A star-studded premise

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger stars a nearly unrecognizable Tom Cruise and gives off strong Dr. Strangelove vibes. It is Iñárritu's first English-language film since two thousand fifteen's The Revenant.

A massive financial flop

Digger racked up a mere twenty million dollars globally its opening weekend, against a one hundred twenty five million dollar budget. It has sharply polarized critics and audiences alike.

A film that divides viewers

The film is closer to absurdist theater than satire or dark comedy. It deliberately keeps the audience off-balance, its excesses pushing the boundaries of one's patience at times.

How Digger came to be

Iñárritu had the idea for Digger the character shortly after wrapping The Revenant.The project was initially developed at Netflix with Leonardo DiCaprio as a possible star, but Netflix opted to make Don't Look Up instead.

Cruise steps in as the star

Tom Cruise's interest in the project was piqued when he learned about it. The actor was a longtime fan of the director, and thus Digger was born.

The plot: disaster in Greenland

The film opens with Digger waking to find his decrepit cat, Maggie, at death's door. An explosion at his company's drilling operation in Greenland dislodges an ice shelf the size of Maryland, nicknamed Judy.

A conspiracy to hide the truth

The ice shelf is set on a collision course with the coast of Norway, threatening massive tidal waves destroying much of the European coast.

The big twist: it's all a play

Cruise is actually playing an actor, Curtis Markson, portraying Digger Rockwell in a satirical play called Fossil Fools. The film's first half is the final dress rehearsal before opening night.

Cruise's transformative performance

Cruise switches easily between Digger's loud, swaggering personality and Curtis's anxiety-ridden opening night jitters and growing concern for his daughter. His performance is phenomenal, on par with nineteen ninety-nine's Magnolia.

The film's spine: a ten-minute speech

Iñárritu has described Digger's bombastic speech in front of the European Parliament as the spine of the film.

The secret heart: Jesse Plemons

Jesse Plemons' Kenny turns out to be the film's secret heart. He is the real Digger Rockwell's nephew, and reveals that we are twenty five years past the devastating events being satirized in the play.

Why the play matters now

Kenny confirms the world is now a dystopian hellscape.Everyone venturing out to the theater on opening night lost loved ones in the global tragedy.

“It doesn't matter whether the play is a comedy, a tragedy, a farce, or something else entirely.”

A potential cult classic in waiting

Cinematic history is rife with critical and financial bombs that became beloved cult classics. Ridley Scott's Blade Runner chief among them. Digger may join their ranks, rewarding viewers who ponder its themes long after screening.

“While I don't entirely love this strange comedy, I'm giddy that it's lurched into existence.”