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Digger

Including this new film, Alejandro González Iñárritu has directed only eight features, and his resume has its ups (Amores Perros, The Revenant) and downs (Birdman). But I make Digger his best. He shares a writing credit with a number of other folk (sounds like too many cooks but they get away with it), and it's shot by the ever brilliant Emmanuel Lubezki.

Kudos firstly must go to the trailer editor to sell it the way they did - it's a really eyebrow-raising subterfuge. I was expecting Dr. Strangelove, with climate as the nuclear bombs, instead we get a blend of films like Synecdoche New York, Beau is Afraid, and Birdman, and it's superior and more accessible than all of those. Colour me gobsmacked.

From the start, Digger was heading one way and, had it continued that way, this would be a very different review. Luckily, it pulled a terrific gear change. In a nutshell, the Cruiser plays Digger Rockwell, a mega rich oil man who ignores all warnings of an impending disaster caused by his drilling in Greenland. When it does hit the fan, he's forced to confront his place in the dwindling world, while also battling John Goodman's US president, his half-sister (Sandra Hüller) and Riz Ahmed's head of Environmental Safety.

It must be said that the cinema experience probably added to the enjoyment. At around 30-40 minutes in, out cinema complex sounded the emergency alarm, but it fit the scene so well, most of the punters in our screening weren't aware at first.

After heading out for 10 or 15 minutes, watching firies give the place a once-over, it was back to our seats to pick up from where we left off (I think). Then at the end, as the credits rolled, a couple of bag ladies moved in, possibly to kip for the night. Fair play to them, if they can get away with it. This all seemed to fit the mood of the film - you'll know what I mean when you see it.

The climate change message is strong, helped by Ahmed nailing a meaty monologue or two. It boasts a really strong cast, all excelling, but this is a Tom Cruise film and it's his best performance in a very long time. His pivotal scene with Australia's own Sophie Wilde (from Talk to Me) is a powerful moment, with an intervention by Jesse Plemons only ratcheting up the drama.

Thematically, there's a generational divide, a look at hypocrisy (Cruise's speech to the European court brings home some tough truths), and a pretty grim ending (that put me in mind of the underrated and underseen Hugh Jackman film Reminiscence).

Lubezki's camera angles add to the off-kilter feel - all slanted slightly upwards, creating a semi-claustrophobic state. I felt like these changed to a more level angle during the *REDACTED* sections, but I might be mistaken.

Overall, it's not as tight as it could have been. Some of the *REDACTED* scenes were overly wrought, and the stakes dip when we are exposed to the reveal. But to be fair, they rise again as Digger faces a potential family disaster, and the reality of life outside the *REDACTED* is unmasked bit by bit.

This seems to have polarised the film-going community (and it's on course to lose a lot of moolah), but I'm firmly in the positive camp on this one. Digger is ambitious, inventive, and doesn't dumb down it's style or message. More power to films like these.

Digger is still showing in Australian cinemas but may not be for long. I'd urge everyone to go and see this while you can.

See also:

Iñárritu's best film before this was The Revenant (2015), and there are clear (and less) obvious links to the following: Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967), and Michel Hazanavicius' Final Cut (2022).

(Film stills and trailer ©Warner Bros, 2026)

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