After spending over a decade away from English-language cinema, Digger (2026) marks writer-director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s return to the language since The Revenant (2015). On paper, this project unites Iñárritu’s distinct creative sensibilities with Tom Cruise’s indisputable star power to deliver the erratic satirical black comedy its marketing promises. Beneath the trailers and posters, however, lies something far less straightforward: a movie that may not surprise those familiar with the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s work, but could considerably shock those enticed into his world for the first time.
Digger Rockwell (Cruise) is every bit as eccentric as his name might suggest. The uber-wealthy oil tycoon resides in a grand mansion littered with taxidermied animals and his beloved elderly cat, Maggie, who has almost certainly seen the very last minute of all nine lives. Digger is the kind of man who always wears an earpiece, ready to take a call at any moment. On this particular day, he receives one that alters not just the trajectory of his life, but also the fate of humanity itself.
Having ignored early warnings from employees at his fracking site in the ice-capped region of Greenland, the situation quickly spirals out of control. An enormous iceberg hurtles toward the European coastline, threatening trillions in damages and countless human lives.
The Excess of Alejandro G. Iñárritu
As the impact of Judy — the nickname Digger’s resident scientist, Dr. Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), gives the iceberg — plays out, the titular oil tycoon becomes obsessed with proving himself humanity’s savior. Thus, he embarks on an increasingly frantic mission to undo consequences that could have been avoided had it not been for his own negligence. Relatively early in this quest, the film’s premise evolves beyond a streamlined environmental-turned-social satire, adding a layer of surrealism that recontextualizes the entire plot.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
From this point onwards, Digger falls into the familiar rhythms of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s work, for better and for worse. You can never suggest Iñárritu lacks ambition or creativity, but those qualities alone don’t guarantee a film’s effectiveness. In many ways, Digger carries the same creative spirit as his last movie, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022). Ironically, the two share some of the same glaring flaws.
Self-indulgence and excessive length were among the largest criticisms of Bardo, and those same tendencies persist here. Digger’s effectiveness is repeatedly stifled by scenes that linger far too long after they have already landed well, stretching moments of intended impact to the point of pure exhaustion rather than engagement. The surrealism largely works, but when absurdism is piled on top of it, this increasingly precarious Jenga tower of a narrative starts to collapse under its own weight.
Tom Cruise and Riz Ahmed Capture the Chaos of ‘Digger’ Brilliantly
Even when Iñárritu struggles to contain his own excesses, Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun: Maverick) demonstrates impressive adeptness in his performance, fighting to keep the movie’s scale from totally tipping over. He wholeheartedly embraces Digger Rockwell, fully committing to the character’s eccentricity and gradually drawing the curtain back when necessary. Huge credit goes to the makeup and prosthetics team, who have invaluably aided Cruise’s striking transformation. The action star sells this departure from his normal stature through seamless physicality, throwing himself into the absurdity of every scenario without ever questioning its more outlandish demands. However, the same doesn’t hold for the entire ensemble.
Riz Ahmed (Hamlet, Sound of Metal) best matches Cruise’s understanding of the heightened material, delivering the most assured supporting performance as Dr. Ganesh. Other cast members are less consistent in navigating the script’s tonal shifts. At times, this stems partly from notably awkward dialogue; at other times, performances veer too heavily into the film’s heightened nature, feeling less like a deliberate stylistic choice (like Ahmed does) and more like an inability to find the same balance.
Impressive Technical Craftsmanship Saves ‘Digger’ From Its Hollow Script
Tom Cruise may be able to sell this story’s unconventional qualities, yet that still isn’t enough. On the page, Digger veers toward unevenness, containing a number of strong ideas that occasionally prove genuinely effective, while others are either overworked or stretched too thin. Most questionably, the movie often presents itself as a comedy despite struggling to muster a genuine laugh. The relentless attempts at humor are painfully heavy-handed, landing so bluntly that they leave a bitter taste. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s overarching narrative holds an undeniably intriguing proposition, but it eventually morphs into a collection of competing impulses that never quite settle into a singular rhythm.
Despite its shortcomings, Digger is a visual marvel. From the craftsmanship of its meticulously decorated, grandiose sets to Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki‘s soft cinematography that lets audiences linger on the finer details, there’s a great pleasure in taking in the laudable creative collaboration at hand. Even when the narrative begins to buckle under its own weight, the visuals rarely do. This story suits Iñárritu’s willingness to let reality, absurdity, and theatricality bleed into one another — a combination that arguably won him 3 Oscars for Birdman (2014). Yet, his lack of self-restraint lets the plot gradually float away from its complex foundations.
The disparity between Digger‘s technical achievements and the patchy hollowness of its script ultimately forms a rift at its center, and the result is a film that is easier to admire than to fully embrace.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
‘Digger’ hits theaters on October 2!
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Screenplay by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, & Sabina Berman.
Story by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Sabina Berman, & Jez Butterworth.
Produced by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Tom Cruise, Mary Parent, & Michael Sharp.
Executive Producers: Sabina Berman, Jez Butterworth, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Joshua Grode, & Emmanuel Lubezki.
Main Cast: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman, Sophie Wilde, Pip Torrens, Mercedes Hernández, Danny Kirrane, & Corey Johnson.
Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki.
Composer: Cosmo Sheldrake.
Editors: Stephen Mirrione & Conor O’Neill.
Production Companies: Legendary Pictures, TC Productions, & M Productions.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Runtime: 129 minutes.
Rated R.
