Tom Cruise-starrer Digger is already dividing critics.
The Alejandro González Iñárritu directorial also stars Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons and Sandra Hüller.
Digger releases in theatres on October 2.
Tom Cruise's upcoming film, Digger, is splitting the early wave of reactions. The latest directorial effort from the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Birdman and The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu, is drawing sharply mixed responses. Several New York and Los Angeles press screenings have been held over the last few days.
The Warner Bros. film, which opens Oct. 2, stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy and oblivious oil tycoon whose drilling operation in Greenland triggers an environmental catastrophe. The film’s ensemble includes Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg as the vice president and Jesse Plemons.
Digger Gets Divisive First Reactions
Next Best Picture founder Matt Neglia raved about Cruise's performance, calling it “Tom Cruise’s most dynamic and interesting role in years”.
“It provides him plenty of space to preach to the back row but not enough to dig deeper and deliver a performance that could’ve had far more power and nuance had Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ambitious narrative not been so imbalanced in favor of its zany but empty theatrics,” Neglia wrote.
IndieWire‘s Anne Thompson called the film “a brave and gorgeous art film that will not score with mainstream audiences but will play best for the Academy, especially crafts and actors.”
Variety staffer Clayton Davis insisted that the film “is not what people are expecting,” which means “how audiences react may be the ultimate test of Tom Cruise’s star power.” He added, “I respect the swing and what Alejandro González Iñárritu is going for. Tom Cruise and John Goodman are delivering stellar work (Sophie Wilde might be best in show for me), and the production design and cinematography are impressive (we’ve missed you, Chivo). In the end, not all the dots connect, and I wish the film leaned harder into the absurdity and satire it kept reaching for. Shocker! The divide on this one is going to be wide.”
The Wall Street Journal‘s Kyle Smith blasted the film as "an intentionally bad movie on the surface and an unintentionally bad movie beneath the surface” and adding, “It’s funny that [Cruise’s] blockbuster [Mission: Impossible] franchise features a more plausible doomsday scenario than his first Oscar-bait in a decade.”
Critic Edward Douglas added: “I cannot say that ‘Digger’ is very good, although I could tell what Iñarritu and Cruise were going for… I expect a HORRENDOUS CinemaScore.” Journalist Mike Ryan slammed the movie as “unpleasant.”
