# Tom Cruise’s Digger: A Haunted Comeback

> Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, challenges his legacy as a once-mighty actor.
- Title: Tom Cruise’s Digger: A Haunted Comeback · Vanity Fair
- Summary: Tom Cruise’s latest film, Digger, challenges his legacy as a once-mighty actor. Tom Cruise’s film Digger, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, portrays…
- Keywords: tom cruise, digger, alejandro gonzalez inarritu, southern-fried oilman, george w bush accent, prosthetic jowls, screwball comedy, michael keaton, leonardo dicaprio, warner bros, gq interview, tom cruise retrospective trailer
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/tom-cruise-digger-movie-review
- Author: Hillary Busis
- Published: 2026-09-29T16:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tom cruise, digger, alejandro gonzalez inarritu, southern-fried oilman, george w bush accent, prosthetic jowls, screwball comedy, michael keaton, leonardo dicaprio, warner bros, gq interview, tom cruise retrospective trailer
## Tom Cruise’s Digger
Tom Cruise stars as a Southern-fried oilman with George W. Bush’s accent.

> Digger Rockwell, a Southern-fried oilman with George W. Bush’s accent
## Prosthetic Transformation
Cruise uses a prosthetic to play a man in his mid-60s.

> prosthetic he’s been given in order to more believably play a man in his mid-60s
## Director’s Vision
Alejandro González Iñárritu directs a screwball comedy.

> Iñárritu, the man who brought Michael Keaton’s career back from the dead in 2014
## Cruise’s Role
Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a greedy oilman with no remorse.

> the kind of person who could, and does, wreck the world with a flick of his finger
## Cast and Tone
John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, and Riz Ahmed star in a loud, abrasive comedy.

> a loud movie filled with loud performances
## Marketing Strategy
Warner Bros. launched a retrospective trailer for Cruise’s career.

> a thumping soundtrack accompanies scenes of Cruise in his most memorable films
## Critical Reception
Digger aims for depth but lacks critical acclaim.

> it aims for depth but can’t quite pierce the surface
## Cruise’s Legacy
Cruise has never won a competitive Oscar despite decades of work.

> the honorary statuette he received in 2025 just might not be enough for him
## Expectations
Digger faces high expectations to win critical acclaim.

> this is the movie that will finally win him the awards and critical adulation he so sorely needs
## Past Career
Cruise made films like Digger before his career shift.

> this period stopped around Rock of Ages
## What Happens Next
Digger fails to meet expectations, ending Tom Cruise’s comeback.

> even Tom Cruise can’t dig upward
## Key takeaway

Tom Cruise’s film Digger, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, portrays him as a flawed oilman with no remorse, but fails to deliver critical acclaim despite high expectations.