Digger (2026)

Bold and innovative but sometimes messy, Digger is an experience and it's not what you might expect. Some of it works better than other parts but when it works its quite remarkable. And yes Tom Cruise is as good as they say, giving a complex performance that embraces some of the audacity of the film while also finding a certain subtly... as much as one can with this film. 

Digger is a profound and in your face indictment of industry and government reaction to climate change in a way that is darkly (almost terrifyingly) comic while also forcing its audience to look in the mirror. This is definitely a hard pill to swallow sort of film despite how much Iñárritu brings his stylized vision to this story. And it is stylish. Digger is a beautiful film to watch filled with incredible art direction and costumes while being filmed with an artful cinematography that is playful. All of this belies the darkness behind the story, one that is a bit of a confessional told cleverly.  

Some of the stylization might have gone a bit far for my tastes but that was rectified in the moments the film comes down to earth (somewhat). *spoilers* the film is a play within a play style story where it is revealed that Digger itself is fiction and Digger the character is a character played by an actor (who is played by Tom Cruise). While some of this section feels a bit like what Iñárritu did with Birdman, it is the part where for me the film really worked. It felt more tied to the real world and perhaps the urgency. The rest felt somewhat farcical to me but these moments drove the point home.

Still Digger remains spectacle. Its entire cast truly shows up for it and it is something that just needs to be seen. In the end its power outweighs its flaws and it is the sort of film that will stay with you long after the credits role. 

Digger

Starring: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Writers: Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Sabina Berman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu