'Digger' review: Tom Cruise goes full eccentric billionaire in the climate satire

Elisabetta BianchiniTue, September 29, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC

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Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, isn’t a film you would expect Tom Cruise to take on. A Hollywood star who has a history of avoiding having a public political stance. But now he’s leading a film that directly points at evil billionaires, climate catastrophe and concerns about the destruction of our planet.

In one of Cruise’s most bizarre, bold and bombastic roles to date, working opposite gifted costars including Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Jesse Plemons, it’s a film that takes big risks. While some feel incredibly distinct and satisfyingly fearless, others may be more puzzling for the audience.

Digger release date: Oct. 2 in theatresDirector: Alejandro G. IñárrituCast: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D'ArcyWriters: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Sabina BermanRuntime: 2 hours, 8 minutes

What is ‘Digger’ about?

We first see Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a powerful and wealthy oil tycoon who is so desperately trying to keep his white fluffy cat alive, even when, as it’s pointed out by Sandra Hüller playing Digger’s half-sister Emma, the cat is literally decomposing in his arms.

Digger is alerted that his oil rig in Greenland needs to be shut down as a crack in the ice shelf continues to expand. While he ignores the problem, Dr. Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) appears moments later to tell Digger that methane gas has killed his workers and now a glacier is floating toward Europe, set to result in a tsunami that will lead to mass deaths and displace millions.

It’s at this point that Digger has to face U.S. President Compson (John Goodman) to determine the next step, after Digger had ignored every warning about his drilling operations.

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TOM CRUISE as Rockwell in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' "DIGGER," a Warner Bros. Pictures release (Seoju Park/Warner Bros. Pictures)‘Digger’ takes big risks, but its boldest twist falls flat

Even with the substantial amount of prosthetics Cruise has throughout the film, his performance comes through boldly, playing a smug, eccentric man with some unhinged behaviour with ease. And every actor around Cruise is equally as enthralling in their roles.

Creatively, Digger is a massive success. The production design by Dennis Gassner and Richard Johnson is elaborate and beautifully intricate, making Digger a real visual feast that keeps you locked in, even when the story starts to wander. That’s also enhanced by the work of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, giving the film an interesting texture that really draws you into this world, with camerawork that’s constantly keeping you guessing and interested in how we’ll see every scene.

But as deliciously audacious as the film is, Digger is also uneven in its storytelling.

There’s a massive twist that should shift the audience’s perspective on what we’ve seen, but it doesn’t have the impact it should have in this story. To avoid spoilers, let’s say that the lack of substance in that part of the film makes something that should be critical feel remarkably trivial, aside from giving Cruise slightly more nuances to play with in a film where his performance is at the utmost heightened level throughout.

Additionally, some plot lines are completely abandoned, thrown away by the end of the film, ultimately becoming a significant distraction as you wonder what happened to parts of the story that were never fully developed.

In terms of its social commentary, the film certainly takes a more pessimistic, less hopeful path. Still, frankly, in a world that continues to feel more devastating each day, it’s a point of view that’s easy to resonate with, as upsetting as that may be.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”