Written by Nicole Cabrera

Warning: The following review features spoilers for Digger. Reader discretion is advised.

It is said in the last stanza of T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men: “This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang but a whimper.” If there ever was a film to encapsulate that feeling it would be Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film Digger. One thing we’ve learned from history is that if we are unprepared for it , we are doomed to repeat it- and rather the end will not be an Independence Day style fight to the death, but something done and crafted from our own hands. Iñárritu takes his own stab at the end in this incredibly unique and creative way of not only warning us of the end, but doing his damndest to light it up with lights and fireworks.

Digger on its surface looks like a typical power-trope movie. Right out of the gate we’re introduced to Digger Rockwell, a bombastic bigger than life, richer -then -god personality helmed by the power house Tom Cruise; who has hung up his extreme building jumps and come back down to earth for a different but no less fascinating film. While Cruise may be buried under layers of makeup and prosthetics to look like what may be a regular man in his 60’s (which is ironic because he is one) on first glance he looks like a caricature of a many generations born American-Digger Rockwell is a man of wealth, living in a comically over the top house full of animal busts and death, which seems to be hanging constantly in the air, whether the decor, or Rockwell’s decrepit cat Maggie who has two feet in the grave, and the only thing Rockwell seems to have compassion for. Digger’s pursuit of wealth and bottomless greed becomes apparent very quickly as he is mixed up in illegal businesses that only a position of high wealth and privilege could buy: oil digging in Greenland in what was supposed to be protected land, and from the manner he talks to his employee’s it is clear he is man that very rarely hears the word “No” and very rarely looks before he leaps as he warned about the impending dangers of his actions. Karma comes for him quickly; as he ignores all the warnings about the danger his actions start a catastrophic cycle of events when an ice shelf (quickly named Judy) breaks off and starts floating towards Europe.

From here, Digger really gets rolling, by stacking an incredibly powerful cast behind Cruise, one of the standouts is Riz Ahmed as doctor Nirav Ganesh, an environmentalist who comes with warnings and quickly becomes the punching bag for the wealthy and the elite. Contrasted by Sandra Hueller’s Emma Rockwell who plays both sides as aspiring environmentalist, exasperated sibling, and enjoyer of the richer lifestyle. As the situation with Judy becomes more dire; we are introduced to those in power: the president (John Goodman) and his vice Eddie ( Micheal Stuhlbarg)-who are doing their best Donald Trump and Vance impressions- it quickly becomes clear how those in power manipulate situations for the common man. Rather than warn the public of the impending death and destruction brought by Judy and tidal waves, Digger and company instead set up an information firewall in hopes the ice will sail off path and out to sea, instead of taking responsibility for their actions.

Inarutu is not pulling any punches, making it very clear on how absolutely ridiculous the current political climate is: when power is in the hands of those who lack knowledge but have no one to tell them n it becomes a disaster and the common people pay the price. In a better world; this scenario would be laughable- hell, even hilarious but right now…it perfectly matches the current political climate and what once felt like a far flung pipedream is now what feels like weeks if not months away on any given day of the week.

As Digger works alongside the government, the prescient confides in him that he is dying of cancer, and from this moment, the film breaks with it’s own reality- coming to a screeching halt and reveals its not simply a paint- by-numbers telling of a corrupt rich man, but rather a version of one as “Digger” is revealed to be an actor played by Curtis Markson -in the middle of preparing for the role of his career in a satire play “Fossil Fools”. From here, the film does a whole new aboutface, with the actor’s performances seeming more bombastic - almost too ridiculous to be real; as the vice president and Digger confront the U.N and provide one of the films’ most memorable scenes. Digger takes responsibility for the disaster caused by Judy, but in the same breath proves that despite how many think they walk the correct path, we are all responsible for contributing to people like Digger’s wealth through our dependence on oil and other luxurious. Determined to go from bad to worse- Ganesh drunkenly reveals that the situation has become more dire, the giant iceberg continues its path of destruction and is now caught in a current heading towards the Alaskan coast. In a typical military mindset - after the president is talked down from a delusional rant about bombing other countries and blaming them for the problem and the solution is to blast them to pieces (unfortunately too relatable in the current climate).

The only thing that seemingly takes the audience out of the film, is its rare streaks of giving a peek to the world outside (where there seems to terrible storms raging) and the facade of Digger Rockwell becomes a side story for a moment, in Curtis’ own own story he is concerned for his daughter missing on a flight due to the terrible weather outside. Likewise,Curtis analyzes the legitimacy of the play at all- it eats at him whether this is helping or hurting the situation which is an astute observation and really does vary from person to person. These asides are used as moments to establish Jesse Plemon’s character Kenny;the plays’ wealthy producer, and owner of a global security system. It does seem to be the only time the audience is being spoon-fed and being led -as his character is revealed to be Digger Rockwell’s nephew- he purchases the rights in order to give the people a collective outlet whether to laugh, to grieve or let out frustration as they process the events.

*Digger* is a highlight of 2026 cinema; whether this will be acknowledged in 2026 (as opposed to the future) is another story.

The question then arises as these terrible tragedies continue to happen on a global scale be it man made, war, or natural disasters at what point can we talk about events on a level that helps one heal? There’s only so much pain and suffering a human being can take before they crack. In the case of Digger; it is revealed it has been twenty-five years since the initial events with Judy and everything that followed including the initial play “Fossil Fools.” With Judy’s crimes on his hands the end in near for Digger as we enter the last act of the play: living in exile on an oil rug… all hope seems lost but the vision of grandeur are not; as Digger seemingly fills an empty food cabinet through sheer will and prayer alone empty food cabinet; but the walls are closing in fast- the government has cut off support and protection.With everything falling apart, Digger as always, takes his actions into his own hands and with a goodbye to his nephew, and scattering his precious cat’s ashes, jumps to his death.

Iñárutu has never been shy about his opinion on politics.If there was ever any doubt; Digger has made his stance on the climate crisis crystal clear (as clear as the glaciers themselves) the displeasure with the rapid rate at which we continue to destroy our planet-despite all of us sharing the same space-, how those with wealth think that it gives them the intelligence to make over reaching decisions that affect our politics, and the common man. While Digger in its own odd way, it shows humans despite everything, are survivors and adapters: as we see the theatre group leaving the theatres and returning to the outside world living in semi submerged cities,with poor air quality and despite this, humans still are able to come out and survive. Instead of being a symbol of strength, the crude image gives an image of wrongness and that it shouldn't be this way. It could have been prevented, it could be fought against and yet; at the end of the day it's the poor and the working class who pay for the actions of the rich and powerful. In this world, everyone pays but some walk away in a better state than others. Through Digger, Iñárritu has created a bit of an anomaly, if one doesn't have the patience to think and observe, this is a movie that can be incredibly frustrating. Outside of Kenny who as previously discussed feels shoe-horned in, the film doesn’t hold your hand, it is a film that benefits from more than one watch. On a visual level it is stunning- sweeping cinematography of empty theater back drops, cavernous mansions, board rooms and meeting halls all things that are heartless and dull- brimming with life because of these dastardly bigger than life characters.

Aside from Cruise, who is truly at the top of his game, he is surrounded by sweeping talent: Riz Ahemed as the intelligent and ever- suffering Dr. Ganesh has some of the best lines and gets the hardest laughs from the audience as he goes through the whirlwind of frustration, fear and ultimately disponent surrender, being a stand-in for the common man. Sandra Huller as Digger’s half sister who seemingly presents herself as someone fighting for the environment and using her wealth for good, but ultimately, while not nearly as bad as Digger- still is firmly in his business. Her deadpan, more rough demeanor brings more gravitas to those who linger in the wealthy people’s orbit and benefit from them. Last but most certainly not least, Cruise himself- a powerhouse no doubt but having not seen him in a role where he has acted without a big stunt to go with it, it’s sometimes easy to forget what his career was like before this. Cruise is charming, amusing, sassy and despite everything funny in a love-to hate-way; in the same breath he has the infuriating air of the high and mighty. Cruise flips through the emotions with ease and skill getting lost in the character of the sadistic Rockwell and later humanizes himself as Curtis Markson the actor who worries about where is the line when playing over the top real life mad man and parodying the evil they do. Throughout it all Cruise is steady, confident and works flawlessly off his co-stars matching their energy bar for bar.

Digger at its core is a film of strong principles, while amusing it also acts as a warning; of death and destruction to come if we continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening around us. Things are not good and getting worse, unlike a lot of Hollywood which may try to sell you a false illusion, Iñárritu paints a bleak image of the future. Likewise, he has no love for the elite, making them look like buffoons at every turn who stumble into half assed decisions that sometimes pan out. Digger is a foreboding force of a movie because though the future looks bleak it should motivate the rest of the population. We can do better than those clowns, and with the right motivation we will do better. Likewise,it is not a burden to be passed off to the next generation, it is something to be acted upon now. It’s our problem now. The fact of the matter remains; we share a planet and should be doing our part to make it better, or we'll be crying about it in the future.

Dig or die indeed.

Nicole Cabrera is a Toronto-based film enjoyer with a passion for the eighties, horror, and deep diving their favourite actors’ obscure filmography. When they’re not watching movies, they're writing, crafting, cosplaying, going to concerts, working on their podcast (Hollywood Deepdive) and dreaming of traveling.