Tom Cruise‘s star vehicle “Digger” has finally been unveiled to members of the film press, who have been left divided by the satirical black comedy. The latest directorial effort from “Birdman” and “The Revenant” Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu is being called everything from “baffling” to “unpleasant” to “fascinating stuff.” Most film journalists seem to agree on one thing: “Digger” is like nothing you’re expecting.
“This is Tom Cruise’s most dynamic and interesting role in years,” writes Next Best Picture founder Matt Neglia. “It provides him plenty of space to preach to the back row but not enough to dig deeper and deliver a performance that could’ve had far more power and nuance had Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ambitious narrative not been so imbalanced in favor of its zany but empty theatrics.”
Variety’s awards pundit Clayton Davis adds: “I respect the swing and what Alejandro González Iñárritu is going for. Tom Cruise and John Goodman are delivering stellar work, and the production design and cinematography are impressive. In the end, not all the dots connect, and I wish the film leaned harder into the absurdity and satire it kept reaching for. Shocker! The divide on this one is going to be wide.”
Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson called the movie a “mess,” claiming that “not a whole lot works here” and “this wasn’t enjoyable,” while critic Edward Douglas added: “I cannot say that ‘Digger’ is very good, although I could tell what Iñarritu and Cruise were going for… I expect a HORRENDOUS CinemaScore.” A similar opinion was shared by journalist Mike Ryan, who called the movie “unpleasant.”
IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill was more postiive, writing the movie “not only showcases Tom Cruise’s best performance since ‘Magnolia,’ it’s one of the most visually inventive, conceptually audacious, and unpredictable studio movies ever made. Takes so many bold aesthetic swings it makes ‘Bardo’ look like an episode of ‘The Golden Girls.’”
Anne Thompson of IndieWire was also high on the movie, calling it “a brave and gorgeous art film that will not score with mainstream audiences but will play best for the Academy, especially crafts and actors.”
“Digger” stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy tycoon who has to save the world when one of his oil rigs malfunctions and causes an environmental catastrophe across the planet. The film’s supporting cast includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
For Cruise, “Digger” notably marks his return to adult-oriented drama after more than a decade playing action movie heroes. In the last 10 years, Cruise’s only non-action movie is the 2017 crime comedy “American Made.” One would have to go back 20 years to add more non-action movies to Cruise’s roster such as the musical “Rock of Ages,” the political drama “Lions for Lambs,” the comedy “Tropic Thunder” and the historical thriller “Valkyrie.” Cruise’s return to more dramatic fare as raised the eyebrows of Oscar pundits since “Digger” was announced a few years ago, but the wildly divisive reactions to “Digger” may upend his expected awards campaign.
Prior to the film’s release, much of the buzz surrounding “Digger” has related to Cruise’s wild transformation into the title role. The actor appears under heavy makeup and prosthetics that originally took six hours to apply. Cruise worked with the movie’s makeup department to get the transformation time down to an hour.
“I had a guy there with a stopwatch and I’m like, ‘OK, you see that time, six hours? By the time we’re done, we’re going to get it under an hour,’” Cruise said on the “New Heights” podcast.. “They were like, ‘No, I’m not doing that, it will never happen.’ I’m like, ‘OK, first of all, if you say no, you can’t do it, you will never get there. So can we agree that we’ll maybe make it a little less?’ So with each piece that was going on, it was timed and then we’d drill and practice.”
“Digger” opens in theaters Oct. 1 from Warner Bros. Check out first reactions in the posts below.
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