Digger: Does Cruise’s latest hit paydirt?

Published 4:00 am Saturday, October 3, 2026

Even if you haven’t seen his smiling face grace the screen, Tom Cruise is one of those actors that you still know. He’s been a tabloid fixture for as long as he has been a movie star. Now I know everyone jokes about Scientology, and the wild stunts for movies, and jumping on Oprah’s couch, or at least as a millennial, that’s how I know him, but one thing that gets lost in all that is that Tom Cruise can really act. I’ve only seen him in a couple of movies uptil now, but he’s got chops. He has three Oscar nominations and even has Siskel and Ebert saying he should win over Daniel Day-Lewis. Now he’s back in the realm of prestige with his new film “Digger,” from two-time Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu. So let’s dig in.

The movie is about wealthy and powerful oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Cruise). One morning he is informed, but does not particularly care, that there is a crack in the ice at one of his drilling sites in Greenland. After the call, Rockwell learns there was an explosion and a large chunk of the ice breaks off and starts a collision course with Europe. It’s up to Digger to help the dying president (John Goodman) with what to do and to help repackage the story.

Y’all this movie is weird. Very very weird. For just a taste of how weird it is, in the two hours of movie, in my notes, I just wrote the word “what” on six separate occasions. About the end of the first act, there is a twist to the movie that turns everything on its head, that feels clever and makes a lot of things make sense but also makes things kind of feel like we just put on a different movie.

Cruise for the role he has, actually does a decent job. It would be very easy for him to get lost in all the makeup and over the top mannerisms, but for what’s required, Cruise handles it alright. Mr Cruise, if you’re reading this (He’s not reading this), don’t be afraid to take more roles like this.

Is it a good movie? I…I honestly don’t know. Did I like the movie? Again I…I just don’t know. It feels like a movie where every detail feels labored over and filled with symbolism, but to a point where you feel like Iñárritu wants you to ask him the meaning of it. It feels like a movie that in 10 years time, will be hailed as a classic and seen as ahead of its time and a masterpiece. But for today, it’s just weird, kind of for weird’s sake.

I think ultimately, I respect this movie more than I like it. The acting is good and it has an impressive scope and visual idea, and feels like it has something it wants to say, though that can get lost on a general audience. I will always respect a movie that is a huge swing-and-a miss over a boring and safe bunt of a movie. However a swing-and-a-miss is still a miss. Ultimately, the main problem for me is that the story doesn’t feel like it comes together at the end. Or maybe it does, and I’m just not smart enough to get it. This movie I believe will find an audience, It just needs to be buried for awhile.

Final rating: two and a half out of five stars
“Digger” is now playing at the Branson IMAX. It is 2 hours and 9 minutes long and rated R.