Review: 'Digger' is an odd film that you're either going to love or hate

SALT LAKE CITY — "Digger" is a difficult movie to recommend.

Not because I didn't like it — in fact, I kind of loved it.

It's difficult because I know there will be people who see "Digger" based on this review, walk out of the theater, pull out their phones and immediately start writing me an email that begins with, "John, you are an idiot."

And you know what? I get it.

"Digger" is a bizarre movie. It is strange, funny, uncomfortable, occasionally confusing, and unlike just about anything I've seen before. I have a feeling we may see movies trying to imitate it down the road, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I never see anything quite like "Digger" again.

This is going to be a polarizing movie, which is not only an accurate description but a painfully obvious pun once you've seen it.

And I don't mean that in the pretentious "some people just won't get it" kind of way.

Liking "Digger" has nothing to do with intelligence, how many movies you've seen, or whether you can name every film Stanley Kubrick ever made in chronological order. This isn't a movie reserved for critics who feel obligated to love something because it's strange or has the right filmmakers attached to it. In fact, as I write this, critics themselves seem pretty divided on the whole thing.

Some people will connect with the strange frequency "Digger" is operating on. Others will want to throw something at the screen. I am firmly in that first group.

What is "Digger"?

This is where things get a little tricky. Normally, this is the part of the review where I'd give you a quick rundown of the plot. With "Digger," I think you're better off knowing as little as possible.

At its most basic level, the film centers on a larger-than-life man played by Tom Cruise who finds himself pulled into a situation that becomes increasingly strange, complicated and surreal. That's about as far as I want to go.

The movie has plenty to say, and its satirical narrative slowly reveals what it's really interested in. Part of the fun for me was figuring out exactly what kind of movie I was watching, and I don't want to take that away from anyone else.

Just know that whatever movie you think you're walking into, "Digger" probably isn't it.

Tom Cruise reminds us he can really act

I've been a Tom Cruise fan for a long time.

The man knows how to entertain an audience. I still think "Top Gun: Maverick" is a nearly perfect blockbuster, and Cruise deserves a lot of credit for understanding what people want when they buy a ticket to a movie like that.

But somewhere between jumping out of airplanes, hanging off cliffs, and finding increasingly elaborate ways to nearly kill himself for our entertainment, it can be easy to forget something:

Tom Cruise is a really good actor. "Digger" is a pretty emphatic reminder.

The trailers show some of the bigger moments from his performance, and yes, Cruise gets to go big. Very big. But that's only part of what he's doing.

His character can be an egomaniac one moment and seem like a scared little boy the next. He's loud, vulnerable, arrogant, confused, hilarious, and heartbreaking, sometimes within the same scene. Cruise somehow makes all those pieces feel like they belong to the same person.

Then there's a monologue that runs close to 10 minutes.

Calling it a monologue almost feels inadequate because Cruise isn't simply memorizing a lot of dialogue and delivering it convincingly. The scene requires physicality, choreography, comic timing, and a massive range of emotion, and I still don't completely understand how he pulled it off.

Is it the kind of scene people will point to when awards season rolls around?

Probably. But all I care about is that it worked on me.

Cruise is utterly brilliant in this role.

The rest of the cast refuses to be left behind

The danger of having a performance that big at the center of a movie is everyone else can start feeling like furniture.

That doesn't happen here.

The supporting cast doesn't simply survive Cruise's performance; they go toe-to-toe with him.

Riz Ahmed is fantastic, finding exactly the right tone for a movie that constantly shifts between absurdity and sincerity. John Goodman is also a standout and seems perfectly at home in this bizarre world.

Jesse Plemons continues his run of being one of those actors who makes just about everything he's in more interesting. He also gets a substantial monologue and makes the most of it.

That's one of the things that impressed me most about "Digger." As strange as everything becomes, the performances keep it grounded despite the absurdity and nuance. Each actor gives a layered performance and they shift between emotions with something as little as a stare or body language. I'd love to get more into the complexity and pinpoint accuracy of these performances, but again, I run the risk of spoiling something about the movie, and I refuse to do that for those who are waiting to see "Digger."

Somehow, all this weirdness works

I keep calling "Digger" strange because I'm struggling to find a better word for it.

The storytelling is complex without being unnecessarily difficult to follow. It asks you to pay attention, but I never felt like the movie was deliberately withholding information simply so it could congratulate itself for being clever later.

Instead, it kept me curious.

I wanted to know what was happening. More importantly, I wanted to know where it was going.

The humor is incredibly sharp and often arrives at exactly the moment you don't expect it. The script moves between comedy, satire, and genuine emotion without giving you much warning, but those shifts rarely felt forced to me.

Then there is the production itself.

The set design is an absolute marvel. The world of "Digger" somehow feels tangible and completely unreal at the same time. There were moments when I knew I was looking at something ridiculous, but the detail and commitment behind it made me buy into it anyway.

The visuals work the same way. Reality and unreality seem to exist right next to each other, which fits a story constantly asking you to reconsider exactly what you're watching.

Most importantly, all that style is actually serving something.

There is a very deliberate satirical story underneath the weirdness. I don't want to dig into what that story is because discovering it is part of the experience, but this isn't randomness masquerading as depth. There is a purpose behind the insanity.

Whether that purpose works for you is going to be another question entirely.

What parents need to know

"Digger" earns its rating more through its subject matter and language than anything graphically shown on screen.

There is plenty of strong language throughout the film, along with mature conversations and subject matter that younger viewers aren't likely to be ready for.

Violence is also discussed and alluded to, sometimes in disturbing ways, but the movie isn't particularly interested in showing graphic violence. Much of what makes the material uncomfortable comes from what is being talked about or implied rather than what appears on screen.

Parents should pay particular attention to the mature themes here. Even without graphic imagery, the subject matter can get dark and unsettling, and the movie's strange satirical tone doesn't necessarily make those ideas easier for younger viewers.

This one really isn't for everyone

I realize critics say this all the time.

"This movie isn't for everyone."

Usually, it's a nice way of saying, "I liked it, and if you didn't, you just didn't understand it."

That's not what I'm saying.

You may completely understand what "Digger" is doing and hate every second of it.

That's fair.

Its sense of humor won't work for everyone. Its strange rhythms will frustrate some viewers. Its satirical approach could leave others cold. I can easily imagine someone sitting a few seats away from me having the exact opposite reaction I did.

But if your tastes run a little weird, if you enjoy movies willing to take enormous swings, and if you're OK spending a couple of hours wondering what in the world you're watching, there's a good chance "Digger" is going to work for you.

It certainly worked for me.

And whether you love it or hate it, I don't think you're going to forget it anytime soon.

Conclusion

I don't know exactly who I would recommend "Digger" to.

That's part of what makes writing this review so difficult.

I can tell you the acting is phenomenal. I can tell you the production design is incredible. I can tell you the script is smart, the humor worked for me, and I was fascinated by where the story went.

But I can also tell you that some of you are going to absolutely hate this movie. And that's OK. Movies don't have to work for everyone.

Sometimes you stumble across one that happens to operate on exactly your particular frequency. Something about its humor, its performances, its weirdness, and the way it tells its story just clicks.

"Digger" clicked for me. It won't for others.

But if you click with it too, you're in for one of the strangest, funniest and most memorable movie experiences I've had in a long time.

Related topics