“Digger” strikes gold: A film review

By Ryan Denkovic

Films like “Digger” are quite difficult to put into words. Upon viewing, I left this film unsure of what I had just watched. Not that I was confused, but rather, that I was unsure of my thoughts on it. It was the first film where I did not immediately know what to rate the film. After thinking about it more on the drive home, I figured it out. “Digger” is difficult to put into words, but I can sure as hell try. In fact, I can tell you, with confidence, one word that describes this film perfectly: art. This film is, without a shadow of a doubt, art.

“Digger” is the latest film from “Birdman” and “The Revenant” director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu. In the days leading up to the film’s release on Oct. 2, it was sparking quite the debate online. The film debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a staggeringly low 41% and a lot of backlash from critics, with many saying that it was one of the worst releases of the year, let alone ever. However, there was a lot of praise for the film as well, which left me quite nervous about what to expect. I had very high expectations for the film, and I feel as though those expectations were met, but certainly not in the way that I was expecting.

The film follows multi-billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell as he must correct the mistakes of an oil-drilling operation that goes catastrophically wrong, sending a glacier multiple times the size of Washington D.C. barrelling towards Europe. The title character, Digger, is played by Tom Cruise, in what is one of the best performances in film so far this year; he is practically unrecognizable in this character. Cruise’s performance is also seemingly the only thing that everyone can agree is great about this film. He is not the only one in the film to give an incredible performance, however. I would go so far as to say that there is not a single bad performance in the film, and most of the main and supporting cast gave performances that are almost award worthy all around. Every single character, no matter how much screen time they have, is performed incredibly. From the trailers, I knew that Cruise would give the best performance of the film, but Riz Ahmed and John Goodman also gave very good performances, with the former giving one of the best non-Digger monologues in the film.

While the film is incredibly well acted, visually striking and amazingly written, I would be amiss to say that it is for everyone. This film is not doing too well among critics and some audiences because they say that it is “preachy,” or morally and politically driven, and while I think that is an understandable conclusion to come to, I do not agree with that sentiment. The film does not hold back or leave its message in any nuanced way. Yes, it makes its point abundantly clear to the point where it could get annoying. However, I do not think that it should have held back. Climate change is a very real, very dangerous crisis that is already passing thresholds of permanence, yet, it still is not addressed seriously enough. This film spells that out for you and does not pull any of its punches.

Branching off of that, another comment I have been seeing a lot is that the film is mostly unpopular with Americans, and I can totally see why. Iñárritu heavily criticizes the United States and its citizens. Specifically, the film criticizes our car-centric society and embarrassing lack of walkable cities and public transport. I was left feeling extremely guilty and dreading the fact that I had to drive home after the film was over, and I know that is the exact reaction that Iñárritu intended to get out of his audience. As Cesar A. Cruz once said: “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable,” and that applies here to the nth degree. Most people do not like being called out and being uncomfortable, and this is a film that feels designed to do just that, so I would imagine that is where most of the negative reviews for this film have stemmed from. 

Despite being made uncomfortable by the film and being called out, I still feel as though I have to give this film five stars out of five. It truly is masterful in everything it does and I would not be surprised if public perception of this film shifts over the next 10 to 20 years, similar to John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” However, as I said before, I think that it would be immeasurably hard to recommend it to non-film buffs. “Digger” is not a film that prides itself on its accessibility. This film will make you uncomfortable. Full stop. Great art is supposed to do that. If you still want to give it a chance, I say go for it. If you are willing to open your mind to its ideas and be made a little uncomfortable, then I think you will really enjoy this film. And if you are someone afraid of being made uncomfortable, still go watch it; because you are the exact person this film was made for.

Ryan Denkovic is a sophomore English major