A purposely ridiculous reflection on the value of art in a world driven mad by profits
In many films, there is one scene in particular that sticks out, a memorable moment for the whole audience. Like when Odysseus strings the bow in The Odyssey; people actually clapped for that moment during my preview screening. I’ve seen the clip on social media under a hundred different contexts and it hits every time. It truly is an applause-worthy moment.
I don’t know if there’s a comparable scene in Digger. If anything, the movie is lashing out at empty pop culture moments that simulate the feelings of belonging to something special. This is the director that called superhero movies “cultural genocide,” after all (Alejandro González Iñárritu). You will find no Oscar cheer-worthy moments here.
In fact, this movie is against feeling that way about movies at all. At least, I think it is. That’s the problem with high-concept art – you’re never quite sure if you’re getting the intended message. And with all high-concept art, there’s always a chance the director is a hack or doing a clumsy job of relaying the message. That is certainly not the case here. Digger, Iñárritu and Tom Cruise are all brilliant.
So I’m not sure if Iñárritu is mad at us for loving Hamilton or simply reminding us that loving it doesn’t change anything. But does that mean it doesn’t matter at all? Is attaching your feelings to art a pointless and futile exercise?
I realize I’ve yet to say anything about the movie itself. The truth is, I don’t know where to begin. The trailers had the same problem. I had no clue what the film was about other than disaster and capitalism. I hesitate to spoil much more, but like I said, I need you to see this movie.
Do you like special effects? Plenty to be had. Laughs? It is hysterical, in my opinion, although not always “laugh out loud” funny. The moviemaking is flawless and the acting is superb. It’s dark, vulgar and never boring. It’s also very meta. If you don’t like a movie with a message or chafe at “preaching,” it’s not for you. But to call it preachy is to mislabel it; this movie is too pissed off to be preachy. I told you I’m having a hard time describing it. Everyone else is, too. But I want to convince you to see it.
And beyond just seeing it, I need you to get it. I need you to understand why Cruise (who also produced) and Iñárritu (with two Best Picture Oscars under his belt) spent a Marvel budget on a movie that hates Marvel movies. Because you don’t make a movie like that for it to become a cult classic on streaming. You make a movie like that because everyone needs to see it. Especially those who would read a college professor’s review of a three-week old movie.
Here’s what I can tell you about the plot; imagine Trump and Hegseth were in charge during an apocalypse situation like Independence Day or The Day After Tomorrow. Now before I lose any rightwingers (how did you end up here?), the movie is not partisan. In fact, if it’s calling out any political party, its liberals and our tendency to mythologize public servants like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was in an opera, had a documentary and t-shirts, and ultimately left us in the lurch when it mattered most. And she did officiate a wedding maskless during an active pandemic.
But I’m not here to slay your idols, and neither is Digger. It’s here to tell you not to have idols at all. It might make you feel better, but idol worship is idle business; nothing will come of it.
There are no heroes in Digger, just people in different variations of selling out. There’s a morality play at work here, which you don’t quite see until a big twist near the middle. It’s disorienting in the moment (by design, I’m sure), but works well overall.
Digger takes place in the not-so-distant future, with many allusions to how they got there. It’s been at least 25 years, they say, which is an interesting choice; in 2026, it’s been 25 years since a real foundational disaster in our nation’s history (9/11). This is also a 9/11 movie, but not about the day itself; more about every day since.
As the movie opens we see the disaster begin, caused by oil rigs Digger set up in Greenland after some shady deals, secured with help from the White House. What follows is a theatrical version of how a ruthless capitalist would handle the situation. Dozens of workers have died (including a guy Digger was just talking to) in an oil rig explosion, which prompts an immediate question from Digger: how are the rigs?
The rest of the film follows a similar pattern. As our government and Digger continue to deal with the fallout of drilling everywhere, they continue to respond as self-interested, nihilistic, incompetent buffoons. It’s a bit of a farce. But all of that happens before the twist, which changes the stage of our story and redefines what came before.
This is a vague review and I apologize for that, but I really don’t want to spoil anything – especially not the midway twist. But suffice to say, there are some time jumps that show us what becomes of Digger and the world he drilled full of oil wells. It’s not pretty.
So what else can I tell you? Tom Cruise is terrific – but if you watch movies, you know he always is. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlberg and Robert John Burke are all pitch perfect in their roles. Goodman, in particular, is really hamming it up on purpose as the “divinely-guided” President Compson and I hope he gets an Oscar win for it. He is long overdue.
There are at least three levels to this movie and I had a hard time wrapping my head around them all after the first watch. I read reviews to help me understand and after a second viewing it all fell into place. And yet, I still missed things. Like Cruise’s character delivering a diatribe about art while wearing a flight suit. Essentially Maverick himself shitting on Top Gun: Maverick. How did Digger end up in a flight suit talking about art? That’s why you need to see the movie. The movie has layers and will reward a rewatch.
Here’s my last selling point: do you like stuff that makes you think? I guarantee this movie will make you think for long after. I haven’t stopped thinking about it in two weeks. It’s a movie designed to make you uncomfortable, to make you look at yourself and your role as a consumer in this messed up world. And for some people, that’s not a viewpoint they want to explore.
I need you to see this movie so I can know what you thought about it. Because that’s going to tell me more about you than your words ever could.
You can clap when the bad guy dies in the movie, there’s no doubt it feels good. But what are you going to do when you leave the theater and go back to the real world outside? That’s the central question at the heart of Digger. And I need you to see it so I can know your answer.