Digger Review: Tom Cruise’s Boldest, Most Political Movie Ever

In the months before the release of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, the movie was keeping one big secret: What, exactly, Tom Cruise’s character looks like. That has since been revealed by trailers and posters featuring his prosthetic nose and pot belly, his biggest on-screen transformation since his infamous cameo in Tropic Thunder.

It turns out that Cruise’s transformation isn’t the biggest secret of the movie, which includes layers that should not be revealed before wide audiences get to see it. (To put to bed one rumor: It is not a musical.) Any sort of foreknowledge won’t affect the ultimate message, though, which is less a warning bell about what the future may hold and more of a screaming alarm about the doom that awaits us. All thanks to the idiots in charge of this world.

The movie opens on what’s presumably an ordinary morning for billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Cruise): Waking up in his beautiful mansion, surrounded by a collection of beautiful things as well as plenty of hunting trophies. As he prepares for this day, he’s receiving updates on a potential problem with one of his biggest drilling facilities out in Greenland, but he’s far more concerned with the well-being of his beloved ancient cat Maggie, an incontinent mess who’s days away from death.

Digger does get at least a little distracted from Maggie’s fate when an explosion at the Greenland facility creates the possibility of a global disaster. This brings in the American President (John Goodman), his Vice President (Michael Stuhlbarg), and other national leaders, none of whom are particularly excited to embrace the increasingly dire warnings from science advisor Ganesh (Riz Ahmed). But as much as everyone involved would like to pretend that catastrophe isn’t on the horizon, there’s no stopping nature’s revenge — much as these leaders might try to think so.

With the fate of civilization hanging in the balance, Digger’s biggest, broadest comedic swings naturally draw a lot of comparisons to the Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove. That said, Iñárritu is operating on his own singular level here, approaching the end of the world as a fait accompli the rest of us are still catching up with. Its funniest moments end up coming from the absurdities of that inevitability, thanks to the incompetent and/or evil choices made by the people who were theoretically meant to prevent the worst from happening.

There’s a degree of artifice to everything we see in Digger that is very intentional — what feels fake is meant to feel fake, from the richly developed sets to props like the decrepit Maggie. Dennis Gassner and Richard Johnson’s production design is a huge part of the storytelling here, as are the costumes by Jacqueline West, every detail essential to the story being told. (Digger is also set enough forward in the future that we get occasional tastes of future tech that feel believably future-y — always an impressive accomplishment.)

Also factoring into that artificiality is Cruise’s performance. He’s not parodying anyone specific with his heavy accent work and terrible fashion sense (which leans towards a mix of Western wear, satin pajamas, and cowboy boots). Instead, it’s an ugly parody of power’s worst side effects, from the unearned confidence to blindness towards the needs of others.

And it allows Cruise to physically rip through his biggest scenes with a blinding kind of swagger. One showcase sequence finds Digger making his case before an assembly of European leaders; it’s a dizzying 10 minutes of performance and cinematography and direction all working to create something emotionally overwhelming that also manages to capture a few chuckles. As commanding as his presence is, his work still feels ego-free — he’s completely surrendered to the satire.

Riz Ahmed proves to be the standout member of the supporting cast, depicting a man whose frustration breaks him into pieces. However, the defeat seen on Sandra Hüller’s face as Digger’s sister/business partner is memorable, and John Goodman makes a meal out of Presidential doofery. Even the smallest players match Cruise’s demented energy without drawing focus from it; Iñárritu has made sure his ensemble is a well-calibrated one, all in support of Cruise’s jaw-dropping work.

There was a period of Cruise’s career — close to the first two decades of it, to be honest — where the man felt fearless. Not just because of his love for stunts; once he was anointed as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, he used that star power to help iconic filmmakers get their riskier projects off the ground, enabling important movies by Cameron Crowe, Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, and Steven Spielberg.

Digger harkens back to this era, especially as it’s impossible to imagine a movie of this size and scale getting made right now without a name of Cruise’s caliber above the title. Really, it doesn’t feel like there’s anyone else who could have gotten this movie made.

In this highly politicized age, Cruise has become notable for what he doesn’t say. The closest he’s come to having a real position regarding the current administration is dodging Trump’s attempt to give him a Kennedy Center honor, and quietly canceling his planned space adventure so that he wouldn’t owe Trump a favor. However, he does remain pals with new Paramount Skydance head David Ellison (who loves owing Trump favors) and recently announced his support for the planned merger of Paramount and Warner Bros.: A theoretically savvy move, considering Cruise’s upcoming announced projects include a sequel to Days of Thunder and a third Top Gun movie (both franchises belonging to Paramount).

Digger, meanwhile, comes from Warner Bros. Maybe the last gasp of Warner Bros. as we know it before its Paramount acquisition, and following the triumphant, essential 2025 releases of Sinners and One Battle After Another — box office successes that also cleaned up at the Oscars and dripped with political relevance. Digger is not projected to have the same level of financial success, but it’s just as outspoken in its point of view, coming sideways at big issues in a way that makes them hard to ignore.

Even without drawing a direct line from today’s corruption to the messages of the movie, Digger offers concrete proof that even Tom Cruise can’t ignore how fucked up things have gotten lately, and how much worse they stand to get if the planet spins on like this. It’s a bold statement made even bolder by the person starring in it — screw jumping off mountains, satirizing the men in charge with this level of viciousness feels like the biggest risk of Cruise’s career.

But it pays off brilliantly, especially in the final, unforgettable moments of the film, which reveal just what kind of cautionary tale this is. Not everyone’s going to love Digger, thanks to its inherent nihilism. But boy, has it earned its anger.

Digger struts into theaters on Friday, October 2nd. Watch the latest trailer below.