Running Time: 129 minutes
This feature film from Warner Bros. opens exclusively at theaters, Dolby cinemas and IMAX on October 2nd, 2026.
Mexican filmmaker Alejando G. Iñárritu has been making complex, ground-breaking, award-winning films for more than two decades now. His titles have included 21 Grams, Babel, Birdman, and The Revenant. His latest is the provocative Digger, a dark comedy/drama which he also co-wrote. The feature follows in the same, incredibly dense tradition as his earlier titles. So much so, that upon first viewing, the final product feels overstuffed. But, as the various elements settle in, the movie does begin to make an impact.
Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is an aging, obscenely wealthy American oil tycoon who has made his fortune drilling across the globe. He has known for decades that his business is terrible for the environment and certain to cause a climate disaster, but has decided that vast riches and power are more important than the well-being of humanity. But as the picture begins, he receives terrible news from environmental advisor Ganesh (Riz Ahmed). Digger’s Greenland-based oil drilling operation has resulted in an enormous ice shelf breaking off from the mainland. It’s potentially floating towards northern Europe, where it will cause a disaster that will end lives and leave millions displaced. Authoritarian U.S. President Compson (John Goodman) and Vice President (Michael Stuhlbarg) arrive, and the panicked group attempt to assess the situation to protect themselves from the potential fallout.
The film is extremely cutting and satirical, with the oil baron intimidating and rationalizing his way into a catastrophe of his own making. Despite being buried underneath impressively designed old-age makeup, Cruise is certainly up to the challenge, presenting the character with a larger-than-life persona. While Digger clearly doesn’t care about the well-being of other people and threatens those who bring him bad news, he amusingly coddles, obsesses over and gets the highest medical treatment for his ancient pet cat that is literally dying in his arms. He also lets loose in a memorable speech to other world leaders, in which he rationalizes his lies and, in the moment, effectively reprimands the world for demanding more and more frivolous luxuries.
Obviously, one can see many connections between this title and the current world as Digger is called into meetings with the American president and his board. Despite being utterly self-involved, he is charismatic and his battles with the equally corrupt administration result in entertaining discussions about rectifying the situation that will make one think of Stanley Kurbrick’s “Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”. In fact, there is even a brief shot in the movie that appears to be a homage to the above classic. The rest of the cast also shine, with Ahmed making a strong impression as an advisor whose warnings are repeatedly ignored by all around him.
The movie is also gorgeously shot, with outstandingly gaudy production design on Digger’s mansion, as well as some creatively staged and lensed shots of outdoor environments that have a slightly surreal quality. On a technical level, everything about the look of the picture is stunning.
So then, are there any problems? Well, the plot detail is not wholly accurate. There are jarring little bits and pieces that appear early on and increase as the plot progresses. And for any viewers going into the movie cold (like myself), these tangents do jolt one out of the story. One gets the impression that the movie felt a need to explain the outrageous behavior on display (although in today’s world, these acts don’t come across as needlessly excessive). This approach ends up adding a new set of conflicts and themes, including the subject of satire itself, which crowd themselves into the already busy narrative.
Thankfully, everything does come together in an effective and even poignant manner. It’s simply that these disorienting, unexpected tangents do startle in the moment and leave the viewer at a bit of an emotional distance. Having noted this, the satire and commentary is spot on, and the film leaves one believing that a second viewing with a fuller understanding of the characters and situations will be more rewarding. For that reason, Digger will ultimately make an impression. It’s another dark, daring and knotty film, which leaves first-time viewers a little bewildered. However, it sticks long after its close, suggesting that it will rise in my estimation with repeated viewings.
