Billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) attempts to save the world from an ecological disaster of his own making.
Digger wakes one morning to a furore of urgent calls and visits about a methane gas pocket where his company is drilling in Alaska and Greenland. An issue he has been ignoring in pursuit of every dollar he can possibly extract from the earth in the time he has before his permits expire. As the situation escalates at pace, we learn that an explosion has caused an ice shelf to detach and head towards Europe. Should it strike the continent, untold catastrophe will unfold.
What follows is a madcap farce following the most powerful men in the world’s attempts to solve the situation whilst not impacting profits or their grip on power.
Digger is a bold and cinematically impressive film. The issue will be whether you can find anything within it to love, given its structure, themes and outlandishness.
The fullness of the film’s plot needs to be kept under wraps for you to appreciate it at its best, so all I can say is that the film’s unusual structure is one of its most fascinating elements. It allows the filmmakers to explore some surprisingly complex themes in a much more direct way than a conventional disaster movie would. The result is something that constantly feels like it is shifting beneath your feet, whilst still remaining completely committed to its increasingly outlandish premise. But that is all I will say. Hopefully you can find out for yourself before it is spoiled.
The themes being explored are also not just the standard ones. Yes, the film is telling us about rich billionaires eager for more money and crooked politicians in their pockets. But it also dares to tell us that we are all complicit in leveraging the world’s resources because we are not prepared to lose the lifestyle we want. It also makes an effort to speak to today’s latest issue, which is that all anyone cares about is being right and taking a partisan view. Something prevalent in all walks of life now. And finally, because this is ultimately a piece of art, it talks about art being a means of escape that people need to live.
The biggest talking point of all, though, is Tom Cruise’s bravura performance as Digger. Covered in prosthetics and just about recognisable, this is one of the most committed performances you are likely to see from the world’s biggest movie star. Cruise has always been a spectacular actor; you only need to take a look at the likes of The Color of Money, Magnolia or Rain Man. But this is him truly disappearing into an unlikeable and obsessive man… with some added layers.
Surrounding Cruise are some other great character actors, and whilst Cruise’s Digger towers above them all, some do stand out. John Goodman’s President of the United States is particularly crazy, whilst Riz Ahmed’s scientist is perhaps the most relatable.
Everything about Digger is big and bold, and for some it may be an impossible, self-important bore to watch. Personally, I found it fascinating and intriguing.
