In the first few days following its release, Digger has become moviedom’s most polarizing film since Napoleon Dynamite. And, as was the case in 2004 with that oddball comedy, the extreme opinions shared about Digger make it a film that must be seen.
Either to join the chorus of those who offer angry putdowns of the film as a misguided ego trip. Or to praise the film as a work of genius. Which is it?
The creativity of Digger cannot be denied. It is filled with memorable scenes and memorable lines of dialogue. The structure of the film which is gradually revealed is clever. Oh, there are clues along the way but some are subtle and part of the suspension of belief that is necessary when viewing many films, even those that are more direct in their exposition.
The transformation of Tom Cruise from a fit, athletic action movie star to an overweight middle-aged guy with thinning hair is an impressive prosthetic trick. You saw Tom in his underwear in Risky Business but this version of Tom in he underwear is not so sexy. And his Texas accent is spot on.
But, is the movie… um, good? Um, yes.
Digger digs (pun intended) into the ecological crisis that the world has been mired in for decades and does it in a way that’s not overly preachy. But the film’s point is clearly made.
Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is awakened with news of a disaster brewing in Greenland. Drilling for oil has caused a chunk of ice to break away and float in the direction of Europe. His reaction is to go into damage control. He consults with the US President Compson (John Goodman) and science consultant Ganesh (Riz Ahmad).
In a scene that has the feel of a classic movie moment, Digger delivers a passionate speech to a gathering of world leaders, chastising them for failing to embrace alternate energy sources because they are addicted to his product, oil. I was reminded of the passion of Ned Beatty’s speech directed to Peter Finch in Network. One can imagine Digger might even have included Colonel Jessep’s line from another Cruise movie: “You can’t handle the truth!”
The real question this movie asks is “is Tom Cruise Oscar-worthy?” Digger’s director and co-writer Alejandro Iñárritu got Leo his Oscar for The Revenant. He almost got Michael Keaton an Oscar for Birdman. (Keaton was excellent anchoring that best picture winner but lost to an actor playing a more sympathetic character.)
And now, Tom Cruise, who has never won an Oscar, is making his bid with Digger. Will it work? The film has received numerous pans from critics but its IMDB user rating is 7.3 which is not bad. The old line “it’s an honor just to be nominated” may be true but after a while it must get old.
In addition to Cruise who does a masterful job with a unique (for him, anyway) role, others in the cast must be lauded. Goodman does not hold back one iota in his over the top performance. Ahmad, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg, among others, add to the overall high level of screen presence.
And how about that soundtrack? Credit Cosmo Sheldrake for the odd music touches, another signal that this is an unusual film.
Digger is rated R.
