Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, has sharply divided critics, with the actor’s dramatic transformation into an eccentric oil tycoon earning praise from some reviewers and fierce criticism from others.
The big-budget black comedy was positioned as an awards contender for Cruise, who plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful businessman forced to confront an ecological disaster he has caused. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film also stars John Goodman as the dictatorial president of the United States.
Reviews have ranged from four-star acclaim to descriptions of the film as “insufferable”, with several critics questioning its length, tone and ambitious environmental satire.
Some reviewers have embraced the scale of Cruise’s performance. The BBC’s Nicholas Barber gave the film four stars, saying he “loved it”, although he acknowledged that its excesses could become overwhelming and that many viewers would wish it were shorter.
Barber praised the “gargantuan scale” of Cruise’s performance, as well as the film’s environmental message and Iñárritu’s “antic style”.
Robbie Collin, writing in The Telegraph, called Digger “the most bonkers film of the year”, but said it was thrilling to watch the director and star grapple with questions about art and catastrophe “with so much beauty, daring and extravagance”.
The Los Angeles Times’ Amy Nicholson described Rockwell as Cruise’s “riskiest role in eons”, despite the actor’s long history of performing dangerous stunts in blockbuster films. Collider similarly praised his “bizarre but brilliant performance”, arguing that he held the audience’s attention without relying on special effects or action set-pieces.
Other critics have been far less persuaded. Peter Bradshaw awarded the film two stars in The Guardian, describing it as glib and overblown despite its engagement with climate issues and corporate greed.
Kevin Maher, writing in The Times, gave Digger one star and argued that Cruise was both the film’s “sole selling point” and its “fatal flaw”. Empire’s Olly Richards also gave it two stars, praising the actor’s commitment while concluding that the film itself was less rewarding.
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman questioned whether the film would connect with audiences, calling it “so full of itself” and “top-heavy with importance”. He also noted that the production had cost more than 125 million dollars.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter compared Digger with other expensive critical failures, while The Boston Globe called it a “turgid, unfunny, and borderline unwatchable 128 minute mess”. The New York Post described it as an “insufferable slog” with neither convincing stakes nor laughs.
Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave the film two stars and said Cruise’s performance was less a reinvention than a return to the sort of character work he undertook before his action-film career became dominant. Indiewire, however, described Digger as a “nobler and more rewarding failure” than Iñárritu’s earlier films Birdman and Bardo.
Digger faces difficult box-office forecasts
The divided response comes as the film faces uncertain commercial prospects. Predictions suggest it could take less than 10 million dollars in its opening weekend, although a more optimistic estimate puts its debut between 16 million and 26 million dollars.
Even the higher forecast would represent a difficult start for a film made for more than 125 million dollars and promoted as a major awards-focused release.
Iñárritu, who also co-produced the film with Cruise, has previously praised the actor’s physical transformation for the role. He said Cruise had told him it had taken 40 years to become the character, adding that both men knew they had never attempted anything similar during their careers.
Digger marks a departure from Cruise’s recent work in high-octane productions, including films in which he climbed Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, hung from an aircraft during take-off and rode a motorcycle off a cliff.
