Digger

Digger
Starring Tom Cruise, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller
Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu

Satire is extremely hard to pull off successfully, essentially being the figurative tight rope walker. Coined by Nathan Poe in 2005, Poe's Law states that "without a clear indicator of intent, a parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views is easily mistaken for a sincere expression of those views," and thus is the issue: satire is hard to perform and convey because it relies on a delicate gap between reality and absurdity. Stray too far one way or another, and it comes off either as just lazy comedy or actually siding with what they're making the satire about, and thus becoming more pretentious than it was originally meant. While Oscar-winning director Alexandro G. Inarritu managed to produce some great work in the past, "Digger" is his most divisive - and least successful - of his career, due to the fact that the movie is a satirist look at greed, global warming, and how the two should never intersect. However, for those who would turn a blind eye to this movie due to the outlandish nature, they're missing out on a future cult classic with top-notch performances, dazzling set designs, and wall-to-wall humor.

Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is a wealthy oil tycoon whose company, Rockwell United, is extracting oil in Alaska and Greeland thanks to President Compson (John Goodman), Digger's good friend. He's more upset that his beloved cat seemingly is at death's door than heed the numerous warnings from the company talking about a crack in the glacier before it's too late - the glacier has now broken off, and a huge chunk of it is heading right for Europe, which will cause tsunamis of catastrophic proportions. While lead scientist and head of environmental safety Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) tries to find a solution, Digger, Compson and the U.S. government attempt to solve things their own way - leading to even more problems.

There is a lot to unpack with "Digger" that can't be discussed without going into spoilers, but there's still enough to talk about without giving anything away - but suffice it to say I was pleasantly shocked when the first twist came about, leaving me stunned and wondering what the heck was happening in the best possible way. Then the next twist occurs that spirals the film even more into a controlled catastrophe that sheds light on the duality of oil: both how it's destroying the world, and how it's seemingly necessary for our survival - or at least comfort. The message is clear in the movie, but there's so much absurdity mixed in that it really makes for an excellent piece of satire, which is why the movie bombed so badly.

Looking at the reviews, it seems this is a movie geared moreso for critics than general audiences, but surprisingly the stats are skewed. More audience members enjoyed the movie than critics, and I feel it's due to the subject matter. Critics are known to knit-pick every moment, so they feel like they know more than the average moviegoer. They saw "Digger" as a pretentious piece of directorial self-applause, rather than what it really was, and that's something audiences picked up on. Far from pretentious, it's a hilarious, almost too close to home look at what our future could be, and the ruthless higher ups who care more about saving a dime than millions of people.

Perhaps the failure is also due to Tom Cruise's performance, but not because it was terrible. Cruise is best known for his action roles in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise amongst a slew of others, but in reality he really loves digging into unique characters that don't spend a film's runtime running from his gay thoughts. One of his best roles was that of Les Grossman in the 2008 film "Tropic Thunder," playing an aging, bald, fat studio executive. Like that role, he totally immerses himself into Digger's role, tackling six hour long prosthetics and becoming nearly unrecognizable. Most critics weren't prepared for it, and neither were audiences, but he gives an Awards-worthy performance here, including a stunning ten minute long monologue he gives in one continuous take that is as visually awe-inspiring as the writing. 

The supporting cast also give fantastic performances. Riz Ahmed's longsuffering Dr. Ganesh deals with the racism in the President's cabinet and never being taken seriously until it's too late (and sometimes not even then), and his moment to shine comes when he gets totally hammered and tells Digger exactly how it is. John Goodman's President Compson is equally captivating, giving some of the most laugh-out-loud moments in the film. 

In today's cinematic landscape people long for originality, or at least that's what they say. While original horror movies like "Obsession" and "Backrooms" have shattered records, others have come and gone with nary a murmur, and that's due to the subject matter. People like horror movies regardless of whether they're good or bad, unique or re-treads, because there's an innate sense in all of us to want to feel fear. "Digger" is an original film but on the comedic side, and the trailer comes off as something totally off the wall. That makes people nervous, and would rather wait to see it for free on streaming rather than pay to see it in the theater. It's a travesty, because this type of movie needs to be seen on the big screen, because it offers so much more than just its satirical take on corporate greed. 

The Score: A+