Movie From Being a Complete Disaster (Opinion)
Confirmed
In Short: Digger, a climate disaster comedy directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, features Tom Cruise in a role that marks a significant departure from his usual action hero persona.
Cruise portrays Digger Rockwell, an octogenarian oil tycoon whose irresponsible drilling causes a massive environmental disaster.
In this meta twist, Cruise is playing Curtis Markson, an actor portraying Digger Rockwell, while also portraying Markson as a man searching for his daughter backstage during final rehearsals.
This metatextual approach makes Digger a unique entry in Cruise's filmography, as it is the first time he is playing a character who shares his profession.
Despite its flaws, Digger offers a satirical take on climate disaster and corporate responsibility, with standout scenes like Digger's United Nations appearance.
The film's structure adds depth to these scenes, emphasizing the underwriting by Digger's real-life nephew Kenny, who funded the production.
Critics note that while the film is a departure for Cruise, it also reflects the real-life soap opera at Warner Bros., the studio behind Digger.
What's confirmed
- Cruise portrays Digger Rockwell, an octogenarian oil tycoon whose irresponsible drilling causes a massive environmental disaster.
- In this meta twist, Cruise is playing Curtis Markson, an actor portraying Digger Rockwell, while also portraying Markson as a man searching for his daughter backstage during final rehearsals.
- This metatextual approach makes Digger a unique entry in Cruise's filmography, as it is the first time he is playing a character who shares his profession.
- Despite its flaws, Digger offers a satirical take on climate disaster and corporate responsibility, with standout scenes like Digger's United Nations appearance.
- The film's structure adds depth to these scenes, emphasizing the underwriting by Digger's real-life nephew Kenny, who funded the production.
- Critics note that while the film is a departure for Cruise, it also reflects the real-life soap opera at Warner Bros., the studio behind Digger.
What's still developing
- You'll either be in or out on this climate disaster comedy - but either way it will have you talking for hours.
- Digger is film pretending to be a satire while also telling you it's smarter than the satire it's pretending to be.
- Director Alejandro González Iñárritu's climate disaster comedy is laden with ambition and contrivances, but light on real insights or fun.
- It's worth noting first, though, that there's a lot that's great about Digger.
- Cruise plays the swaggering, loud and brutally cunning Digger Rockwell, an ultra-rich oil tycoon whose greed has set off a cataclysm climate disaster that he must desperately try to avoid blame for.
- Given that Cruise has spent much of the last few decades portraying the god-like spy Ethan Hunt in the "Mission: Impossible" films, Digger, by comparison, seems like a wild 180-degree turn.
- When taking the whole of Cruise's filmography into account, however, he's not a complete wild card.
- In this way, Digger isn't much of a stretch for Cruise.
- What makes "Digger" truly unique amongst Cruise's cadre of characters is who he's actually playing.
- At the end of its first act, the film reveals that we're not watching a movie about Digger and the events of the crisis, per se, but are instead watching a stage play version of these events.
- The play is called "Fossil Fools," and we've been seeing a version of Digger as played by a fictional actor, Curtis Markson.
- It's a canny choice on both Cruise and Iñárritu's part, making "Digger" a fascinating metatext.